Woods, who finished first in his last tournament of 2011, the unofficial Chevron World Challenge, and third two weeks ago at a European Tour event in Abu Dhabi, makes his 2012 PGA Tour debut Thursday at Pebble Beach.
He said he comes back to the PGA Tour this season in a better physical state and in a better frame of mind.
“I took a little time off, and then when I went over to Abu Dhabi, I was working on the same things, on what I had been trying to do the last four events,” said Woods, who was tied for the lead after three rounds at Abu Dhabi. “It was very positive, and everything is headed in the right direction.”
Woods paid tribute to Kyle Stanley, the 24-year-old from Gig Harbor who had given up a five-shot lead with a triple-bogey eight on the final hole of Torrey Pines two weeks ago and lost in a playoff to Brandt Snedeker, then came from behind on the last day to beat Spencer Levin in Phoenix last week. He used Stanley’s story as an entree into speaking on how difficult it is to win on the PGA Tour.
“It’s hard to win,” said Woods, who hasn’t played in the tour event at Pebble Beach since 2002. “Being a front-runner, then everyone’s chasing you and you’re in a position (that) if you make a mistake you’re all right. If you’re off to a poor start early, you can still rectify it. It kind of all depends on how many are chasing you. A whole wolf pack? Or one or two guys? That’s a totally different deal.”
Woods said that since he played the Frys.com Open at the end of last year and then his own tournament at Sherwood, one major thing has changed.
“I’ve been able to train,” Woods said. “It’s two different deals, rehabbing and training. It’s two different scenarios. I’ve been pretty much rehabbing the last entire couple of years. Now I’m training. …
“My body is feeling explosive, and I’m hitting the ball farther.”
Woods also addressed an issue that has been discussed around the tour this season: putter length. Woods said Tuesday that there could be an easy answer: No putter can be taller than the shortest club in the bag. Problem solved.
“I’ve never been a fan of (long putters). I believe in the art of controlling the body and club and swinging the pendulum motion. I believe that’s how it should be played. I’m a traditionalist when it comes to that.”
Woods said that over the years he has had several conversations with Peter Dawson, chief executive officer of the Royal & Ancient, which governs the British Open, discussing ways to rewrite rules to ban some of the more outlandishly long putters.
Woods, 36, said he does feel his age. Although he understands, he said, how to manage a round more compactly and with the least amount of trouble, he also knows that his body will hurt, the joints will throb, the bones will ache.
Woods also said that he knows the young guys are ready to climb up and over his back.
Woods said even his amateur partner, Romo, expects to play well. “He understands how to play,” said Woods, who added that Romo sent him a swing tape to break down. “He can really move the ball.”
And Woods said Romo was going to enter with a plus-3 handicap. If Woods has his way, that will be changed to scratch.
