Tiger Woods will not be in tip-top shape heading into next month's Open Championship at Muirfield in Scotland, but the world No. 1 feels he will be in good enough shape to compete for a 15th major.
“In a perfect world, I'm dancing right now and doing 360 dunks and doing whatever I want, but that's not going to happen," Woods said in a Wednesday news conference ahead of his AT&T National in Bethesda, Md. "I would like to be 100 percent, but I don't know, and it depends on how the body heals. We'll see how it goes.”
Woods withdrew from this tournament, citing a left elbow injury he said was first suffered in May while winning The Players Championship. Woods could not pinpoint a specific shot with caused the right-elbow problem. However, from Woods' wince on the first hole of the U.S. Open, it was clear when he re-injured it.
“I pushed it pretty good at the [U.S.] Open to play it and to play through it. Made it worse by hitting the ball out of the rough and eventually got to a point where I wasn't able to play here," Woods said.
In between The Players and Merion, Woods gave it a go in defense of his fifth win at the Memorial Tournament. He finished T-65 there, showing no signs of injury despite posting a career-worst 8-over 44 for his opening nine in the third round.
Woods said he did not regret taking that week off as a precaution instead of having to sit out his tournament, swapping one title defense for another.
“I wouldn't necessarily say regret,” Woods said. “I wish I would have played better [at Muirfield Village] so I didn't have so many shots I had to hit.”
Then at Merion, Woods finished T-32, but did so with the highest 72-hole total of his U.S. Open career and worst major-championship 72-hole score against par at 13 over.
That's all in the past though, as Woods has left the sticks alone in hopes of being ready for the Open in three weeks.
"I listened to my docs and not touching a club," he said. "We're treating it, and eventually I'll start the strengthening process of it. Then start hitting balls to get up to speed for the British.”
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