Woods says recovery not complete yet

TIGER Woods says he has not yet fully regained his renowned length off the tee and with his irons after being sidelined for eight months following reconstructive knee surgery.

"The first tournament back, I just didn't have the pop in my body, nor should I," the American world No 1 told reporters yesterday in the build-up to this week's Players Championship.

"After going what I went through and coming back, it takes time ... to get the speed back and the agility and all those different things. Most athletes take over a year to get back. I've been able to get back sooner than that, just because of the nature of my sport.

"I don't hit the ball the same distance with my irons or my driver, but it's coming," added Woods, who lies 29th in the 2009 PGA Tour's driving distance charts with an average of 293.5 yards. "Each and every week I'm getting a little better."

Woods took a break after winning his 14th major at the US Open in June and did not return to the PGA Tour until the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February. After being eliminated in the second round of his comeback event, he has since triumphed once and recorded three other top-tens in four strokeplay appearances.