On the same day he sank to fifth in the world rankings, Woods hosted a private pro-am event for club members ahead of the $6.5 million US PGA National, which begins Thursday at the difficult 7,574-yard layout in suburban Washington.
“I will be a bit rusty, but I want to play myself back into competitive shape,” said Woods while announcing he would play this week. “I am excited for the challenge ahead.”
Woods, who won the National in 2009 and 2012, has a Tuesday practice round and will tee off Wednesday morning in a pro-am event for the tournament, which benefits his charity foundation.
“You just have to take it day by day,” said Sean Foley, Woods’ swing coach. “There’s really not a whole lot to it. It’s just seeing how he feels day to day, warming up and playing the course.”
If Woods plays well at the National, he is expected to play in the British Open, which starts July 17 at Royal Liverpool, where he won the 2006 British Open.
Woods, 38, would then be only three weeks from the year’s last major event, the PGA Championship at Valhalla, where Woods won the 2000 PGA Championship.
The 14-time major champion, chasing the all-time record of 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, missed the Masters and US Open after undergoing a March 31 microdiscectomy, back surgery to ease pressure on a pinched nerver.
Woods, overtaken for world number one by Adam Scott last month and passed by Matt Kuchar for fourth in the rankings on Monday, has not played since March 9 at Doral, when he fired his worst career final round, a 78, while nagged by back pain.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 25th, 2014.
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