Tiger Woods: It's frustrating not winning

GAINESVILLE, Va. – Tiger Woods has been down this rocky road before.

It’s one of the few things he’s got going for him these days.

Ten days removed from missing the cut in the British Open on the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, Woods, who is ranked No. 266 in the world, returned to the PGA Tour for this week’s Quicken Loans National at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.

In a familiar refrain, this week’s tournament host spoke to the frustration he’s feeling inside the gallery ropes, the patience he’s testing to get through another swing change and his decision to remain steadfast to the change through his current troubles.

“I've gone through this before and unfortunately sometimes I have to get a little bit worse before I can make a giant stride to get forward and get better,” Woods said Tuesday after a practice round. “Has it been fun going through this? No, it hasn't because I'm not scoring obviously

“ … I've had chances to make those runs and I just haven't done it.”

Unless Woods wins this week, he won’t be in the field for next week’s Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, where he’s won eight times. If he doesn’t win, his next start would be the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wis. If he doesn’t do well there, he won’t make the FedExCup Playoffs and will turn his attention to the start of the 2015-16 season in October.

Woods struggled through swing changes in the past before going on historic runs with coaches Butch Harmon and Hank Haney. He notched eight wins in 2012-13 after another swing change with Sean Foley. But since switching to swing consultant Chris Como in November 2014, he hasn’t won. In fact, he hasn’t won since the 2013 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and his world ranking is the lowest it’s been since September 1996.

This season, he has as many missed cuts and withdrawals (4) as he does cashed checks. He missed consecutive cuts in majors for the first time in his pro career. He has five rounds in the 60s and three in the 80s.

Upon leaving St. Andrews, Woods spoke to concerns about coming up short on so many approach shots and his need to check his “numbers and spin rates.” After a week off in which he went to the Bahamas with his two children and went diving every day, he got back to work.

“When I geared back up, I started doing some testing and found a couple little things but it wasn't anything major, which was nice. It was just some of my swings just weren't quite right and I worked on a few things and feel pretty good now,” Woods said. “ … Things are starting to come together. Again, I'm sticking with it, sticking with the process and just trying to make progress each and every day.”

Woods has already played 32 holes since arriving here and put in an additional 2 hours, 20 minutes of work on the range Monday. He’ll play another 18 in Wednesday’s pro-am. He’s hoping to play 72 more starting Thursday.

“It's frustrating not to be able to win golf tournaments. I'm not really there in contention very often and so that part is frustrating. But I know how close it feels and I know that I just need a couple shots here and there and it turns the tide,” Woods said. “People don't really realize how close it has been between a person who is winning and a person missing the cut. It's not as big a gap as people might think. … Obviously I’ve got to clean up my rounds, convert the opportunities that I have and I just haven't done it and hopefully I can do it this week.”

Woods’ lost season in 2014 could be attributed to his back surgery. This season, he was still recovering from the back surgery and then had to deal with chipping woes that set his long game back. Now everything is a go.

“I haven't scored very well. I missed cuts. I haven't done much in the last couple years and I haven't played a whole lot of golf in the last couple years,” Woods said. “That's what Joey (LaCava, his caddie) keeps reminding me of. ‘Would you just relax? You haven't played that much. You think about it, the times you have played and when you've been healthy how many tournaments have you been healthy at? It's not that big a number.’ Also he keeps reminding me I won five times two years ago, and so it's not that far removed."

Woods: 'Things are starting to come together'

• Hopes to improve on recent The Open Championship performance at Quicken Loans National
• Tournament host Tiger Woods hopes to take positives from the practice area to the course this week. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Watch Tiger Woods live Friday morningGet PGA TOUR LIVE

GAINESVILLE, Va. -- Following a missed cut in a second straight major championship for the first time in his career, Tiger Woods spent the week after The Open Championship diving off the coast of the Bahamas with his two kids.

“I didn’t touch a club for a week,” Woods said Tuesday from Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, site of this week’s Quicken Loans National. “When I geared back up, I started doing tome testing and found a couple little things, but it wasn’t anything major, which was nice.

“Some of my swings just weren’t quite right and I worked on a few things and feel pretty good now.”

Once again he’ll try to carry it to the golf course when the shots count, something he hasn’t been able to do for most of the year.

Woods, who enters this week 197th in the FedExCup standings and even lower in the Official World Golf Ranking at 266th, has made the cut in just half of his eight starts this season.

His best finish was a tie for 17th at the Masters, but even that came only after a self-imposed two-month exile to work on his game following a withdrawal at Torrey Pines because of a stiff back.

