Woods prepared to research Royal Portrush

Tiger Woods admits he will have plenty of homework to do ahead of the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Woods saved his best until last with a final round of 69 in the US Open at Pebble Beach, with the Masters champion recovering from four bogeys in the first six holes with six birdies in the remaining 12.

The 43-year-old is not scheduled to compete again until the final major of the season next month and has never played the course which returns to the Open rota for the first time since 1951.

“I’ve only played (Royal) County Down, I’ve never been up to Portrush and I’m looking forward to getting up there and taking a look at the golf course and trying to figure it out,” Woods said after finishing in a tie for 21st.

“I hope that my practice rounds are such that we get different winds, especially on a golf course that I’ve never played, to get a different feel how it could play for the week.

“And I’ll definitely have to do my homework once I get there.”

Meanwhile Justin Rose will focus firmly on the positives of his performance at Pebble Beach despite missing out on a second US Open title.

The 2013 champion began the final round a shot behind Gary Woodland and moved into a share of the lead with a birdie on the first, but bogeyed the second and eventually paid the price for a misfiring long game on the back nine.

“Today it doesn’t hurt,” said Rose, who lost a play-off to Sergio Garcia in the 2017 Masters after leading by two shots with six holes to play.

“You reflect and go how can I get better? It hurts if you lose at the death and you make a mistake. The way it happened for me, I’m more proud of the fact I even gave myself a chance. I didn’t have my A game this week.

“And to contend in a major with no game, really, I take the positive from that. I felt like my focus out there didn’t click in around the turn there.”

Tiger Woods.