Tiger Woods took practice shots Sunday at Muirfield Golf Club, site of the upcoming British Open. Woods’ elbow did not appear to give him any trouble on the course, according to published reports.
According to USA Today, Woods hit the course and three weeks after withdrawing from the AT&T National with an elbow strain, “hit numerous shots on every hole and didn't flinch one time like he did so often at the US Open."
"It's fine. It feels good," Woods told two reporters on the 8th hole at Muirfield, where he had just hit a 4-iron downwind 285 yards, the report said. " … I took a couple weeks off and that's why I didn't play and I started practicing last week. It felt fine.
"That's one of the reasons I let it heal, so I could go right back at it."
Woods regained his No. 1 world ranking earlier this season. According to USA Today, he opted to play only nine holes on Sunday.
"I better not push it," Woods told the site when asked about returning to golf. "The ground's going to be hard over here, obviously. I just wanted to make sure everything was healed before I came over."
Earlier, Woods posted a blog on his web site addressing his plans for the upcoming tournament.
“I started chipping and putting a little over a week ago and I'm full go for the British Open," it read, in part. "I'm very confident that my left elbow strain won't be a problem and I will be able to hit all the shots I need to hit. That's why I took the time off, so it could heal, and I would feel comfortable playing again. I'm still taking anti-inflammatory medication for my elbow and getting treatment, but the big thing at Muirfield Golf Club will be to avoid the rough.”
In his posting, Woods addressed his history at the course.
“This marks my second trip to Muirfield,” he wrote. “My first visit in 2002 didn't go very well. I caught the worst of the weather and wound up tying for 28th. That's just the nature of links golf. Luck plays a big part in it, and you never know what you're going to get.
“Muirfield is one of the hardest courses in Scotland. The front nine is basically played clockwise and the back nine is played counter-clockwise and on the inside of the front nine. You have to shape the golf ball both ways, and you never know what's going to come off that water as far as wind. It can change directions. If the wind switches, you can be aggressive on certain holes and others you have to be conservative. That's the neat thing about a British Open: You just never know what type of conditions you're going to get each day.”
