Tiger seeks a quick fix for year’s final major
Two days after completing the worst tournament of his professional career, Tiger Woods appeared refreshed and anxious for his next challenge, the PGA Championship.
Recommended Stories
Woods also ended speculation that he would skip the Ryder Cup, saying that he would play if selected by captain Corey Pavin.
“Hopefully I won’t be a pick,” Woods told reporters. “I would like to be able to play myself onto that team.”
Woods ranks No. 10 in the standings for the U.S. team. The top eight players will receive automatic bids.
Speaking Tuesday at Whistling Straits (Wis.), where he will try to end his major championship drought, Woods attributed his woes last week at the Bridgestone Invitational — where he finished tied for 78th in a field of 80 — to too much movement of his head during his swing.
“I’m trying to keep my head a little more steady going back,” Woods told reporters. “It’s something that I worked on over the years. I’ve gotten away from that. The head was moving way too much for me and my golf swing.”
When asked about his swing, Woods usually speaks in sweeping generalities. But Tuesday was an exception.
“[My head] was just moving too much,” he continued. “So I tried to shore that up a little bit so that I can start going down the line again, start using my legs again properly, and it’s starting to feel a little bit better.”
Woods is seeking his fifth PGA title and 15th major championship. He has not won a major since his signature U.S. Open triumph at Torrey Pines, “The Battle of Wounded Knee,” where he limped to a playoff win over Rocco Mediate.
After undergoing knee surgery soon after, Woods missed the final two majors of 2008. Since then he has failed to win in seven attempts, but has placed in the top 10 in five of those events, including a runner-up at last year’s PGA, won in clutch fashion by Y.E. Yang.
Despite his recent woes, Woods sounded hopeful of salvaging 2010 with a major title.
“If you win a major championship, it’s a great year. And I still believe that,” Woods said. “Last year I won, what six times in the year I think, and I didn’t win a major championship. So that’s what separates I think a really good year from a great year is you’ve got to win one of the big ones. There’s four of them a year, and we all have a chance this week, and hopefully I can get it done.”
