Tiger Woods wants to test himself

Tiger Woods has been on the golf course every day, either practicing or playing, hitting his full array of shots without fear of pain shooting down his left leg or bones sliding out of place.

The next step is taking that inside the ropes. And not even Woods is sure what to expect.

“I’m as curious as you,” Woods said yesterday during a conference call. “The feeling of adrenaline, the rush of competing and playing again, all that I haven’t done in a while.”


Woods will have gone more than eight months - 253 days to be exact - without hitting a shot that counts when he returns from reconstructive knee surgery next week at the Accenture Match Play Championship just north of Tucson, Ariz.

His goal is to win. That hasn’t changed. The surgery in June was to repair his knee, not his heart or his mind. But as confident as Woods feels about his game, his main concern is how sharp he will be in his first tournament since the U.S. Open last June.

“It’s one thing to do it in a practice environment at home against my buddies for a little bit of cash,” Woods said. “It’s a totally different deal to do it at a PGA Tour event against the best players in the world. I’m excited to get out there and experience that.”

But at least he’ll be doing it on a healthy knee, saying “it’s been years” since he was without pain.

“One of the great things coming back is my bones aren’t moving anymore,” Woods said. “It’s a very comforting feeling hitting a golf ball without your bones sliding all over the place. That’s been very exciting to play that way, and I’m looking forward to the season.”

All 64 players who qualified for the Match Play met the entry deadline yesterday, meaning Woods likely will face Brendan Jones of Australia. The brackets will not be final until tomorrow evening.

If anyone withdraws before then - Justin Rose is the only question mark because his wife is expecting their first child - the brackets would be redone and Woods would face the first alternate, Richard Green of Australia.

Data Source : Bostonherald.com