WOODS WANTS FINAL FLOURISH AT ST ANDREWS
TIGER WOODS insists he is gearing up for what is likely to be one final crack at St Andrews in next week’s Open Championship. Woods is slowly easing himself back into the swing of things as he continues his recovery from the life-threatening injuries he suffered in a car crash last year. He was forced to miss the US Open at Brookline last month and has now admitted his body simply wouldn’t have coped had he decided to play. But the 46-year-old has been in Ireland over the past few days, playing in the pro-am event hosted by JP McManus at Adare Manor, where he used a buggy to get around the course. Woods is now set to head to Scotland as he continues his preparations for the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship next week. The 15-time major winner already has three Claret Jugs to his name, two of which came at St Andrews in 2000 and 2005. He regards the Old Course as his favourite in world golf and, given that he doesn’t know how much more competitive golf he has left in the tank, would love to taste victory at the venue one last time. ‘This is a pretty historic Open,’ he said. ‘I’m lucky enough to have won there and want to play there again. ‘I don’t know when they are going to go back (to St Andrews) while I’m still able to play at a high level. I’ve won two Opens there and it’s near and dear to my heart. It’s my favourite course in the world. I will be there for that one (next week) but anything in between I don’t know.’ Woods admitted there are still days when even moving off the couch is ‘a hell of a task’, and he revealed that he chose not to play in the US Open in order to maximise his chances of being fit enough for St Andrews. Asked how much competitive golf he has left in him, he said: ‘I don’t know. I really don’t. If you asked me last year whether I would play golf again, all of my surgeons would have said no. But here I am playing two major championships this year. ‘I will always be able to play golf. Whether it’s this leg, or someone else’s leg, or a false leg, or different body pieces that have been fused, I’ll always be able to play. ‘Now, if you say play at a championship level, well, that window is definitely not as long as I would like it to be. ‘There’s no way physically I could have done that (played in the US Open). I had some issues with my leg and it would have put it (The Open) in jeopardy, and so there’s no reason to do that.’