Serena Williams hails Tiger Woods’ influence as she continues her US Open run
Serena Williams celebrated her US Open victory by throwing her hat into the crowd as she came off her first tee on Sunday afternoon with a confident smile on her face.
But in keeping with the mood of her first round, she was also asked if Tiger Woods would be following her down the stretch at the Masters.
She answered that she didn’t know and that he was “one tournament at a time,” smiling at her reaction.
“He’s a great competitor and a great player, and I’m sure he’ll be back playing in the second round,” she told the Daily Mirror.
The question and answer session came at the end of a typically aggressive first round for Williams, who shot a 1-under 70 for the tournament at Doral.
Williams is back in action after recovering from a stomach flu bug and was at it again on Sunday after she opened with a 66.
She was one of three Americans to win this tournament, along with Michelle Wie, who was also sick on the opening day.
“I’m still hurting. It was really, really hard to get out of this thing,” Williams said.
She also talked about the importance of not taking anything for granted.
“This is the Masters, the U.S. Open – I really do need to stay relaxed,” she said.
Williams’ win came from a bogey-free, 64-hole round that saw her shoot a seven-under 65, which put her 12 shots clear of world No. 1 Rory McIlroy.
“I thought I played really well – I just wasn’t able (to keep) it in front,” she said.
On the greens of Erin Hills, the US Open’s toughest of the week, she came from a quadruple-