Tiger: Players could miss tee times because of traffic

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – When it comes to majors, Tiger Woods leaves nothing to chance.

His preparations this week have checked all the right boxes, like limiting his practice rounds to nine holes in order to walk the fine line between experience and conserving energy. Even his accommodations were carefully considered.

Instead of staying at the player hotel or a rented house, Woods is staying on his $20 million yacht, Privacy, in nearby Sag Harbor, which is about a 30-minute commute compared to two hours for some players.

U.S. Open: Tee times | Full coverage

“Staying on the dinghy helps,” he joked on Tuesday at Shinnecock Hills. “There are a few guys so far this week have said it’s taken them from the hotel, 2 ½ to 3 hours, and, you know, there’s a good chance that someone might miss their [tee] time. You get a little traffic, you get maybe a little fender bender, it’s not inconceivable someone could miss their time.”

Woods also said having his “dinghy” so close has allowed him to pace himself for what is always the most physically and mentally draining event of the year.

“Sag Harbor is a cute little town. I’ve only been there for a few days now. I haven’t really got a chance to walk about a little bit, but certainly will this week,” he said. “So far, it’s been nice to kind of get away from the tournament scene and go to my dinghy there and just really enjoy it.”