Woods targets general improvement

Last updated: 24th January 2013

Tiger Woods returns to Torrey Pines this week - where he achieved some of his greatest triumphs - after he failed to make the cut in his first event of the season in Abu Dhabi last week.

The 37-year-old Woods claimed his last major title at Torrey Pines, when he won a play-off victory over Rocco Mediate to win the 2008 US Open. That victory was his 14th major and left him only four behind the all-time record holder Jack Nicklaus.

"I feel comfortable here. There's no doubt about that," Woods said in the lead-up to the Farmers Insurance Open, which starts on Thursday. "There are a few courses like that where I've had my share of success."

"I do look at that week often," Woods said of his 2008 Torrey Pines triumph.

"What comes back to me is the memory of pure pain. I didn't really think about any of the past stuff," Woods added. "I was just trying to get a feel for the golf course, what club to use and where my lines are going to be.

"This golf course was playing different. I can't remember it playing this dry. It has been a while."

While Woods hasn't won another major since that triumph in 2008, he has moved up to second place on the all-time list of PGA victories with 74 wins on Tour, eight behind Sam Snead on 82.

His most recent success came at Congressional in the National, and Woods added that his emphasis this year was to improve his overall game.

"Improving what I'm doing, becoming more efficient at what I'm doing," Woods continued. "The majority of the year (in 2012) I hit it pretty good but my short game and putting weren't there. Those were working better later in the year but I wasn't hitting the ball as well.

"I just have to marry those two combos and hopefully I can do that on a consistent basis."

He also added that wins on the PGA Tour has become more difficult than when he began playing because the overall strength of the players are far better.

"It's deeper now, no doubt. Each generation it gets tougher," Woods continued. "You have more guys going into the weekend with a chance to win and they can win from anyplace. The gap has gotten smaller in that regard."