Upbeat Woods knuckles down to task

Philip Reidhears a relaxed, even jovial, Tiger promise he will spare no effort in his bid to win another PGA title

IN THE world that revolves around Tiger Woods, things are getting back to normal. At least the world number one thinks so. The paparazzi are no longer camped outside his house. The helicopters – with photographers hanging out of side doors to capture his every move – are no longer flying over the range as he attempts to hit balls.

Oh, and the goatee beard which materialised at Akron last week has disappeared. Bad vibes from that place, it had to go.

Yesterday, Woods – yes, a smiling, wise-cracking version of the player who seemed as if his world had fallen apart as he sprayed tee shots around Akron just a matter of days ago – was upbeat and even optimistic about his game ahead of the US PGA Championship, his last chance to turn a dreadful season into something more positive.

Out on the course, playing an early-morning practice round with Sean O’Hair and Hunter Mahan, Woods – who parted company with his coach Hank Haney after the golfer’s extra-marital affairs came to light – prompted speculation that he had engaged a new swing guru when getting Sean Foley to use a video camera to take an in-depth look at his swing.

Foley later said it was a “possibility” that he would be working with Woods, something which Woods neither confirmed nor denied.

In the sort of language used by an FBI agent making sure that nothing could come back at him, Woods remarked, “certainly it is a possibility, no doubt.

“But there’s also a lot of other coaches out there that’s a possibility, as well, that I’ve talked to . . . I just wanted him to have a look at it on video so I can take a look and that’s what he did.”

In other words, don’t read too much into anything. Certainly not when it comes to Tiger-watching.

Don’t read anything into working with Foley, or that he had a different putter – which transpired was a training putter after caddie Steve Williams put the wrong one into his bag – during his practice round.

The jovial asides about his beard disappearing – “I didn’t have any clippers and I was too lazy, so I decided to shave it” – and the wrong putter being in his bag – “Stevie, he put my practice putter in the bag and wasn’t paying attention, we were too lazy to drive back and get the putter” – mask a more serious edge to Woods’ work these past couple of days.

The truth of the matter is that Woods is struggling to get his game into the desired shape, and there is the increasing probability that his time as the world’s number one – a position he has held for the past 270 straight weeks – is under serious threat from fellow American and great rival, Phil Mickelson.

“That’s been the case for the last couple of months. The whole idea is to go out there and play. I’m trying to win a golf tournament, just like everybody else here, and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”

The golfing world will be intrigued as his bid proceeds.