Woods’ best result since was a tie for 32nd at The Greenbrier Classic. It marked the first time he recorded three rounds in the 60s all year, and he led the field in proximity to the hole.

The success was short-lived.

In his next start, Woods shot 76-75 to miss the cut by seven strokes at St. Andrews, a place where he’d won twice before. He made just three birdies in two rounds on a soft golf course.

“I didn't think it would take this long,” Woods said of his latest swing change under consultant Chris Como. “because I thought I would have my short game earlier, which I didn't at the very beginning of the year and so you can cover up a lot of different things when you're chipping and putting well. A lot of missteps throughout the years when I've changed coaches and techniques, my short game was all pretty good.

“But things are starting to come together. Again, I'm sticking with it, sticking with the process and just trying to make progress each and everyday.”

The ironic thing is he might not get many more chances this season.

Woods isn’t yet eligible for next week’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, though a win this week would get him in.

He could play the Reno-Tahoe Invitational, opposite the event at Firestone, too, but indicated that he wouldn’t.

After that, there’s the PGA Championship followed by the Wyndham Championship (a tournament he has never played) before the FedExCup Playoffs begin.

Only the top 125 in the FedExCup standings are eligible for the postseason.

It also might not help that this year’s Quicken Loans National is being played at a course that is largely unfamiliar to Woods. The last time a tournament was played here was 10 years ago for The Presidents Cup.

Not that any of this has Woods doubting himself, frustrating as it all might be.

“The neat thing is I've done it before,” Woods said of his latest comeback. “I've gone through this and unfortunately sometimes I have to get a little bit worse before I can make a giant stride to get forward and go getter.

“It's frustrating not to be able to win golf tournaments. I'm not really there in contention very often and so that part is frustrating. But I know how close it feels and I know that I just need a couple shots here and there and it turns the tide. Every time I've had those opportunities I haven't done it.”

Rory McIlroy remains world No 1 after Jordan Spieth misses out at The Open and Tigers Woods slips down to 258

Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth remains second in the latest world rankings behind Rory McIlroy after coming up short at St Andrews.

The American's Grand Slam dream ended when he failed to could not convert a birdie putt on the final hole which would have proven enough to contest a play-off with Zach Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman.

Jordan Spieth missed out on play-off after failing to convert a birdie putt on the final hole at The Open

McIlroy missed the defence of his title due to an ankle ligament injury suffered playing football. 

Johnson's victory in the Open Championship has lifted the American from 25th to 12th.

Johnson defeated 2010 champion Oosthuizen and Australia's Leishman in a four-hole aggregate play-off at St Andrews after the trio finished tied on 15 under par.

South African Oosthuizen moved from 17th to 13th as a result, with Leishman jumping from 61st to a career-high 27th.

Tiger Woods failed to make the cut at St Andrews and dropped 17 places to 258 in the world. 

Zach Johnson's victory in the Open Championship has lifted the American from 25th to 12th in rankings

WORLD RANKINGS

1 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 12.60

2 Jordan Spieth (USA) 11.66

3 Bubba Watson (USA) 7.08

4 Dustin Johnson (USA) 6.60

5 Justin Rose (Eng) 6.49

6 Rickie Fowler (USA) 6.43

7 Jim Furyk (USA) 6.39

8 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 6.24

9 Jason Day (Aus) 6.13

10 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 5.69

11 Adam Scott (Aus) 5.31

12 Zach Johnson (USA) 5.12

13 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 5.05

14 Jimmy Walker (USA) 4.90

15 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn) 4.39

16 JB Holmes (USA) 4.38

17 Matt Kuchar (USA) 4.25

18 Patrick Reed (USA) 4.09

19 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 3.96

20 Billy Horschel (USA) 3.83

Tiger Woods’ support boosts Jason Day into share of British Open lead

Jason Day, bolstered by Tiger Woods’ encouraging words, played his way into a three-way share of the British Open lead after three rounds at St. Andrews.

Tiger Woods was long gone from the Old Course by the time Jason Day buried his par putt on the 18th green on Sunday, but sparked by supportive words from the struggling superstar the Aussie bolted into a share of the British Open lead with 18 holes left to play.

Day -- who is entering Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open runner-up territory with three second-place and another five top-10 finishes at majors -- dearly wants to cadge that first major title. With the support of his good friend, whose days of lifting trophies of any type appear to be over, the winner of three PGA Tour events believes he is ready to prevail come Monday’s final round at St. Andrews.

