• The Open

Woods bullish on chances of Open success

ESPN staff
July 6, 2010
Tiger Woods has struggled for form since returning to golf © Getty Images
Enlarge

Tiger Woods is insisting that his game is "right on pace" ahead of The Open, which he is adamant he does not see as a "must win" tournament.

The 34-year-old has shown only sporadic glimpses of his best form since returning to golf in April following a self-imposed five-month exile, and he is still searching for his first win of the season.

Woods is also in danger of letting his fragile grip on the world No. 1 spot slip, with Phil Mickelson breathing down his neck at the top of the rankings.

But Woods is insistent that he is not concerned by his recent performance level, which he feels has been hampered by the neck injury that forced him to withdraw from the Players Championship in May.

"I feel like I'm right on pace, normally this is about April [in my season] so it's about right," Woods said. "I hurt myself early, that put a dampener on things."

In Woods' second tournament after making his comeback, he failed to make the cut at the Quail Hollow championship - allowing Rory McIlroy to storm to the tournament victory.

Woods admitted that he was impressed by that triumph, and he talked up the Ulsterman's chances of victory at the Open on July 15. "There's a lot of people [who can win], including Rory," he said. "He's already won on our Tour, he has the talent."

McIlroy and Woods may face off against each other in Ryder Cup combat in October - although Woods believes he has not yet done enough to force his way onto the team. "I haven't thought about it yet," he said. "I don't think I'm even on the team yet. There's still a lot of tournaments to be played."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices