Tiger’s got his bite back

TIGER WOODS has admitted he’s surprised by the speed of his recovery after recording the quickest swing on the PGA Tour this season.

The American superstar tees up as the hot favourite at the Arnold Palmer Invitational today – his final event before his return to the Masters.

The 14-time Major winner started the year ranked at world No.656 but finished tied second at the Valspar Championship on Sunday in only his fourth PGA Tour event of the year.

And in the third round at Florida’s Palm Harbor, Woods produced a clubhead speed of 129.2 mph – the fastest on the PGA Tour this season – despite undergoing four back surgeries.

Asked to explain the world No.149 smiled and said: “Dude, if I knew I’d tell you. I don’t know – it just happened. I went through years where I just couldn’t get speed. Now all of a sudden it’s just happening.

“We think among my inner circle I was living in so much pain I didn’t know it and I was just going through that slide of just protecting, playing around it and I didn’t know why.

“It was like in slo-mo but to me it felt hard. Now it doesn’t feel like I am swinging very hard but it is producing some incredible speeds which I am not against.”

Woods, who now uses a longer shaft on his driver, ranks second on the PGA Tour with a 122.4 mph average clubhead speed – just ahead of Rory McIlroy.

In his last full season in 2013, the American was ranked 28th with an average of 118.3 mph.

Woods, 42, has won eight times at Bay Hill, including in his last appearance in 2013.

But he said: “Just because I have won here eight times doesn’t mean I am going to win here automatically.”

And the four-times Masters winner said he was already looking forward to his next start at the competition.

Woods said: “Very eager, very. I feel like I am physically able to do it again. I love playing Augusta National. I know how to play it.

“Sometimes I don’t play it well. There is no other golf course like it in the world and there is no tournament like it. It is a player’s heaven.”

While Woods is looking for his first win since August 2013, McIlroy will be searching for some form before his latest bid to complete his career Grand Slam at the Masters.

The four-time Major winner has also failed to record a top-10 finish in his last eight USA events.