KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — He had just finished the first round of the PGA Championship in oppressive heat, but there was Tiger Woods at the practice range videotaping his swing and hoping to find a way to improve on the 3-under 69 he posted yesterday.
“I’m going to do a little bit of work on the range and clean a few things up,” he said. “I know what to do and just need to do it.”
Any improvement should keep him in the thick of contention for his 15th major championship. Woods made six birdies yesterday, but suffered three bogeys.
Woods hit 9 of 14 fairways and reached 10 of 18 greens in regulation. He played in the hottest part of the day when the wind was down but the sun was blazing.
“I probably lost a little bit of water weight,” he said. “So I just have to hydrate and recover.”
Woods said was pleased with the way he putted, needing just 22 in his round.
He made a 15-footer for birdie after blasting out of greenside sand at the par-5 2nd hole and a 5-footer for birdie at the par-3 8th hole.
“I putted well on the weekend,” he said, referring to his T8 finish at the WGC Bridgestone. “I made a few adjustments Friday night last week and felt like I hit a lot of good putts. I started the ball on my start lines again and I think I made six putts over 20 feet out there, which is good.
“I came here with the same thoughts, same feels, and I made a few.”
Woods was a bit unnerved by the rules here that allow the players to ground their clubs in the sand waste areas that can look like bunkers.
“It felt a little weird to put my club on the ground,” he said.
Woods hasn’t won a major championship since the 2008 U.S. Open.