More than six years have passed since Tiger Woods won a major championship but asked what would constitute an acceptable finish at this week’s Open, the reply was instant: “First.” So anything less than that would be unacceptable? “That is always the case, yes.”  This marked quite a proclamation from Woods, who has played just two competitive rounds since undergoing back surgery at the end of March. To reference a song by the Connells, that went: 74, 75.  There was also a Woods message to those who have insisted he cannot win at Royal Liverpool, as he did eight years ago, because of his lack of recent play. “That is not added motivation, no,” Woods said of his detractors.  “I have been in circumstances like this before. If you remember 2008, I had knee surgery right after the Masters. I teed it up to the US Open and won. I didn’t play more than nine holes and the Sunday before the US Open, I didn’t break 50 for those nine holes, and still was able to win it in a playoff, with an ACL [injury] and a broken leg.  “I’ve proven I can do it, it’s just a matter of putting my game and giving myself the best chances this week to miss the ball in the correct spots, to be aggressive when I can, and obviously to hole putts. That’s a recipe you find for every major championship, but I’ve just got to do it this week.”  Woods remains four short of Jack Nicklaus’s major haul of 18. By the 38-year-old’s own admission, the pursuit of the Nicklaus record is becoming more difficult. “I think it gets harder every year, just because the fields get deeper,” Woods said. “There’s more guys with a chance to win. What did we have, 16, 17 straight first-time winners recently? It’s getting harder to win. The margin is so much smaller. It’s only going to continue to be the case.  “Guys are going to get longer, they’re going to get faster. Guys who are coming out here are bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic. When I first came out here in ’97, I think I averaged somewhere just under 300 yards, 296 or something like that [with a driver]. I walked around with Gary Woodland on Sunday and he said: ‘I finally found a driver and a ball I can hit 320 again in the air.’ Yeah, in the air. So the game has changed a lot.”  Woods’s operation, on a nerve in his back, came at the point where he could not function in daily life properly, let alone play golf. “Once I went through the procedure, I was just sitting there in the recovery room and I just didn’t have any of that pain anymore; there was a lot of relief,” he said. “It was a matter of time before I could get strong. Once I started getting stronger, more stable, I could work on my explosiveness and start getting my speed back.  “Each and every week I’ve gotten stronger and faster. I am probably not quite at the level that I think I can be at as far as my explosion through the golf ball, but I’m pretty darn close.”  Woods played 18 Hoylake holes first thing on Tuesday morning, to take his practice total to 48 since he arrived on Merseyside on Saturday. The world No7 was in otherwise reflective mood as he glanced back to the events of Hoylake in 2006. He broke down in tears on the 72nd green upon achieving victory; it was his first win since the death of his influential father, Earl.  “My life has certainly changed a lot since then,” Woods explained. “I was going through a pretty tough time in my life at the time, and people were very supportive that week. That was a very emotional week. I pressed pretty hard at Augusta that year, trying to win it, because it was the last time my dad was ever going to see me play a major championship. And then I didn’t play well at the US Open, I missed the cut there miserably.  “I came here and just felt at peace. I wouldn’t necessarily say it was every day but certainly on Sunday I really felt that my dad was with me on that one round. I said it back then in ’06 that it was like having my 15th club. I really, really played well. On Sunday I really felt calm. It was surreal at the time. I’ve had a few moments like that in majors where I’ve felt that way on a Sunday. And that was certainly one of them.  “As I person I’ve gone through a lot, the loss of a parent and having two kids. Life is very different than it was then. I’ve got a completely different golf swing than I did in ’06. A lot of aspects of my game and life have changed since ’06.”
Tiger Woods has stated he feels he can win the Open despite only two competitive rounds since April