Woods targets second Valhalla success at PGA Championship

By Sports Desk May 14, 2024

Tiger Woods will hope to roll back the clock as the four-time PGA Championship winner aims to repeat the trick at Valhalla Golf Club.

The former world number one has won four of his 15 major titles at this event, including triumphing in the 2000 edition at Valhalla.

Woods managed to make a record-breaking 24th consecutive cut at The Masters last month, though tailed off in the last two rounds to finish 60th – finishing last of players to reach the weekend.

Despite those latter-round struggles, the 48-year-old believes the potential is still there for a 16th major title, with his last coming at Augusta back in 2019.

"I still feel that I can win golf tournaments," Woods said at Tuesday's press conference. "I still feel I can hit the shots and still feel like I still have my hand around the greens and I can putt.

"I just need to do it for all four days, not like I did at Augusta for only two.

"It's getting around that is more of the difficulty that I face day-to-day and the recovery of pushing myself either in practice or in competition days.

"You saw it at Augusta – I was there after two days and didn't do very well on the weekend."

The 2024 Masters was just the fourth time since November 2020 that Woods has completed all four rounds of a tournament, owing to repeated injury struggles.

He remains confident his body will hold up this time around, though, as Woods attempts to recreate his Valhalla-winning heroics from 2000.

"My body's okay," said Woods, who joins Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley for the first round at the PGA Championship on Thursday. "It is what it is. I wish my game was a little bit sharper.

"Again, I don't have a lot of competitive reps, so I am having to rely on my practice sessions and getting stuff done either at home or here on-site.

"At the end of the day, I need to be ready mentally and physically come Thursday.

"One of the reasons I came up here on Sunday was to knock off some of the work that I have to do in charting greens, get all that stuff done early, so I can focus on literally playing and plotting my way around.

"I wouldn't say the walk is that difficult. I know it's a long walk, it's a big piece of property. This is a big golf course and if you get in the rough here, things could get a little bit sore, but if I drive it well and do the things I need to do – what I did 24 years ago – hopefully it works."

Aside from his major plans, speculation continues over Woods captaining Team USA for the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York.

The 15-time major champion says his focus remains on personal performance, with time limited to also fulfil that role.

"We're still talking," Woods added. "There's nothing that has been confirmed yet. We're still working on what that might look like. Also whether or not I have the time to do it."

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