Tiger Woods preparing for U.S. Open at Wells Fargo, The PLAYERS

Tiger Woods has officially revealed the next two stops on his path to the U.S. Open. But will stops at Quail Hollow and TPC Sawgrass be what he needs to get ready for Shinnecock?

Tiger Woods is nothing if not meticulous in his schedule preparation. For essentially his entire career, his calendar has been largely the same, with few variations on “the plan”. And really, who can blame him? Woods has admitted that he builds his schedule to peak four times, and it’s worked to the tune of 14 major victories.

Of course, even after so many surgeries, so much time away from the game, Woods still wants to be that guy. 14 is good, and 15 would be even better, especially when so many doubt it’s even possible. With his most recent announcement, we now know what this year’s version of “the plan” will look like.

Next up on the docket is a return to Quail Hollow, at next week’s Wells Fargo Championship. This isn’t much of a surprise, as the Charlotte classic was a frequent stop for Woods before injuries took their toll in recent years. He won the event in 2007, and has a handful more top-15 finishes. He did miss his last two cuts there (in 2010 and 2012), but that doesn’t raise any big red flags.

After Charlotte, it’s on to TPC Sawgrass and The PLAYERS Championship. Woods is a two-time champion at the home of the PGA TOUR, which is actually a huge help. See, they don’t call it the “fifth major” for nothing; the field is actually quite exclusive.

Out of all of Tiger’s accolades, he’s actually only eligible this week as one of the previous five PLAYERS champions. If that doesn’t stoke his competitive fire just that little bit extra, then we might need to check his pulse.

How will these events play into Tiger’s preparation?

When Tiger Woods started off this season hot – four top-25 finishes and a pair of top-tens in five starts – we all rushed to anoint him “back”. Well, we forgot two things along the way. First, what exactly does “back” mean for a 42-year-old guy coming off spinal fusion surgery? And second, the fact that he is, indeed, a 42-year-old guy coming off spinal fusion surgery.

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Of course, it was fun. I got caught up in Tiger-mania like it was 1997 again. Heck, maybe he did, too. But if he’s serious about competing at a high level again, and not just being happy to be out with the boys, then the actual work of being a competitive TOUR pro had to start somewhere.

Quail Hollow and Sawgrass aren’t cakewalks, by any means, but they do share a common bond: familiarity. Tiger may not know these places like he knows Augusta or Bay Hill, but they’re comfortable for him. He and caddie Joe LaCava won’t have to spend hours poring over yardage books. It will feel, as much as it can for Woods, kind of normal.

It will also provide him with another test, with two consecutive weeks of top-flight competition. The Wells Fargo already has the likes of Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler attending. And, as we said, the PLAYERS will have a field that will look very similar to the one Woods will face at Shinnecock in early June.

Next: Tiger Woods will face his biggest challenge in return to U.S. Open

The good news? Woods’s game still looks to be in fine form for both of these upcoming events. He’s struggled with wayward drives, sure, but that’s always been a concern. He’s currently 12th on TOUR in strokes gained approaching the green, eighth in strokes gained putting, and ninth in adjusted scoring.

How much does Tiger have left in the tank? We’ll find out very soon. I expect that, if you thought his lead-up to Augusta was special, we’ve got even better on the way.

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