Tiger practices at Bethpage Black in cold, rain – ESPN

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Tiger Woods bought to work early Monday to put collectively for his first tournament commence since profitable the Masters, starting a note round at chilly, moist Bethpage Unlit sooner than 8 a.m.

Temperatures in the 40s and moist prerequisites greeted gamers who arrived to put collectively for the 101st PGA Championship, which begins Thursday on the public venue that hosted the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens. The PGA is now the second predominant championship on the golf calendar, transferring this yr to Could well.

Woods, carrying a ski cap over his golf cap, infamous that it used to be a “appropriate wander” to wander to Bethpage for a day remaining week, as climate prerequisites are anticipated to be unhappy till Wednesday.

“In step with the forecast, it used to be no doubt essential to play remaining week,” said Woods’ caddie, Joe LaCava. “And it used to be hotter. Confidently, it’ll be hotter come Thursday, so as that used to be tall attributable to we possess an concept of yardages and runouts. We did various labor all the strategy by means of the greens, which used to be good.”

The five-hour note round remaining week used to be played on a just about empty course and used to be the key time Woods, 43, had viewed Bethpage since 2012, when The Barclays, a FedEx Cup playoff match, used to be staged here.

Woods received the 2002 U.S. Birth at Bethpage and tied for sixth in the U.S. Birth received by Lucas Glover in 2009, finishing 4 strokes wait on.

For excellent the sixth time in his profession, Woods involves a essential championship no longer having played a tournament attributable to the old predominant. The remaining time he did so used to be on the 2013 Birth, when he tied for sixth. Perfect twice used to be such an absence from tournament golf deliberate; completely different times were attributable to of illness or misfortune.

Woods did no longer play any well-known golf between profitable his 15th predominant title at Augusta National and April 27, just about two stout weeks later. As a replacement of taking half in the Wells Fargo Championship, Woods worked on his game at house.

“Being effectively-rested is more essential than anything else,” LaCava said. “And profitable the Masters took loads out of him. Taking half in a single other tournament, wherever it’ll also were, I fabricate no longer mediate it would were a setback, but it would possess taken loads out of him. Per chance also can aloof no longer possess done him any appropriate attributable to he would were too drained. Must you also can be drained, there may well be no need to play.”

Every Woods and LaCava infamous how lengthy Bethpage is taking half in, particularly with an abundance of recent rain. The par-70 course will measure 7,459 yards. And while it used to be idea to be a brute throughout both of the U.S. Opens, these occasions were played in the summertime, when prerequisites were critically hotter.

Woods infamous the length of the par-4 seventh hole, which in total plays as a par-5 but is a par-4 of 524 yards. After an correct pressure, Woods had 259 yards left to the inexperienced and got here up short the utilization of both a 5-wood and then a 3-wood.

“First and main, he appears to be like appropriate and he’s transferring around effectively,” LaCava said. “That is the key thing I spy for, particularly pondering the necessities. He is riding it effectively, the game appears to be like moderately appropriate, and his short game all the strategy by means of the greens appears to be like no doubt appropriate. I perceive it be excellent a note round, but aloof, appears to be like moderately solid.”

Woods is taking half in the key two rounds with defending PGA champion Brooks Koepka and reigning Birth champion Francesco Molinari. They tee off at 8: 24 a.m. Thursday.