Before he was wheels up after missing the cut in a second consecutive grand slam event for the first time in his career, Woods urged Day to "go get it done," the 27-year-old from Queensland told reporters following a third-round, 5-under 67. By adding the bogey-free score to his opening 66, Day joined amateur Paul Dunne and 2010 Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen at the top of the crowded leaderboard.

For Day, who battled a bout of vertigo last month at Chambers Bay, it marked the second straight grand slam event in which he has had a portion of the 54-hole lead. At the U.S. Open, Day entered Round 4 tied with Dustin Johnson, Branden Grace and Jordan Spieth but fell off to a T9 outcome.

That bit of trivia puts Day in elite company, since the last two players to take leads or co-leads into the final round in consecutive majors were Spieth, at the Masters in April and the U.S. Open in June, and Rory McIlroy, at last year’s British and PGA Championships. Both guys ended up in solo first, something Woods did 14 times in his illustrious career.

"It's good to be mates with him," said Day, who played the first two rounds of the British Open with Oosthuizen and Woods. "Every time I'm in contention he always sends a text message saying, 'you know what you need to do.’"

He carried the words of encouragement from Woods, a three-time British Open winner, with him on Sunday.

"To hear that advice gives you a boost of confidence to know that you're doing the right things and that he really believes in your skills," said Day.

Tiger also dropped some knowledge on Day that only the winner of two Open titles at the storied home of golf could possibly share: That stroll to the 18th hole, with the victory sewn up, has no equal.

"We were coming up 18, I said, ‘it's the greatest walk in golf,’" Woods, who lapped the Old Course field by eight strokes in 2000, said after posting a 7-over for his two days of work. "He says, ‘yeah, it's nice when you have an eight-shot lead, too.’ I said, ‘well, you just go ahead and go get that lead.’

"He's playing well enough to do it," added Woods. Day echoed what Woods had shared with him on Saturday. "He said, ‘it's the best walk in golf,’" Day said. "If I have the opportunity of doing that no one can take it away from me."

Many, of course, will try, including calendar Slam-seeking Spieth, 11-under and one shot shy of the frontrunners and very much in the hunt for his third straight major triumph.

Call to Action: Julia Grace Foundation seeks volunteers for Tiger Woods Foundation/Quicken Loans National Golf Tournament

Mary Foley
Volunteer Prince William on July 11, 2015

Come to C.J. Finz Raw Bar and Grill on Saturday, July 18 and bring an unwrapped toy to support the Un-Trim-a-Tree holiday gift program which is administered by Volunteer Prince William! Help us get a jump start on the program this year; a portion of the day’s proceeds will be donated to the Un-Trim-a-Tree program. Have fun and do good – does it get any better?

· Historic Manassas, Inc. will need lots of volunteers for their Bands, Brews & BBQ on September 12th. You must be age 21+ and the fun jobs include checking IDs, pouring beer, ticket taking and of course set-up or take down. They also need volunteers to help at the Manassas Visitor’s Center. This is a wonderful place to work with lots of neat visitors from around the world stopping by to get info on all our history and historical sites. Please call Erin at (703) 361-6599 to learn more.

· Historic Manassas, Inc. is also looking for two energetic and friendly volunteers to greet visitors and citizens at the Manassas Visitor Center and provide information about events, the area, and local attractions. Contact Erin at erin@historicmanassasinc.or or via phone: 701-361-5699.

· Brain Injury Services is interested in a volunteer to focus on their volunteer program. All efforts contribute to bettering the lives of brain injury survivors. Please contact Michelle: mthyen@braininjuryservices.org or by phone: 703-451-8881, ext. 232.

· Habitat for Humanity is looking for someone to prepare or donate lunch for volunteers working on a construction project scheduled for July 17. You can sign-up on line at: www.habitatpwc.org register and go to the Volunteer Calendar.

· Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Center needs your help! Donations of the following items can be dropped off at 14945 Jefferson Davis Highway, Woodbridge, VA 22191: paper products (plates, bowls, cups, napkins), plastic utensils (forks and spoons), plastic wrap, aluminum foil, lunch size paper bags, Ziploc bags (all sizes), trash bags (all sizes), NEW bed pillows. For information call Pam at 571-748-2537.

· BEACON Adult Literacy is looking for volunteers this summer for their conversation classes as well as their fall program. You do not need to speak a second language as they will give you all the skills needed to make a significant improvement in another’s life. Classes are held in Manassas both morning and evenings. Please call Caroline at (703) 368-7491 to learn more.

