Tiger Woods on The Open Championship: I can do anything I want

Tiger Woods knocked off the rust when he returned to the links two weeks ago at the Quicken Loans National where he missed the cut after shooting 74 and 75, but those ‘baby steps’ have him prepared for The Open Championship where he will not be favoring anything.

More from Golf

Woods returned to Royal Liverpool, the course where he won his third Claret Jug, on Saturday where he played 12 holes in preparation for his first Major of the season after missing The Masters and The U.S. Open after undergoing back surgery to alleviate a pinched nerve in his back on March 31.

After his practice round, Woods felt as strong and as fast as he has in a considerable amount of time and after knocking off the rust two weeks ago gives Woods reasons for optimism that the site he dominated eight years ago could be the site of his pronounced return.

"“I’m not favoring anything,” Woods tells Bob Harig of ESPN.com. “The little baby steps worked. We were very diligent about what I was doing. Going into it we pushed it pretty hard to get my abs and glutes strong so when I did come back I was able to rebound fast. I can do whatever I want. I’m at that point now. We didn’t think we’d get to that point until this tournament or the week after.”"

The presence of Woods on the PGA Tour is a tremendous draw and provided he makes the cut, the television ratings will reflect just how immensely important he is to the game of golf.

What is encouraging if you’re a fan of Woods and the sport is that Woods is getting stronger by the day, which could mean we see Woods for four rounds in next week’s Major.

“Before I had the procedure, I was at the point I couldn’t do anything,” he said. “This is how I used to feel. I had been playing with [the back injury] for a while and I had my good weeks and bad weeks. Now they are all good.”

“I’ve got my speed back, which is nice, and I’m starting to hit the ball out there again. I’m only going to get stronger. As the weeks go on, I’m getting strong and faster.”

A stronger and faster Woods is exactly what fans want to hear and exactly the opposite what his rivals on tour want to hear as he attempts to reclaim his status as the top golfer in the world.

Home/Golf