Eight-day stretch of golf continues at Bay Hill

After testing his strained left Achilles tendon the last four days, Tiger Woods said he’s good to go this week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Fla.

Woods gave his left leg the ultimate test last Sunday by playing a practice round at Augusta National Golf Club in preparation for next month’s Masters Tournament. He also played the last two days at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in the Tavistock Cup, then played in the pro-am Wednesday at Bay Hill.

“That’s one of the reasons why I played Tavistock; it felt great at Augusta, and that was the test,” Woods said Wednesday. “I played Tavistock because of that test, and here I am ready to go.”

Assuming Woods has a good week at Bay Hill, he will wind up playing eight consecutive days of golf. The Arnold Palmer Invitational marks his final competitive tune-up before the Masters.

“I feel great, and that’s the nice thing about getting treatment for three days, just getting off of it and just working on it two or three times a day,” said Woods, who withdrew from the recent WGC-Cadillac Invitational on the 12th hole during the final round due to pain and swelling in his left Achilles. “I’ve had some good therapists on board, and they have done some really good work.”

Woods tweaked his back Wednesday on the sixth tee when a photographer snapped a picture during his swing.

“I stopped it, and then I felt a pretty good twinge in my back,” he said. “Walked it off and then tried to hit one down there, hit it in the fairway, but didn’t feel very good. But after a couple of holes, it loosened up and I’m good to go now.”

Woods has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational a record six times. He used to live about 10 minutes away from Bay Hill at Isleworth Golf & Country Club, but now resides in Jupiter, Fla.

“I miss my friends here, yes,” Woods said. “But I love living where I am now. I’m on the ocean. I smell the ocean each and every day I walk out of my house, and the beach is just absolutely gorgeous there.”

As for his golf swing, Woods said he is hitting the ball longer and straighter than ever, especially with his irons, and has had to make adjustments with his distance control.

“I’m hitting the ball flush,” he said. “I’m hitting the ball with less curve. Hence, it’s spending most of its energy going forward and just the fact that I’m transferring the energy so much more efficiently than I used to.”

Woods is working especially hard at dialing in his short irons, always a big key for scoring at Augusta.

“Yeah, because I’m not used to hitting the ball that far,” he said.

“I’m hitting the ball distance-wise, with some of the top guys on TOUR. For a number of years there, I didn’t do that.”

Woods begins first-round play Thursday on the 10th tee at 8:26 a.m. ET with Ernie Els and Hunter Mahan.