· Literacy Volunteers of America is also looking for volunteer tutors. No prior experience needed as their next volunteer training begins July 11th with a follow-up on July 25th. Please register today to make a significant impact for an adult learner. Visit: www.lvapw.org for more info.

· The City of Manassas Farmer’s Market will once again be participating in the US Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the 2015 season. INOVA Health Systems is matching dollar for dollar up to $10. To receive your SNAP tokens, visit the HMI booth at the market: Thursdays, 7:30am to 1:00pm at Harris Pavilion, Saturdays, Lot B next to the train depot from 7:30am to 1:00pm, and Tuesday nights from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. For details call Erin at 703-361-6599 or email: erin@historicmanassasinc.org.

· Prince William Citizens Stream Monitoring needs volunteers interested in water monitoring and gaining more knowledge on water quality issues. The training courses will give you lots of new skills and eventually your DEQ certification. Please visit their website for all kinds of good stuff at: pwswcd.org or email them at: waterquality@pwswcd.org to register for the trainings.

· Hey teens age 12-18 yrs. old! The Tiger Woods Foundation is hosting the Quicken Loans National Golf Tournament at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club July 27th-August 2nd. They need lots of teen volunteers throughout the week for their Standard Bearer Committee. This super fun job entails walking with a group of golfers as they play 18 holes of golf and hold up their score sign. You’ll be right in the middle of the action all day! You must commit to work any 3 days during the tournament in in exchange you will receive the uniform page for free- this volunteer package includes official Nike shirt and hat, 1 volunteer badge for the week and a weekly guest pass, parking pass and complimentary food and beverages on the days you work. This is a super volunteer job and resume builder. Sign up at: qlnational.com or you can call Katie at (301) 365-6946 or email her at: qlntournament@tigerwoodsfoundation.org.

Hey mom and Dad there are also volunteer positions for you too. They need marshals at individual holes, helping at admissions or the hospitality tents. But you need to purchase your volunteer uniform package for $75- it’s still a fabulous deal. And lastly, all volunteers receive training and orientation.

· The Sweet Julia Grace Foundation is looking for concession volunteers to work The Tiger Woods Foundation/Quicken Loans National Golf Tournament to raise funds for their organization. Go to: www.SweetJulieGraceFoundation.com for more information.

· Walk to End Alzheimer’s is gearing up for walks in September and October. If you want to help this year please visit: www.alzheimersassociatinnca.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer.

· SERVE has an immediate need for adult volunteers at several fun-paced positions during traditional business hours. Admin and shelter tasks include answering phones and assist walk-in clients and donors. Food intake screeners will help food assistance clients, update database records, schedule appointments and do follow-up calls. All positions require complete background checks and any Spanish speaking skills would be most appreciated. Please email Jan at: jhawkins@nvfs.org for more info.

· If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Coleen can help you with the Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at (703) 369-5292 ext. 1, Shelley can help with any individual or group project and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 0, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 3. Please visit our newly re-vamped website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.

Jordan Spieth has everything he needs to become the next Tiger Woods, says former major winner Paul Azinger

Two-time major winner and world No 2 Jordan Spieth has all the attributes to become the next Tiger Woods, former PGA Championship winner and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger said on Wednesday.

Spieth, 21, has enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2015 winning both the Masters and the U.S. Open and will be among the favourites at the British Open which begins at St Andrews next week.

Woods, a 14-times major winner, dominated the sport for more than a decade and Azinger said Spieth had shown enough in his fledgling career to suggest he is capable of emulating his compatriot.

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US rising star Jordan Spieth is aiming for a third consecutive major at The Open at St Andrews

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Paul Azinger believes the 21-year-old has the ability to emulate all-time great Tiger Woods (above)

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Azinger holds aloft the Ryder Cup trophy after winning the competition in Valhalla 2008

'He's all the things Tiger was,' Azinger, an ESPN analyst for the British Open coverage in the U.S., told reporters on Wednesday.

One stat has us wondering if Tiger Woods could contend at British Open

Forgive me for recycling this, because it's already been plastered all over the golf web everywhere, but I've been thinking about this Tiger Woods stat a lot.

One of the most common questions I've been getting on radio hits this week is whether Tiger can find some of that old magic that allowed him to win two British Opens at the Old Course at St. Andrews (2000 and 2005).

I have no idea if Woods is going to be competitive, but I do know the Greenbrier Classic was incredibly encouraging for anyone who still believes Woods has something at the bottom of the barrel.

The reason is as follows. You could make a reasonable argument that Woods had the best ball-striking week of his entire career in West Virginia last week. His entire career! Don't believe me? Take a look at this stat.

