Tiger Woods focused on making cuts at PGA Championship 2024 to stand chance of winning

Golf legend opens up about injury recovery, competitive flow, and grinding mentality.

Tiger Woods is joining the 106th PGA Championship. When asked about his physical condition, Tiger expressed optimism about his progress despite not playing many competitive rounds since the Masters. “I am getting stronger for sure,” he said. However, he acknowledged the challenge of transitioning from playing on flat Florida courses to more demanding tournament settings.

Reflecting on the variability of his physical state, Tiger explained, “Each day is a little bit different. Some days, it’s better than others. It’s just the way it is. My body is just that way. Some days, it feels great, and other days, a bit of a struggle.” This highlights the ongoing adjustments he must make due to his fluctuating physical condition.

When asked about his approach to monitoring ball speed, Tiger admitted that during tournaments, he doesn’t focus on such metrics. “I don’t even know what my ball speed is. I couldn’t tell you. I do at home on the range, but when I’m out here at a tournament, I don’t look at any of that. I’m just trying to hit shots and hit the ball on my numbers more than anything else,” he stated.

Tiger also shared his strategy on the first hole, where he had to navigate around trees. “I could see the whole green. I could see it underneath the trees. I just had to go around a few trees. Hit a nice little draw 8-iron in there,” he said. Despite planning to land just left of the green, his shot landed softly and left him with a 25-foot putt. Laughing, he added, “You’ve seen me play. I’ve hit a few shots out of the trees.”

Regarding his competitive sharpness, Tiger noted that it took him a few holes to find his rhythm. “It’s just the competitive flow. It took me probably three holes to get back into competitive flow again and get a feel for hitting the ball out there in competition, adrenaline, temperatures, green speeds,” he explained. A key moment came when he made a putt on the 12th hole, which helped him regain momentum.

Tiger emphasized the importance of making the cut to have a chance at winning tournaments. “You can’t win a tournament unless you make the cut. That’s the whole idea is get to the weekend so that you can participate and have a chance to win,” he said.

Discussing the challenging rough, Tiger observed, “Yeah, the rough is dense. It’s just very dense. With the rain we got and just the moisture on it, I know they’ve topped it off, but it’s just really lush. You can get lies where it sits up. You can get a 3-wood on it. And there are other lies — a couple times I had to pitch out sideways.”

Tiger’s resilience throughout his career has been a significant factor in his success. Reflecting on this, he mentioned his streak of making cuts in tournaments. “I’ve made a few cuts in a row, what was it, 140-some odd. So you have to just grind it out. It’s a marathon. Major championships are a long grind. It’s just plotting along. It’s not a sprint. It’s just a grind,” he remarked.

Despite the ups and downs, Tiger’s dedication and determination remain evident as he continues to compete and strive for excellence.

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