Step forward for Woods, but miles behind Spieth

WINDERMERE, Florida - Tiger Woods took a step forward but acknowledged he had a lot of work ahead after Friday's second round of the Hero World Challenge where he trailed leader Jordan Spieth by 14 strokes.

Woods, back in competition after nearly four months away due to back injuries, improved to a two-under 70 after an opening 77 despite suffering from a fever, but a wobbly short game continued to plague him.

"It's not very good," conceded Woods, who stood last in the 18-man field. "Just going to take more time, more patience."

Not so for rising American Spieth, who scorched the back nine with five birdies including three in a row from the 12th to reach 11-under with one hole to finish when play was halted due to darkness after an 82-minute weather delay late in the round.

Spieth said the rain helped his birdie run.

"It was nice for us," he said. "The greens putted a little slower."

Australian Open winner Spieth held a two-shot lead over Sweden's Henrik Stenson, who posted a 68 despite back-to-back bogeys from the 15th.

Another shot back at eight-under were England's Justin Rose (64) and Patrick Reed, who played alongside fellow American Woods and went out in a sensational seven-under 29 on his way to a 63.

Woods came to the first tee with his grey shirt already drenched in sweat and coughed before several shots, but got through the front nine in even par and reached four-under for the day before a flubbed chip led to double bogey at the last.

The poor finish came right after the rain delay and washed away some of the gains of a back-nine stretch where Woods made eagle and two birdies in a span of four holes from the 13th.

Short game shortcomings hampered him again a day after flubbing three chips on his former home course of Isleworth.

The 14-times major winner, who is undergoing a swing change, also bladed a short chip some 60 feet past the hole at the eighth where he took a bogey.

Woods said it was all related to his swing changes, adding that two previous major swing revisions earlier in his career should help him.

"The good news is I understand the process," he said. "I've made changes before in my game and it takes time."

(Editing by Gene Cherry)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Tiger Woods looks to his youth for swing answers

Tiger Woods pronounced himself fit for a return to competitive golf while acknowledging the ravages of age on Tuesday as he prepared to tee it up for the first time in nearly four months at the Hero World Challenge tournament.

Woods' quest to surpass Jack Nicklaus' record haul of 18 majors has been stalled at 14 since 2008 after a string of injuries and personal problems sent him off track.

Having not played since the PGA Championship in August, the 38-year-old American returns to action on Thursday near his Florida home at the at Isleworth Golf and Country Club in a tournament benefiting his foundation.

All eyes will be on a creaky back that limited Woods to just eight events last season where he missed the cut twice and withdrew from two others.

The former-world number one underwent back surgery in March and despite long periods of rest and rehabilitation never returned to full fitness missing the Masters and U.S. Open, withdrawing from the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and missing the cut at the PGA Championship.

"I'm older," Woods said drawing laughs from reporters at a news conference on Tuesday. "Father Time is undefeated.

"We all eventually are losing some of the things we are able to do when we were younger."

This was no capitulation, just an acknowledgement from Woods that he needed to try another way, and returns having switched to consultant Chris Como from swing coach Sean Foley.

"We all have to make adaptations as athletes, and we have to make adjustments," said Woods, who believes he has more winning golf ahead of him.

"Like MJ (Michael Jordan) created a fade away. He couldn't jump over everybody anymore, and he created a new way to score and get points.

"I'm the same way. I can't blow it out there with some of the longer guys anymore.

"Back when I was younger, a long ball was 290 (yards) in the air. Now it's 320, 325. I don't have that."

Woods said his aging body would not allow him to fire from positions Foley wanted to put into his swing.

Fans and fellow golfers will get their first look at Woods revamped swing on Thursday when he partners with Australian Jason Day in the 18-player invitational.

"We looked at a lot of video from when I was a junior and in amateur golf," said Woods about time spent with Como. "It was quite interesting to see where my swing was then and how much force I could generate with a very skinny frame.

"That's kind of what we are getting back into.

"It feels great. It feels fantastic."

(Writing by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Steve Keating.)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com