That's insane!

Look, I get that it was the Greenbrier and ... yeah ... but St. Andrews is wide open (literally and figuratively with Rory McIlroy out of the field). To score, you have to be precise with your irons and hit a bunch of putts. I'm dubious about Tiger and the flatstick right now, but if he hits it like he did at Greenbrier, who knows?

And isn't that the best part of golf.

Tiger Woods is hiring – Sign up at Harbourside Place in Jupiter

Want to work for Tiger Woods?

The door on the golfer’s future restaurant in Harbourside Placereads “now hiring.”

The restaurant is expected to open in about three weeks, according to Nick Mastroianni, the developer of the  $150 million waterfront entertainment complex opened in the fall.

The restaurant is expected to be 5,900 square feet with outdoor seating, according to the Harbourside Place website.

Woods has signed a lease and plans to open his international headquarters above the Bravo! Cucina Italiana restaurant, according to sources at Harbourside Place, which is located on the northwest corner of U.S. 1 and Indiantown Road.

Tiger Woods plans to open his international headquarters in Harbourside Place in Jupiter. No date has been set.

The company, Tiger Woods Design, designs golf courses, sells merchandise and markets the Tiger Woods name.

Tiger Woods 'too old' to regain invincibility, says top golf coach Peter Cowen

Tiger Woods is too old to ever regain the invincibility he once enjoyed but everybody in golf should be grateful for the contribution the 14-times major champion has made to the game, highly-regarded coach Peter Cowen has told Reuters.

Woods, who will be 40 in December, has been struggling for form heading into next week's British Open at St Andrews, where he won the Claret Jug by eight shots in 2000 and only a slightly less commanding five strokes in 2005.

Those days of dominance are now long gone, however, and Cowen, who has tutored some of Europe's best golfers including Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood, thinks it is too late for the American to ever get them back.

"If there is one important thing that makes any sportsperson look ordinary and that is age," Cowen said at the Scottish Open.

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"You can't do anything about a person's age. That invincibility diminishes with age and it has to. But then once you lose that invincibility how do you get it back?

"In all my years of coaching, I have not seen one player get back that invincibility."

Cowen said that the younger players no longer feared Woods and that the generational shift in golf is taking place more quickly than it did when the turnover at the top of the game happened every two decades or so.

The Rotherham-based Englishman said it should also not be underestimated how much mental toll Woods's long period as the world's best player took on him.

"Everyone ages differently and I am not talking physically but mentally," he added.

"People don't realise that you are in the mix in every single tournament, and years back Tiger was in the mix in every tournament he contested, that mentally is draining.

"I can see when Henrik is in the mix because at the end of the tournament he is absolutely, totally mentally drained and exhausted, and he has not won near as many tournaments as Tiger."

Woods shot his worst round as a professional last month, an 85 at the Memorial tournament, and he also missed the cut at the US Open.

Cowen, however, believes the American has earned the right to a bit of respect for his achievements and the golfing world should be grateful, not critical.

"Don't have a go at Tiger! Do not question Tiger," he said.

"Admit he's been great for golf and say how good Tiger Woods played and how great Tiger Woods performed in winning a particular event.

"We also should not be saying Tiger has made millions from the game but instead everyone should be grateful they played in the Tiger Woods era.

"The great legacy Tiger has given golf is that he's brought more kids into the game and golf, going forward, needs to recognise this and continue introducing the game to younger people."

Rory McIlroy sought advice from Tiger Woods after rupturing ankle

Tiger Woods has revealed Rory McIlroy sought advice from him after the football accident which has prevented the world No1 from defending the Open Championship that starts on Thursday. Woods, in fact, knew of McIlroy’s woe days before it was revealed to the public.

McIlroy ruptured left ankle ligaments during a kickabout with friends on the outskirts of Belfast last Saturday. No timescale has been placed on the 26-year-old’s return to competitive golf but he will be the notable absentee when the 144th Open begins at St Andrews. His ability to defend the US PGA Championship next month is, for now, in doubt.

Woods took to the Old Course on Saturday, where he disclosed McIlroy had been in immediate contact. The 14-times major winner’s career has been hampered by serious injury in the past.

“He sent me a photo the day he did it,” Woods told ESPN.

“We talked about it for a little bit. He said: ‘You’ve been through a lot of injuries over the years.’ So he picked my brain a little bit. We had a good talk.

