LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A goateed Tiger Woods sat in front of the media at Valhalla Golf Club on Tuesday and shared that his game could be in a better place ahead of his 23rd career start at the PGA Championship.
“My body’s okay,” Woods said. “It is what it is. I wish my game was a little bit sharper.”
Woods, 48, showed signs of progress playing on his newly fused ankle at last month’s Masters, where he made the cut for the 24th consecutive time to break the tournament record. He was tied for 22nd after 36 holes but collapsed Saturday and Sunday, shooting 82-77 to come in last place of those who made the weekend.
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Woods has been open about his body being the primary hurdle for competing at the level he expects. He said he can execute the shots necessary to win a golf tournament, but since returning from his near-fatal car crash in February 2021, Woods’ various ailments — and the recovery process required to play with those pain points — have hindered him from getting into contention. On Tuesday, Woods spoke of his back fusion, noting that he is always going to feel “soreness and stiffness” in the area.
“I can still hit shots,” Woods said. “It’s getting around is more of the difficulty that I face day-to-day and the recovery of pushing myself either in practice or in competition days. You saw it at Augusta. I was there after two days and didn’t do very well on the weekend.”
“I just need to do it for all four days, not like I did at Augusta for only two,” Woods continued.
But at least Woods is realistic about it. He knows he lacks the competitive experience necessary to beat the top players in the world right now. He realizes his process looks different from what he needed to do 24 years ago, for example, when he defeated Bob May in a three-hole playoff at Valhalla to complete the third leg of the “Tiger Slam.” Woods’ history runs deep at the Jack Nicklaus design, but he’s an older, more fragile golfer in 2024.
“I don’t have a lot of competitive reps, so I am having to rely on my practice sessions and getting stuff done either at home or here on-site,” Woods said. “But at the end of the day, I need to be ready mentally and physically come Thursday, and these days of practicing, eating on the golf course, that’s one of the reasons I came up here on Sunday, was to knock off some of the work that I have to do in charting greens, get all that stuff done early, so I can focus on literally playing and plotting my way around.”
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For Woods, the key this week will be staying on the short grass and landing on the right side of the tee time draw with inclement weather expected throughout the week. The Kentucky bluegrass rough at Valhalla is dense, and Woods says if he doesn’t drive the ball well, “things could get a little sore.” Woods will tee off at 8:04 a.m. ET Thursday and again at 1:29 p.m. Friday, with Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley.
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(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
