• Players Championship

Woods tells critics to get 'realistic'

ESPN staff
May 7, 2010
Tiger Woods came home late in the day at Sawgrass © Getty Images
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Tiger Woods has urged his critics to take a reality check after he fired a solid opening round of 70 at the Players Championship.

The world No. 1 came into the tournament on the back of one of his darkest days on a course, a 79 at Quail Hollow that saw him miss the cut. The signs for the round were not good early on, as he smashed his opening tee shot into the trees.

Woods never looked in total control of his game, he chunked a tee shot on the seventh and hit his drive on 18 into the water, but was still able to get the ball around and post a 70. He sits four off the lead and admits he will have to adopt a patient approach on Friday, but feels his critics need to be "more realistic".

"It is just one week and that's the way it goes," he said of his effort on Thursday compared to the previous week at Quail Hollow. "I had played six competitive rounds in seven months so people need to be more realistic.

"I've felt like I've done some good work this week even though reports are I was hitting it all over the lot. But I was working on a few things. I was very comfortable with what I was working toward, and I was very excited about what was happening. It was just a matter of doing it in competition, and I did it today.

"I played solid today. I hit some good shots and bad shots but kept myself in there. We will see what happens. Some of the pins are accessible, others you have to fire away from so it will be another patient day."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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