TIGER WOODS has no plans to appoint a new coach as he prepares to defend his title at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio, which gets under way today.
Woods has played just three tournaments this year, finishing fourth in the US Masters but missing the cut at Quail Hollow and then quitting the final round of The Players with a neck injury.
That was followed by Hank Haney announcing he was resigning as the world number one’s coach after six years, but Woods is happy to rely on his own counsel as he attempts to rediscover his best form.
“I’ve been using video and working on it that way, that’s the great thing about technology,” Woods said yesteray. “[I have] no plans for a new coach.”
After announcing his decision to quit, Haney admitted that the sex scandal surrounding Woods was one of many factors behind the move, adding: “When all is said and done, I’m better off out of it. That’s the bottom line. It is a huge weight off my shoulders.”
And Woods conceded that he could see Haney’s point of view. “I understand it, there’s a lot going on,” the 34-year-old said. “Life is moving forward. The last six months have been pretty tough but I’m starting to get into my routine of playing.”
Speaking about the neck injury which forced him out at Sawgrass last month, Woods added: “The neck feels pretty good. It’s still not where I want it to be but the inflammation has calmed down. It’s a little sore after a good practice but I can recover for the next day which I wasn’t able to do prior to this, which is good.
“After Sawgrass it was a week and a half before I picked up a club but the past five or six days I’ve been going at it pretty good. It could have been anything, the worst case scenario was a bulging disc, but the MRI just showed a lot of inflammation which has since calmed down.”
Phil Mickelson can overtake Woods as the world’s number one with a victory in the Memorial while Rory McIlroy returns stateside after a break at home.
THE MEMORIAL
Course: Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio.
Length: 7,265 yards. Par: 72.
Prizemoney: €4.9 million (€882,971 for the winner).
Layout: A faders' course with wide forgiving fairways. Tough rough with water on many holes. The 17th and 18th provide a really difficult finish. Bentgrass greens are quick and small.
Field: 120.
Defending champion: Tiger Woods won by one shot from Jim Furyk.
On TV: Sky Sports 3 (8pm this evening).
Weather forecast: Warm with rain expected every day.
