DUBLIN, Ohio — Tiger Woods is the defending champion at Memorial and a four-time winner at Muirfield Village. It just doesn’t seem that way.
He arrived at the course that Jack Nicklaus built — the one that Woods at times seems to own — with his game as unpredictable at ever.
Woods, who tees off today at 12:44 p.m. in the first round (Golf Channel 3-6 p.m.), is coming off a neck injury that he said now feels good enough to practice and play. He no longer has a swing coach, having split with Hank Haney three weeks ago, and has no plans to find another one anytime soon.
Since returning to golf in April, he has completed only one tournament, a tie for fourth in Masters. That takes on even greater significance with the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach only two weeks away.
“Maybe this time I’ll get four rounds in and get ready for the Open,” Woods said yesterday.
He remains as capable as ever, and Woods wasted no time showing that in the Memorial Skins Game. Playing in the second group of five players, he hit a towering shot out of the right rough behind a tree on the 10th hole to about 18 feet and rolled in the quick putt for a birdie to win a skin. Next up came the par-5 11th, where he followed a pure tee shot with a 4-iron to just outside four feet for eagle.
Everything else has been a struggle, starting with the upheaval in his personal life, seeping into his game.
“My neck feels pretty good,” Woods said. “Still not where I want it to be, but the inflammation has calmed down. I’ve got a range of motion again. It’s a little bit sore after a good, hard day of practice. But I can recover for the next day, which is good.”
As for the coach? Woods doesn’t feel as though he needs one. For now, his coach is a video monitor.
“That’s the great thing about technology,” he said.