07-03-2010, 12:14 AM
Tiger Woods's great turnaround doesn't seem to be here yet.
After missing the cut at an April tournament(vibram five fingers), losing his coach in May and suffering a neck injury, the golfer continues to struggle to regain his game after his November sex scandal.
But Thursday might've been one of Woods's toughest days back on the course: playing at the AT&T National – sponsored by the same company that in December had ended its endorsement deal with him – and bowing out of contention even before the first day was complete.
And at the same time, news broke that estranged wife Elin Nordegren could possibly walk away with $700 million in a divorce settlement ending their six-year marriage.
"I just putted awful, really," he said after the first round of the tournament, which takes place in the Philadelphia suburbs. "It was a very frustrating day on the greens, especially how good I was driving it."
But whether or not he had a few good moves, the championship golfer, 34, admits it hasn't been easy for him to focus completely on the sport.
"Outside the ropes there are certainly still distractions. It is what it is," he said at a news conference Wednesday. "I think everyone has had distractions in their lives [but] I think that my life out here on tour is becoming more normalized."
Admitting he's made mistakes in the past, Woods says he hopes his young fans can learn that "you're not always going to go through life perfect. No one does."
His strategy to getting his life back on track: "When you make a mistake," he said, "step up to the plate(five fingers shoes) and take ownership of it."
After missing the cut at an April tournament(vibram five fingers), losing his coach in May and suffering a neck injury, the golfer continues to struggle to regain his game after his November sex scandal.
But Thursday might've been one of Woods's toughest days back on the course: playing at the AT&T National – sponsored by the same company that in December had ended its endorsement deal with him – and bowing out of contention even before the first day was complete.
And at the same time, news broke that estranged wife Elin Nordegren could possibly walk away with $700 million in a divorce settlement ending their six-year marriage.
"I just putted awful, really," he said after the first round of the tournament, which takes place in the Philadelphia suburbs. "It was a very frustrating day on the greens, especially how good I was driving it."
But whether or not he had a few good moves, the championship golfer, 34, admits it hasn't been easy for him to focus completely on the sport.
"Outside the ropes there are certainly still distractions. It is what it is," he said at a news conference Wednesday. "I think everyone has had distractions in their lives [but] I think that my life out here on tour is becoming more normalized."
Admitting he's made mistakes in the past, Woods says he hopes his young fans can learn that "you're not always going to go through life perfect. No one does."
His strategy to getting his life back on track: "When you make a mistake," he said, "step up to the plate(five fingers shoes) and take ownership of it."