Tiger plays Southern Hills ahead of PGA Championship

We thought it was a miracle when he turned up to play at the Masters last month. But now Tiger Woods looks like returning for his second major of the year.

The four-time winner was spotted playing a practice round at Southern Hills Country Club, this year’s host course for the PGA Championship. Woods won his last PGA title at the Tulsa course in 2007 and a decade prior to a number of changes being made to the layout in 2018.

Tiger Woods (Credit: PGA Tour)

Woods made full use of the local knowledge with Southern Hills director of golf Cary Cozby tasked to be on the bag for the day. Cozby ran Tiger through pin placements for the upcoming major along with changes made to the course by Gil Hanse.

“Unless he has a setback of some kind, he’s playing,” Cozby told Golf Oklahoma. “This trip was all business.”

“Everything is so smooth with him now. His rhythm is great, he hit it straight and plenty far, he pitched and putted it great. I know guys can hit it past him now but watching him work was amazing. He’s so meticulous, detailed and immersed in what he’s doing. He was very inquisitive on lines and the best angles.”

“I think he can contend. He’s like Michael Jordan late in his career, playing defense and hitting jump shots. Whoever wins here is going to have to be a great chipper and he is still that.”

Woods has already committed to the Open Championship at St Andrews in July and another venue where he has previously won a major title.

At this stage, the only major missing from his schedule is the US Open, which is due to be played at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts in mid-June. The tournament was last contested here in 1988.