“He’s doing the right thing, taking care of his body first before he gets back out here. No doubt he’s frustrated that he’s not going to be able to play in the Open Championship, especially here at St Andrews. And how well he’s been playing of late, and this golf course really does set up well for him, too.

“That’s the way it goes. We all get injured at one point in time. Sometimes it’s through the sport or sometimes it’s through fun activities. You just never know.”

Woods insists his own game is well placed to compete for the Claret Jug, despite a major drought which has stretched to more than seven years. Woods has not won an Open since 2006 but other strands of history are on his side; he won by eight and five shots respectively when St Andrews hosted the third major of the year in 2000 and 2005.

“This is my favourite course on earth,” he insisted. “I love it. And just to return here with all the memories I have, it never gets old. I love coming back. All the memories come rushing back.”

This time around, he admitted to surprise over course conditions which are unusual for links in summer. “I was shocked,” Woods explained. “I had seen photos of it a month ago. It was bone dry. It looked like it was going to be one of those dust bowls again; hard, fast, like the years I’ve played St Andrews. It’s changed. They got big rain and a lot of sun. It’s totally changed.

“I’m going to have to do a little bit of feel around the greens, my putting. I wasn’t expecting the firmness to be that soft. We made ball marks on the greens. I don’t ever remember making ball marks around this place.”

Woods spent half an hour offering range advice to, and played the closing three Old Course holes, with a group of five specially selected teenage amateur players.

The golfer’s main sponsor, Nike, was behind the scene which saw a crowd quickly swell to around 300 by the time the group appeared on the 18th.

Afterwards, Woods reaffirmed the confidence he exuded after he closed with a bogey-free 67 at the Greenbrier Classic last Sunday.

Prior to that, his year had been one marked only by struggles, including at the US Open where he missed the cut at an aggregate of 16 over par after rounds of 80 and 76.

“I feel good,” he said. “Sunday at Greenbrier is probably the best I hit it in two years. That was fun.

“It sounds crazy when I told everyone at Greenbrier that I felt close, after the scores I shot at the Memorial and the US Open, I just didn’t quite have the feel yet. I shifted the baseline so much I just didn’t quite have the feel yet.

“I put it together at Greenbrier and hit it really good. [Woods’s coach] Chris [Como] told me it was the first time I led the field in proximity to the hole with my iron game.

“I feel like everything’s coming around. I still need to get a feel for how this golf course is chasing. I wasn’t expecting it to be this soft.

“The shot selections I was working on last week and some of the trajectories I was envisioning on certain holes and certain winds and the ball chasing and what I need to do to make it move on the ground. It’s going to be different. It’s going to be more forced carries than I was expecting coming into the event.”

Tiger too old to regain invincibility - Cowen

GULLANE, Scotland (Reuters) - Tiger Woods is too old to ever regain the invincibility he once enjoyed but everybody in golf should be grateful for the contribution the 14-times major champion has made to the game, highly-regarded coach Peter Cowen has told Reuters.

Woods, who will be 40 in December, has been struggling for form heading into next week's British Open at St Andrews, where he won the Claret Jug by eight shots in 2000 and only a slightly less commanding five strokes in 2005.

Those days of dominance are now long gone, however, and Cowen, who has tutored some of Europe's best golfers including Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood, thinks it is too late for the American to ever get them back.

"If there is one important thing that makes any sportsperson look ordinary and that is age," Cowen told Reuters at the Scottish Open.

"You can't do anything about a person's age. That invincibility diminishes with age and it has to. But then once you lose that invincibility how do you get it back? "In all my years of coaching, I have not seen one player get back that invincibility."

Cowen said that the younger players no longer feared Woods and that the generational shift in golf is taking place more quickly than it did when the turnover at the top of the game happened every two decades or so.

The Rotherham-based Englishman said it should also not be underestimated how much mental toll Woods's long period as the world's best player took on him. "Everyone ages differently and I am not talking physically but mentally," he added.

"People don't realize that you are in the mix in every single tournament, and years back Tiger was in the mix in every tournament he contested, that mentally is draining. "I can see when Henrik is in the mix because at the end of the tournament he is absolutely, totally mentally drained and exhausted, and he has not won near as many tournaments as Tiger." Woods shot his worst round as a professional last month, an 85 at the Memorial tournament, and he also missed the cut at the U.S. Open.

Cowen, however, believes the American has earned the right to a bit of respect for his achievements and the golfing world should be grateful, not critical.

"Don’t have a go at Tiger! Do not question Tiger," he said.

"Admit he’s been great for golf and say how good Tiger Woods played and how great Tiger Woods performed in winning a particular event.

