Tiger Woods admits the dream of a second major win at Valhalla have not been helped by his lack of on-course practice.
Nobody has won more than the 48-year-old’s 82 PGA Tour victories while one of his 15 Major titles came in the PGA Championship at the Louisville course in 2000.
After barely escaping a devastating car accident just over three years ago with his life, the odds on him adding to his haul back in Kentucky this weekend are about as long as they have ever been for a Woods win – with up to 300-1 widely available.
Speaking in a pre-tournament media conference, Woods admitted: “I wish my game was a little bit sharper.
“My body’s ok. It is what it is. I’m always going to feel stiffness and soreness in my back, I just need other body parts to feel better.”
He added: “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.
“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.”
The four-time US PGA Champion joked the Valhalla course isn’t too challenging ‘if you just stay out of the rough.’
Woods also revealed talks were ongoing about him captaining the US team at the Ryder Cup in New York next year but added: “There is nothing that has been confirmed yet. And if I have the time. I don’t want to fulfil the role of captaincy if I can’t do it – I need to give it the time it deserves.”
Woods would not be drawn on negotiations between the PGA and Saudi PIF, adding: “We’re making steps. It may not be giant steps, but we’re making steps.”
Asked if he was personally open to a deal with the Saudis, he merely replied: “I am personally involved in the process.”
