Tiger Woods Speaks Wednesday before the WGC-Mexico Championship
Bill Speros, author for Golfweek
Tiger Woods spoke Wednesday prior to the WGC-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City.
Here are some of the highlights:
On playing the course for the first time
“It was a lot tighter than I had thought. The ball was traveling obviously a long way. Some of our numbers on the range were a bit surprising, even on the golf course, how far it was going. The most interesting thing is the ball just doesn’t curve up here at altitude, there’s just not enough resistance. Shots that I thought I shaped just didn’t have any shape to it.”
On changes to his equipment
“I tinkered yesterday with adding a quarter of a degree to my 3-wood but I don’t know if I’m going to go with that or not. That’s why today’s important to keep testing, keep seeing where I’m at.”
On when he started preparing for the Masters
“Augusta started probably back in October (or) November.”
On his upcoming schedule
“It’s very complicated. Next week’s (the Honda Classic) at home for me, then there’s a tournament that I’ve won there eight times (the Arnold Palmer Invitational). Then another event that I’ve won a couple times. Then the week after that is where I had an unbelievable week last year. So it gets very complicated. That’s what I’m trying to figure out, how much to play, how much is too much, how much is not enough, and at the end of the day being race ready enough for April and making sure I get enough competitive rounds. That’s one of the reasons why I put in Tampa last year after I missed the cut in L.A., to make sure I get some rounds in and be race ready. This year’s even more complicated. I feel better, but I’ve got four events right there in my state that I live in and it gets very complicated.”
The WGC-Mexico Championship represents Woods’ first time ever playing a competitive event in Mexico. Woods will tee off at 1:03 p.m. local time on Thursday in Round 1 with Bryson DeChambeau and Mexican golfer Abraham Ancer.
He played a practice round Tuesday. It was the first time he saw the course, which rests some 7,800 feet above sea level. It is also the first time Woods will play a tournament in high altitude since 1999. He then finished in a tie for 37th in the Sprint International at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado, which is 6,500 feet above sea level.
He spent about 45 minutes on the range with caddie Joey LaCava and Trackman, a launch monitor that examines each shot’s characteristics including ball speed, spin rate and distance.
