Tiger Woods made one thing pretty clear on Tuesday at Ridgewood — he’s ready to win again.
“My next wins are coming soon — how soon? I don’t know.”
Woods was the usual attention-getter in this first stop of the FedEx Cup playoffs — he’s the only two-time FedEx Cup champion.
So what’s he been up to since his final stretch run on Sunday at the PGA?
“A lot of soccer practices,” he conceded, adding that at age 42, he needs his rest.
“That’s a lot of golf,” he said of his next three weeks and he said he plans on playing himself into the Tour Championship in five weeks at East Lake.
“It’s about pacing myself — finding the right balance. As the summer’s gone on, I’ve felt better.”
Tiger was also appreciative about how the crowds have been behind him this season.
“Tampa, the way I was received was very special,” he said and acknowledged that the love just kept flowing the entire season.
“They know,” he said of the crowds, “I’m on the tail-end of my career.”
Woods also touched on these subjects:
The Ryder Cup team: “I told Jim (Furyk) at the beginning of the year that I wanted to be part of the team. I expect to be picked. I wanna be in the picture. I’m one of the guys on the short list (for a captain’s pick).”
In search of win No. 80: “I wanna pass Sam (Snead). I wanna make that happen.”
Best part of his game: “I’ve hit my irons pretty well all year.”
On his progress: “At the beginning of the year, I was just hoping to get in rounds. My body has evolved and changed. My swing has changed. I’m a little more mobile and my speed (clubhead) is up. My swing has evolved and gotten more consistent.”
Early expectations: “I just wanted the pain to go away. The fusion (surgery) solved that. To get to where I’m at, the fusion was a last-ditch effort. This is all uncharted territory.”
His run at the PGA: “To fight like that coming in, that felt good. I told Joey (LaCava, his caddie) I needed to birdie the last four holes to have a chance. I birdied two of them, lost by two.”
Woods hasn’t been able to show up at these playoffs for five years. This week will mark his 15th start this season, he had 16 starts back in 2013.
By the time the playoffs are over, that number should be 18 starts.
And that in itself makes this a miracle season for Tiger Woods.
