( CNN ) -- There will be many star golfers swinging irons at the Olympic Club starting Thursday , but for the next few days all eyes will be on Tiger Woods . The burning question for many fans watching the action in San Francisco is which Tiger Woods will show up for the U.S. Open . Will it be the resurgent Woods that stormed to a recent victory at the Memorial ? Or will it be the injury-plagued , mediocre-putting Woods that has struggled to compete in recent years ? Some say Woods ' triumphant win at Memorial on June 3 , featuring a dazzling shot and his reminiscent fist pump , may foreshadow what will be seen in San Francisco . Can Tiger Woods crack the U.S. Open 's 'graveyard of champions ? ' `` Tiger 's performance at Memorial bodes well for him at the U.S. Open , '' said Peter Dixon , a golf correspondent for British newspaper The Times . `` He seems to have got his swing under control and is now able to move the ball in both directions -- which will be needed at the Olympic Club . '' The Tiger Woods ' fall-from-grace story has been told and retold so many times that some have been looking for the once-dominant golfer to write a new chapter . Woods looks like he is ready , according to some golf journalists . U.S. Open latest scores . `` He has lost a lot of his aura , but some of it is coming back , '' Dixon said . `` He is strutting around again and looks as if he believes he is the man to beat . '' At one point in his career , Woods seemed a lock to smash Jack Nicklaus ' record of 18 major titles . Photos : Golf 's young prodigies . Although his last major win was at the 2008 U.S. Open , Woods says he considers this tournament a real challenge . `` This is the hardest test that we play every year . What makes it difficult is that we play different venues every year , '' the 14-time major champion told reporters . Along with Woods , oddsmakers say that Luke Donald , Steve Stricker or Phil Mickelson , who holds the record for most second-place finishes at the Open , could take the championship . Rory McIlroy , won the U.S. Open last year , but the young golfer has been plagued with his own slump recently , missing three straight cuts . Woods will get a look at some of the tough competition starting Thursday as he is paired with Mickelson and fan favorite and Masters champion Bubba Watson . Chinese teen golfer set to make U.S. Open history .
U.S. Open starts Thursday at the Olympic Club in San Francisco . The top two seeds will play each other on Friday and Saturday for a spot in Sunday's final. Some feel the Memorial victory may get Woods back on track .