By JOSEPH WHITE, AP
May 28, 2008
BETHESDA, Md. - Tiger Woods entered the room with a slight limp and unwavering determination to play the U.S. Open.
"The knee's doing better," said Woods, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee April 15. "The rehab is boring. But everything's on schedule. Just been training and trying to get this thing organized for the Open."
Woods spoke yesterday at Congressional Country Club, site of the second annual edition of Woods' own PGA Tour event, the AT&T National.
The U.S. Open will be at Torrey Pines in San Diego on June 12-15, a major that could prove a bit dicey for the world's No. 1 player following a two-month layoff. Woods had hoped to fine-tune his game this week at the Memorial, but he withdrew and has no plans to play in next week's Stanford St. Jude Classic in Memphis.
"I wasn't ready," Woods said. "I started my practice basically just recently. So going to Memorial that rusty, it wouldn't have made any sense. The whole idea is to be ready for the U.S. Open."
Woods also had a two-month layoff before the U.S. Open in 2006, coping with the death of his father. He missed the cut at Winged Foot - the only time he has failed to get past the first two rounds at a major.
But, as he pointed out yesterday, he had surgery on the same knee in 2002 and returned to win his next event, the Buick Invitational, which happens to be at Torrey Pines.