"We also should not be saying Tiger has made millions from the game but instead everyone should be grateful they played in the Tiger Woods era. "The great legacy Tiger has given golf is that he's brought more kids into the game and golf, going forward, needs to recognise this and continue introducing the game to younger people.

TIGER'S GREENBRIER CLASSIC PRESS CONFERENCE: THURSDAY

Galleries flocked to The Old White TPC for a glimpse at Tiger's first round in West Virginia since 2012. (AP)

By Press Conference / ASAP Sports

Q: Great finish today.

TIGER WOODS: Well, 6 wasn't very good, making a double there. I felt like -- I was just telling Joey going down 7, we were playing too well to be at 1-under par. Just trying to get back to 3, and we just happened to pull off a hat trick coming home.TIGER WOODS: Thank you.

Q: What happened on the three birdies in a row?

Q: You said there were a lot of birdies would be necessary today. You had seven, so take away those two holes and it was a pretty good day?

TIGER WOODS: It was a pretty good day. I felt like I left a lot of opportunities out there, too. I hit the ball better than what my score indicates. I gave myself a lot of looks and just didn't make enough. But overall as of right now, I'm only two back. It's going to be a bunched leaderboard come Sunday. Guys are all going to be somewhere up there. This golf course, the nature of this golf course right now, it's soft, and the guys are going to go get it.

Q: You've been saying for a while that you've been playing better than you've been scoring, so what does it feel like to finally get a score that is more representative of how you feel you're hitting it?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I think it's, as I said, I wasn't that far off. I knew I made that pattern shift at Memorial, and I wasn't that far off, even though my scores don't indicate it, my swings don't indicate it, but my feels were telling me that I wasn't that far off. I was proving it to myself time and time again away from a tournament site and on the range, but my feel in my hands and my body weren't far off. It was just a matter of just getting into a little bit of the rhythm and the flow of it, and I found that.

Q: Are you relieved a little bit that you can show people everything you've been talking about and improving your swing and improving your game, that it shows in your score?

TIGER WOODS: Relief, no. I'm still only two back. I'm more worried about that. You know, forget you guys and everybody else out there (laughter); it's about winning golf tournaments and putting myself up there consistently, and that's why I've made the changes, to put myself up there consistently.

Q: You seem like you've been in a really good mood since you got here.

TIGER WOODS: The people here are fantastic. They treated me with so much respect and kindness the last time I was here, and even though I missed the cut, the people here are just so friendly, and it was nice to come back and come back to a very friendly place. I mean, these people here really support golf. They love their sport. Everyone seems to be an outdoorsman here, and they come out here and just support the event.

Q: Best shot of the day, No. 7, the approach, the bend around the tree?

TIGER WOODS: That was a good one. That was a good one. I hit a couple good ones on my front nine, the back nine, a couple nice little tee shots I thought I hit out there. Overall I can't really say I hit any great shots, but I hit a lot of good ones.

Q: How important for your confidence was it to get a good start this week?

TIGER WOODS: It's more important because this golf course, everyone is going to go low. It's more important for that. Everyone is going to go low. Everyone is going to shoot under par here it seems like. It's so soft. The par-5s are somewhat reachable with it being soft like this, but overall if you drive the ball well here, you're going to probably have at least seven shots with 9-iron or below into the greens, and you're going to have to capitalize on that, and so far I'm one of those guys who did.

Q: Even though you had that trouble at 6, you acknowledged the crowd, you rebounded nicely. Is that kind of part of the framework of getting this thing back together?

TIGER WOODS: Well, as I said earlier, I was telling Joey that I felt like I was playing so well. I'm not going to lose this round. I'm playing too well to let it go awry. I'm hitting the ball too well, I'm putting well. A lot of my putts are starting online with the correct pace. Let's get back to 3, and bonus was the 4.

Q: Tough lie in the bunker on 6?

TIGER WOODS: No, it was a perfect lie. It was sitting up. I was debating whether or not to use my 56 or 60, and I hadn't practiced my 56 yet all week here on this bunker, and I'm saying, well, this is a long bunker shot to the 60, so I'd better hit it close to the ball, and I did. I hit a nice home run there.

Q: Any reason your putts were falling on the back nine and just missing on the front nine?

TIGER WOODS: I think it's just speed. I was carrying too much speed. The balls weren't breaking as much at the holes as I thought, and I noticed that David and Stricks were doing the same thing, they were missing a lot of putts on the high side, so my lowered my line just a touch, maybe half a ball here and there, and it seemed to pay off, and same with David, as well.

