Despite not playing in the 2025 edition of the U.S. Open, 15-time major winner Tiger Woods has still got his fans talking following his latest Instagram post
Oscar Maung-Haley US Sports Reporter
09:53 ET, 11 Jun 2025Updated 09:53 ET, 11 Jun 2025
Tiger Woods will not be competing at this year’s U.S. Open(Image: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
While the golfing world is set to descend upon Pennsylvania this week for the 2025 U.S. Open, 15-time major winner Tiger Woods won’t be out on the course competing against the rest of the field. But he’s turned heads with his appearance in a video to fans – just weeks after son Charlie showed off his own physical transformation.
The third major of 2025 will take place at Oakmont Country Club, with play getting underway on Thursday. April saw Rory McIlroy dramatically win the Masters at Augusta via a playoff against Justin Rose, while last month at the PGA Championship, world no.1 Scottie Scheffler claimed the third major title of his career with victory at Quail Hollow.
In winning the the Masters, McIlroy finally completing golf’s career Grand Slam, while Scheffler now needs to win the U.S. Open and the Open Championship to match the Northern Irishman’s feat. Meanwhile, the likes of LIV Golf’s Dustin Johnson is hopeful of a good week, despite his recent struggles – with the former world no.1 admitting how long he has left in him before he retires.
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But should Scheffler manage to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont this week, and the Open at Port Rush later this year, he will also join the same Grand Slam club Woods has been a member of since 2000.
The legendary golfer will not be playing at Oakmont due to an Achilles surgery he had back in March, which saw him miss McIlroy’s Masters and Scheffler’s PGA Championship.
The closest Woods came to winning the U.S. Open at Oakmont was back in 2007, where he finished joint second alongside Jim Furyk behind Angel Cabrera.
Clearly having a lot of respect for the Pennsylvania course Woods has offered up some advice on how to play Oakmont to the rest of the field. Speaking in a video posted to Instagram, Woods said: “You just have to hit the golf ball well.
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“There’s no thinking about Oakmont. The golf course is big yes, but there’s no way around it. You just have to hit the golf ball well.”
That respect was noticed in the comments section of the video, with a fan pointing out: “It’s amazing how much respect he has for Oakmont even though he only played there in the ‘07 open.”
However, some of Woods’ fans were focused less on what the 49-year-old was saying, and more on his physical appearance, particularly his right forearm which looked in good shape.
“Big [Tiger emoji] lookin swole,” wrote one fan on Instagram. Another added: “Bro looks stacked” with a third writing: “Triceps on point.”
Tigers Woods is out indefinitely after having Achilles surgery earlier this year(Image: 2022 Los Angeles Times)
Confirming the news of his Achilles surgery earlier this year, Woods wrote in a statement: “As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured.
“This morning, Dr. Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon. “The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery,” added Dr. Stucken.”I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support.”
