Woods still loves course he first graced at World Cup 13 years ago

Silihouette of a legend:Tiger Woods chipping the ball on the second hole during the pro-am Wednesday.

Tiger Woods will be looking to renew his love affair with the course and get over his Ryder Cup frustrations in the CIMB Classic, which begins at the Mines Resort and Golf Club today.

A large crowd followed the 14-time Major winner as he played the entire course with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the pro-am – with minders in tow – despite the blazing sun yesterday. But Woods clearly loved every minute of the attention.

The 36-year-old, whose mother is from Thailand, was happy to return to the venue where he partnered American Mark O’Meara to World Cup victory in 1999. “It’s great to be back. It’s been a long time. The course looks the same as it did 13 years ago,” said Woods. “To be able to hold off the Spaniards and win the World Cup ... my first one was a lot of fun and having to do it with Mark was even better.

“It’s not cold outside, so it will be a nice test this week. The golf course is in good shape even though it’s got a lot of rain on it. It’s very soft and a there’re few mud balls out there. But overall, it’s pretty good,” added Woods, who last played in Asia in 2010, finishing joint-sixth at the WGC-HSBC Champions.

He has since put the damaging sex scandal behind him and is back at world No. 2 after three wins on the PGA Tour this year. Woods is also glad to see that he still has such a good following despite his long absence from this part of the world.

“People sometimes forget that my mom was born here, in Asia, so to me Asia does feel like home. I’m very used to the culture, it’s how I was raised. “I’ve just really enjoyed my time, throughout the years, that I’ve spent in Asia. “I think in general, over the years, it’s been a maturing process. “When I first came out here, being 20, 21 years old, this was all new to me.

“This was very different than college golf and very different than amateur golf. It took me a few years to get used to it,” said Woods, who headlines a 48-man field after a year in which he made progress with technical changes but could not claim a Major or the Ryder Cup.

That was clearly not lost on him as he admitted to be “irritated” at failing to close the gap on Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 Majors. Woods’ last Major win was the 2008 US Open.

“I’ve always said winning one Major championship turns a good year into a great year. “I’ve had years where I’ve won five times on the Tour – it’s a really good year, no doubt, but winning a Major championship just makes it a great year.

“I think it’s very similar to what tennis has in the Grand Slams. Guys can have seven, eight, nine-win seasons, but if they don’t win a Slam, it’s not a great year. I think it’s the same thing in golf,” said Woods, who is heading to China after the weekend for an exhibition tournament with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy.

-thestar.

http://www.cimbclassic.com/