2006年VOA标准英语-Former Champions Highlight Field at US Open Gol

By David Byrd
Washington
14 June 2006

The second major golf tournament of the season, the U.S. Open, tees off Thursday in New York with Masters Champion Phil Mickelson seeking his third straight major title. The tournament also marks Tiger Woods' return following the death of his father in May.  Mickelson and Woods will have to conquer several former champions and a tough Winged Foot course to capture the title.

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For Tiger Woods, this week is a bittersweet U.S. Open. Woods returns from the longest layoff¹ in his career to join a field of 156 golfers. The world number one player's last event was the Masters, where he finished tied for third despite the distraction² of his father Earl's battle with terminal cancer.  Earl Woods died May 3 and Tiger took six weeks off the tour to mourn his father's death. Tiger says returning to the golf course brought back many memories.

 

 
Golfer Tiger Woods 
  

"Any time you take a time off and you start back you always work on your fundamentals, right? Your grip, your posture³, your stance, your alignment," he explained.  "Well, that's what I learned from Dad.  So from that standpoint it was certainly a little bit more difficult than I had expected.  It was also one of the great times too, to remember and to think back on all the lessons - life lessons that Dad taught me through the game of golf."

Woods has taken long breaks before, for knee surgery in 2002 and to get married, and both times he has returned to win his first tournament back. Woods says that part of the reason he took another long break was his father's advice. 

"No, Dad was always adamant⁴ that whenever you are ready to play, play.  If you are not ready, don't play," he said.  "If you are not mentally ready to play then you are not going to be there.  So he was always adamant throughout my entire career as a golfer to take more time off.  So for this stretch I think he certainly would have approved."

Phil Mickelson is ranked second in the world behind Woods, and captured his third major tournament title in April by winning the Masters for the second time.  Previously⁵, Mickelson won the PGA in 2005 and the Masters in 2004. The American says that the Winged Foot course will require precise hitting to win this week.

"This course has more subtleties⁶ than just about any course I have ever played," he noted⁷.  "Little rolls in the greens. Little rolls in the fairway. Little fall offs on the edge of the greens.  And learning those particular nuances on some of these greens required a lot of time and that is why I spent a lot more time here than other preparation days in the past." 

Defending champion Michael Campbell of New Zealand is almost overshadowed by the drama surrounding Woods and Mickelson.  The 37-year-old Kiwi followed his Open win at Pinehurst with a victory at the HSBC World match play championship last year.

However, Campbell has struggled this season, with his best finish being a tie for fifth place at the British Masters in May.

Campbell says he feels the responsibility of a defending champion, especially to players in his home country.

"Jack⁸ Nicklaus sent me a hand-written letter, saying 'Michael, now you have got new responsibilities as a major winner to promote this beautiful game of golf in your homeland country, New Zealand, and also throughout the world.' So I've decided⁹ to take a stranglehold of the whole situation, and hopefully make a change," he said.  "And in about 15 years time when I am sitting back in my rocking chair to see 20 guys [from New Zealand] playing in the U.S. Open instead of two. That's my ultimate dream, I think, once I retire form this game."  

To defend his title, Campbell will have to stop an all-star field, including two-time champions Ernie Els and Retief Goosen of South Africa and Lee Janzen of the United States. History is not on Campbell's side - since 1991, only Tiger Woods and Retief Goosen have finished better than 40th in defending their title.

World number two Vijay Singh of Fiji and former champions Jim Furyk and Corey Pavin of the United States will also be among those battling the 6,642-meter West Course layout.

This is the fifth time Winged Foot has hosted the U.S. Open.  The last time was in 1984, when Fuzzy Zoeller of the United States beat Australian Greg Norman in a playoff.  Zoeller took home $94,000 for the win.  This week's winner takes home $1,225,000

1 layoff   

n.临时解雇，操作停止，活动停止期间，失业期

参考例句：

• Finally, prepare an explanation about what led to your layoff.最后，要准备好一套说辞来解释你被解雇的原因。
• Workers were re-employed after the layoff.在暂时解雇不久后工人们又被再度雇用了。

2 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

3 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

4 adamant   

adj.坚硬的，固执的

参考例句：

• We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。
• Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 subtleties   

细微( subtlety的名词复数 )； 精细； 巧妙； 细微的差别等

参考例句：

• I think the translator missed some of the subtleties of the original. 我认为译者漏掉了原著中一些微妙之处。
• They are uneducated in the financial subtleties of credit transfer. 他们缺乏有关信用转让在金融方面微妙作用的知识。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。