Woods Has a Healthy Outlook Entering the U.S. Open

FARMINGDALE, N.Y., June 16 -- Tiger Woods played his final nine holes of practice Tuesday morning in advance of the U.S. Open, which begins Thursday at Bethpage Black. He did so on a golf course that he described as incredibly long and "phenomenal," but one he clearly feels he can master, as he did in 2002, when he won the second of his three Open championships here.

"I like my chances in any major," he said. "I just enjoy having to think your way around the golf course."

Woods, 33, arrives at Bethpage Black as the winner not only of the last U.S. Open played on the Long Island public course, but as the defending U.S. Open champion -- a title earned with his thrilling, 91-hole victory over Rocco Mediate last year at Torrey Pines -- and as a winner in his most recent tournament, the Memorial, which he won in come-from-behind fashion on June 7. He played a practice round here the day after his victory, then the front nine Monday and the back nine Tuesday, starting both days as the first man off the tee.

When Woods won the U.S. Open a year ago, he did so on a left knee that needed to be surgically repaired and a tibia that suffered from stress fractures. Now, with wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and at the Memorial this year on the PGA Tour, he said the leg is at full strength, something he could not say at the year's first major, the Masters in April, when he finished tied for sixth.

"You think that after the surgery, 'I feel so great' six or eight months later," Woods said. "But everyone says, 'Just imagine what you feel like in another six months.' I keep getting better and better. It's fun, because before, no matter what I did, I kept getting worse. No matter how hard I trained, the leg was deteriorating. I kept doing more damage to the thing. Now, it's the exact opposite."

Woods, a workaholic who has a precise practice routine both before and after rounds, said he wasn't able to prepare as he is accustomed until the Memorial two weeks ago. Before that, if he wanted to work on something after he played, he could only hit a few balls. Now, he can go through an entire post-round practice session, and the leg does not tire or become sore.

"That certainly helps, to be able to put in the time," Woods said. "To get better at this game, you have to put in the time. Can't think about it, and magically it gets better each and every day. You have to do the work."

The Bethpage Black to which Tiger arrives is roughly 200 yards longer than the course on which he won in 2002. But with an incredibly wet New York spring and with more rain forecast this week, Woods said the course could play even longer, though the greens will be more receptive.

"I don't feel like I've gotten any shorter since 2002," he said. "But now, I'm wearing out my long irons."

Woods shot 3-under-par 277 to beat Phil Mickelson by three shots in 2002. Mickelson, who is dealing with his wife Amy's breast cancer diagnosis, has not yet arrived at Bethpage Black. He played a practice round here last week and is due to address reporters at 8 a.m. Wednesday before playing a practice round. Woods praised his rival's comportment during a difficult personal time.

"I couldn't imagine dealing with what he has to deal with on a daily basis," Woods said. "And hats off to how he's handled it, because certainly it's so hard to do."

Woods is seeking his 15th major title, one that would put him one step closer to Jack Nicklaus's record of 18. But the U.S. Open is the only major that he has never won in consecutive years. The rain, though, might make this one an easier target.

"You have to have every facet of your game going," he said. "You have to drive the ball well. You have to hit your irons well, and at most Opens, you know speed on the greens is usually an issue. Not this year, obviously, it being so soft and wet. But generally, this is the hardest major we face, year in, year out."