Woods Working Swing Shift to Hone His Game

Tiger Woods had mud up to his swoosh, which is different than it was the last few days he spent practicing in Las Vegas, where the wind was so bad that every golf ball he hit got blown back to Barstow.

During his practice round Tuesday at Valencia Country Club, Woods worked on trying to keep his white shoes from turning the color of a mudslide and on the parts of his swing that were bothering him when he went to see his coach, Butch Harmon, in Las Vegas.

The golf swing, as performed by Woods, can generate a club-head speed as high as 136 mph, but only if he’s doing it properly. Because he is a perfectionist, Woods isn’t easily satisfied.

For instance, after playing the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand in late January, Woods went to see Harmon in Las Vegas to get a swing lesson. Woods said his swing had gotten too long, which must have related indirectly to the thickness of his wallet, since he had just won the tournament.

Just in time for the $2.1-million Nissan Open beginning Thursday at Valencia Country Club, there is a new swing thought from Woods.

“It’s fixed,” he said. “I’m sure it’ll come back, but right now, it’s fine.”

Woods has played in only three PGA Tour events this year, and only two of them have been completed, mainly because Pebble Beach is in a rain delay that will last until August. But with a tie for second at the Mercedes Championships and a tie for third at the Buick Invitational, Woods is still tied for 10th on the money list with $258,800.

That’s all right for a guy with a too-long swing and a too-high pile of expectations. For instance, it’s still February and Woods already is thinking about his title defense at the Masters in April.

Actually, he has been thinking about it for a while now . . . since December.

“That’s when it first crossed my mind, the things I need to improve on to play well at Augusta.

“I’m looking forward to it, looking forward to playing. Just get it and go.”

Last year, Woods got it and went on to a record 18-under par 270 to win by 12 shots. At this stage, Woods says his game is further ahead than it was at the same time last year.

“I feel like I’ve played pretty well this year. First, second and third, that’s pretty good so far.”

Of course, whatever Woods will do may always have a difficult time matching what Woods can do. It’s sort of a perception gap. Remember when Woods won four times before the end of June and was semi-expected to win every tournament he played?

Then when he didn’t win after July, Woods was judged to be mired in such a slump, he would need a tow to get out. It was huge news when he actually missed a cut as a pro, which he finally did in September at the Bell Canadian Open.

But Woods wound up winning the money title with a record $2,066,833 and was voted the PGA Tour player of the year. He led the tour in birdie frequency and eagle frequency, was second in scoring and driving distance and sold more clothing items with swooshes on them than anyone besides some person named Jordan.

Meanwhile, Woods is preparing himself for the next big part of the PGA Tour, the so-called Florida swing, which leads directly to Augusta National and the Masters. But first, there is the Nissan Open, the final West Coast event and the last chance to reverse what has been the soggiest.

“This is the El Nino Tour right now,” Woods said.

Woods, who is paired with Phil Mickelson and Scott Hoch for the first two rounds, hasn’t played a competitive round at Valencia since he was 18 and competed in the sectional qualifying for the 1993 U.S. Open.

“It played long,” he said.

Chances are it doesn’t play as long for Woods anymore.

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Jeff Sanday of South Pasadena and Derek Gilchrist of Elk Grove qualified at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills. Sanday, the 1995 state amateur champion, shot a 65 on the South Course. Gilchrist parred the third extra hole to defeat Jason Gore and Mike Miller of Valencia in a playoff after they each finished with a 68. Two more players in a field of 109 will qualify today at Green River Golf Club in Corona and Moreno Valley Ranch Golf Course in Moreno Valley. New venues were needed because Western Hills, also in Chino Hills, was unplayable because of rain.

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Nissan Open

At Valencia Country Club

* WHEN:

Thursday- Sunday

* TV--USA (Thurs.- Fri., 1-3 p.m.), CBS (Sat. noon-3 p.m.; Sun., 1-3 p.m.)