Tiger Woods is feeling good about his game as he gets ready for another Major assault in this week’s rescheduled PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California.
The 15-time Major winner noted that he has been gearing up for the busy finish to the year, which will see the revamped 2019-2020 PGA Tour schedule culminate with the Tour Championship at East Lake on September 4-7. The US Open at Winged Foot (September 17-20) and Masters Tournament at Augusta National (November 12-15) will form part of the 2020-2021 PGA Tour season.
“I feel good. Obviously I haven’t played much competitively, but I’ve been playing a lot at home. So I’ve been getting plenty of reps that way, just trying to get my way back into this part of the season,” said Woods, who has made only three starts in 2020 with the last being a T40 finish at The Memorial late last month.
“This is what I’ve been gearing up for. We’ve got a lot of big events starting from here, so looking forward to it,” added the 44-year-old.
Observers noted that Woods looked healthy during yesterday’s practice round, with no signs of recent niggling problems with his fused back. He has a perfect record in two previous appearances at TPC Harding Park, winning the 2005 WGC-American Express Championship in a playoff over John Daly and going undefeated for a victorious Team USA in the 2009 Presidents Cup.
“This is going to be a fun test for all of us. The rough is up and the fairways are much more narrow than they were here in 2009,” said Woods.
He noted that playing without fans in a Major would be an alien experience for all the players. “I don’t know if anyone in our generation has ever played without fans in a Major championship. It’s going to be very different, but it’s still a Major championship. It’s still the best players in the world.
“We all understand that going into it, so there’s going to be plenty of energy from the competitive side.”
Asked if he thought he could win this week and pick up a fifth PGA Championship title, 16th Major and record 83rd PGA Tour victory, Woods replied ominously: “Of course!”
