Tiger Woods believes his reworked swing has restored some of the fun and excitement to his game, and is a big reason why he played so well at the Masters.
''I hit the ball really well on the weekend and made some shots — those are shots I know I can hit. That was fun,'' Woods said Tuesday at the Mission Hills Dongguan clubhouse near the southern Chinese city Shenzhen, where he was promoting his sponsors and golf in China.
''It's really starting to feel pretty good. This week was a pretty good week.''
Woods hasn't won since returning from a five-month break last year following revelations of marital infidelity. But he played perhaps his best so far at Augusta National, where he had four birdies and an eagle on the front nine on Sunday before faltering down the stretch.
The 14-time major champion finished in a tie for fourth place.
''I played well and unfortunately just came up a little short on the back nine. But it was a fun front nine on Sunday. That was fun. Had a blast,'' Woods said. ''It was fun being in the mix. Unfortunately didn't get it done.''
Woods credited his work with swing coach Sean Foley since the PGA Championship last year.
Asked to compare his training regimen at different stages in his career, Woods replied with a laugh: ''When I was 25, I was on tour and having a pretty good run out there at the time, won a few tournaments right about that age. And at 35, I haven't won a thing.''
Woods was conducting a clinic for junior golfers later Tuesday before moving onto Beijing and then to Seoul, South Korea. He was impressed with the growth of golf in China and predicted that Chinese golfers will break into the top 50 in the world.
''It's been really neat as a player who has come here for a number of years to see the development of the fans and their knowledge of the game and their enthusiasm for the sport,'' Woods said. ''These fans are certainly much more knowledgeable now.
''The growth of golf has been just incredible. A lot more kids are coming out to events whereas when I first came here that wasn't the case.''
