TIGER Woods returns from an injury lay-off as the favourite for the US Open at Torrey Pines.
Woods is playing for the first time since knee surgery in April and will be out to prevent a repeat of the last time he was off between the Masters and the US Open in 2006.
Woods missed the cut at Winged Foot but this time around the US Open is at
Torrey Pines which amounts to a home game for the world No 1. Although Woods will be tested by Torrey Pines it is a test he has passed before, having won on the course as a teenager and a thirtysomething.
But despite not having even walked a full 18 holes since the final day at Augusta he remains heavily backed this week.
Of his troublesome knee, he said: "It's a little sore, but not anything I haven't dealt with before. I'm good to go and I plan on playing competitively. Come game time , I'll be ready."
Woods has good memories of the course. In 1991 he was 15 when he won the Junior World Championship 15-17 division and has also triumphed six times as a professional on the public course, including in each of the last four seasons in the Buick Invitational.
"The golf course is in perfect shape," Woods said after playing on it over the last three days, including an early practice round yesterday.
"It's totally different than what we play here in January. It's going to be a great test. The way they have set it up with different tees, different lengths. It can play so many different ways that it's going to be very interesting to see how the scores turn out."
Having come back from his surgery, Woods knows he needs to hit the fairways and putt well if he is to triumph on Sunday. He added: "I've come closer, I think, in more Opens. I've had a lot of high finishes in US Opens, but I've won only two.
"If you look at my record, it's actually been pretty good over the years. Since 2000, I've had some pretty high finishes, but I've only won one since 2000. But I've been there on the back nine (on the final day] in most of them."
The last time Woods took time off between the first and second majors, he missed the cut in a major for the first time as a professional.
But the circumstances were totally different two years ago. Woods' father Earl died not long after the 2006 Masters and he did not return to action until the US Open.
Woods missed the cut then but he bounced back to win the next two majors. Despite having been forced to sit out since this year's Masters and being short of playing time, Woods is eager to return.
"A couple of years ago when dad passed, coming back and playing was a lot more difficult than I thought," said Woods.
"If I took time off, I always worked on my fundamentals. Well, who taught me my fundamentals? It was Dad.
"This is totally different. I had the procedure done right after the Masters. You can't compare the two mentally."
The full article contains 554 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
