Tiger Woods talks about health, game, outlook

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Tiger Woods arrived at Torrey Pines on Wednesday morning and, in advance of his pro-am round, spoke about the state of his health, his game and his emotional well-being a day before he starts his 2011 golf season at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Woods said he needed a cortisone shot in his ankle after he played in December in his own tournament at Sherwood Country Club but said it was a minor swing hitch that had caused some swelling.

‘I took a little bit of time off after Chevron,’ Woods said, “before I started getting after it. I’m looking forward to getting out and playing, feeling the heat again, seeing where I need to make improvements.
Woods has won six of the 11 tournaments he’s played at Torrey Pines, the last being the 2008 U.S. Open, and his normal routine is to play a Tuesday round. Woods didn’t do that this year, and his explanation was cryptic.

“I had some things to do at home, I worked at those things at home, then I came out here,” he said.
Woods also said this was the first offseason he’d had in nearly six years where he wasn’t trying to rehab an injury or dealing with extensive personal problems.

“It’s nice to have an offseason where I wasn’t in pain and recovering [from] something,” he said. “I’ve had so many darn surgeries. It’s been awhile since I had an offseason like this where it’s been nice to start up again, nice to practice and build, and that’s been fun.”

-- Diane Pucin in La Jolla