Q: Tiger, heck of a finish there with three straight to wrap up your opening round. How big was that to get in the clubhouse with that momentum?

TIGER WOODS: I played so much better than being 1-under par at the time, after making a stupid double bogey at 6. I was hitting the ball too well, giving myself so many opportunities, capitalizing on hardly anything, but felt like if we could get it back to 3 would be great, and I happened to pull off a hat trick coming in.

Q: And this is your best opening round since BMW Championship a couple years ago. From a big picture standpoint to see positive results like that, what will that do for you going forward?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I felt like I wasn't very far away. I know people think I'm crazy for saying that, but I just felt like I wasn't that far. I just had to make a couple little tweaks, and I felt like I pulled that off.

Q: It looked like in the pro-am on Wednesday, you were hitting the driver great. That had been an issue for you the previous couple months. It carried over to today. What's been clicking for you?

TIGER WOODS: Well, just the overall pattern shift that we made. It started at Memorial, making a big change there, and then it's just finally starting to click in now.

Q: How close do you think you are?

TIGER WOODS: Very close

TIGER SHOOTS 69 IN SECOND ROUND OF THE GREENBRIER CLASSIC

Despite an inconsistent day striking the ball, Tiger shot a 1-under-par 69 the second round at the soggy Old White TPC in White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia. (AP)

By Mark Soltau / TigerWoods.com

For the second consecutive round, Tiger Woods broke par in soggy conditions at the Greenbrier Classic at The Old White TPC at Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

Overnight and morning rain softened the course, and the moisture in the rough was difficult to negotiate. Still, Woods continued his good ball striking, hitting 14-of-18 greens in regulation. Tiger has found 29 of 36 through the first two rounds.After opening with a 4-under-par 66, he posted a 69 on Friday, making birdie on the final hole for the second day in a row. Tiger has a 36-hole score of 5-under 135 and is tied for 25th, four strokes behind leaders Jhonattan Vegas and Scott Langley.

Tiger's accuracy off the tee wasn't as sharp as it was on Thursday, as he hit only 7-of-14 fairways. As a result, he didn't give himself many good birdie chances and used 32 putts.

A late front-nine starter with Steve Stricker and David Lingmerth, Woods parred the first hole, then birdied the 488-yard, par-4 second. After a 305-yard drive, he flagged his approach shot from 172 yards within two feet of the cup and made the putt.

Tiger parred the next seven holes, two-putting each, to make the turn in 1-under 33. He had two lip-outs from long range.

After a two-putt par at No. 10, Tiger bogeyed the 475-yard, par-4 11th. He hit a 3-wood off the tee into the right rough and came up just short of the green from 209 yards with a 6-iron. Tiger caught his chip shot heavy and left the ball 20 feet short of the hole and two-putted for a bogey.

Woods bounced right back with a 324-yard drive at the 550-yard, par-5 12th. He drilled his second shot 12 feet below the pin and gave his eagle attempt a great run, but the ball hit the center of the cup and bounced out. Tiger settling for an easy birdie.

At the 492-yard, par-4 13th, Tiger caught a good break when he blocked his drive way right. The ball landed out of bounds on a concrete road but bounced left and back in play, settling in tall grass on a hillside. Tiger slashed his second shot back into the fairway and wound up two-putting for a bogey from 20 feet.

Once again, he rebounded quickly. At the 394-yard, par-4 14th, he hit a good drive and then hit a wedge three feet from the hole and converted the short birdie. With more rain beginning to fall, Tiger two-putted the par-3 15th for a par from 19 feet.

Woods hit a poor second shot at the par-4 16th, the ball burying in the left greenside bunker. He did well to muscle it 35 feet past the hole and two-putted for a bogey.

For the second straight day, Tiger blocked his drive at the 597-yard, par-5 17th into the water hazard on the right. After taking a drop and incurring a one-stroke penalty, he hit a good lay-up shot 98 yards short of the green and nearly holed out his fourth shot, the ball almost landing in the cup, then lipping out. Woods tapped in the two-footer to save par.

At the 175-yard par-3 18th, Tiger flushed an 8-iron six feet above the hole and poured in the slick, downhill birdie putt.

The last time Woods recorded back-to-back rounds in the 60s was in the second and third rounds of the Masters this year. On Saturday, he will try to extend it to three straight, something he hasn't accomplished since The Barclays in 2013.

Tiger will begin his third round at 11:10 a.m. on the first hole. His third-round playing partner will be Morgan Hoffmann