Tiger Woods gets mauled by British media

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland - It took three questions.

Tiger Woods has been back from his life-altering offseason for 4 months now. Yet yesterday was the first time most of the British media were given a go at him. And you know how they can be. So does the three-time British Open champion, who has hoisted two of those claret jugs at the timeless Old Course. When a microphone made its way into the hands of the third raised hand called upon in the standing-room-only interview tent, the game was finally on. The voice had an accent. Unless, of course, you call these islands home.

"Obviously, your public image is somewhat different to the last time you were here [in 2005] . . . " the inquiring mind began. "How likely is that to impact on your week?"

The response: "It doesn't impact it at all. I'm here to play a championship, and this is the Open Championship at St. Andrews. I mean, this is as good as it gets. It's the home of golf. I'm just like every other player in the field, really looking forward to getting out there and playing the Open Championship."

For the record, he is not like every other guy who's teeing it up. Or even remotely close.

There was an obligatory follow-up. "Do you feel a win here offers you some kind of redemption?"

Again, Tiger wasn't biting. "I would like to win, no matter what. It would be nice. It really would be nice. A lot of work ahead of me, but to win here is certainly one of the bigger highlights I've ever had in my career . . . It's amazing how many great champions have won here, and to be a part of that history is a pretty neat feeling."

And so it went. There would be 32 questions in all, some of which became multipart questions. A little more than half dealt with issues that were personal in nature. None came from Americans. A bunch of the answers, shockingly, were shorter than the question.

Tiger was asked about the reception he anticipates from these fans. And about respecting the game more since, upon his return, he had promised to clean up his act when it came to past on-course transgressions.

For example, it was pointed out, using the "F-word . . . spitting . . . throw tantrums like chucking your clubs around." And about rebuilding his public image.

And about whether it matters, or whether he actually cares. And about reaching a resolution with his wife Elin in their divorce proceedings. And about whether that's affecting his professional life. And about getting to see his two kids.

On and on, and so forth.

Woods said the Scottish fans have always been fantastic and he thinks they'll continue to treat him as they have over the years. He said he's trying to become a better person, each and every day. He said everyone is entitled to his opinion. He said he didn't know whether he'll be able to ever fully regain what he once enjoyed in the ever-popular Q ratings. He said the most important thing at the moment is trying to be the best dad he possibly can. He said he doesn't practice as much because he now makes more time for his children.

He wouldn't comment on his 2-hour interview with the FBI about his association with a Canadian doctor who has been accused of providing professional athletes with performance-enhancing drugs, because it's an ongoing case. Nor would he get into anything that might or might not be finalized between him and Elin. He denied an observation that he seemed "a bit unhappy" and unwilling to "interact" with fans during his practice round. He said he is fulfilling his obligation to be more spectator-friendly.

Anything else anyone needs to digest?

Yo, it is what it is. And it won't change. At least not until he wins something for the first time in 8 months. And this naturally figures to be as opportune a week as any.

The reality is, all the tabloid material obscured the really pertinent news, which is that Woods will be using a different putter for the first time since 1999.

How about that for burying the news of the day?

Question No. 6 revealed he is switching to a Nike model that's very similar to the Scottie Cameron model with which he has won all but one of his 14 major titles. Stop the presses.

The reason? The greens literally aren't up to speed.

"It's one of those things where I've always struggled on slower greens," Tiger said. "I haven't had to make that much of an adjustment in how hard I'm hitting it compared to my older putter, because the ball is coming off [the clubface] a little bit quicker with the new groove technology. It gets it rolling better. That's something [caddie] Stevie [Williams] and I have been talking about over the years together, is what can I do on slower greens?

"I've always been tempted to change [before]. Some of my best putting rounds were when the greens were running at 14 [on the Stimpmeter] or something like that. Today one of the guys was out there, and it was under 10. I've always experimented with other putters throughout the years, but I've never put one in play until now."

He was a nonfactor 2 weeks ago at the AT & T National at Aronimink, where putting was easily his biggest problem. But he has finished fourth at each of the first two majors this season, and is still the heavy betting favorite in this one. He is, however, listed at 5-1, which is nearly double what he went off at 5 years ago.

So the next question becomes: "If not now, when?"

"It's playing a little bit differently than it was the last two times we've played here," Woods said. "Or the last three times, actually [including 1995, when he was an amateur]. It'll be interesting. I know the weather is not supposed to be very good coming in for this week [especially early in the tournament], so all the players are going to have to make some adjustments. It was unplayable on Sunday [because of severe winds].

"This year, it's a little bit softer. But the fairways are pretty quick. You've got to be conscious of that. By the end of the first practice round, I start getting a pretty good feel for it. All these things started coming back.

"This golf course requires placement. Just because it's wide off the tee doesn't mean you can blow it all over the place. You have to hit the ball in the correct spots. And the 2 years that I've played well here, I've done that. I've managed my game really well. And more importantly, I've lag-putted beautifully.

"You're going to have some real long putts no matter how you hit it, and you just have to get down in two," he went on. "You can go around here and hit 18 greens and shoot a high number, because you're just so far away from the hole. And if the wind blows, hitting a wedge [to within] 30, 40, 50 feet happens a lot."

Sounds as if he has a plan. For navigating these hallowed grounds, and handling life's nagging inconveniences. At least for the allotted 15 or 20 minutes every couple of weeks. *