Tiger Woods ready for Open challenge despite taking break
Woods arrives at Royal Portrush for Sunday practice round
Last Updated: 14/07/19 8:09pm
Tiger Woods insists his lack of competitive golf ahead of The 148th Open will not be a problem at Royal Portrush.
The 43-year-old has not played competitively since finishing joint-21st in the US Open at Pebble Beach last month and has since embarked on a two-week holiday in Thailand with his mother Kultida and his two children - Sam, 12 and Charlie, 10.
The 15-time major winner, who returned to the United States on July 2, has played just 10 tournament rounds since his emotional Masters victory in April, although he flew into Northern Ireland early on Sunday morning and played a practice round at Royal Portrush a few hours later alongside Patrick Reed.
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"The break is always great for my golf, especially now," Woods told reporters after completing his round.
"I told you guys last year I wouldn't be playing as much this year, and it's going to turn out that way."
Woods revealed he took the holiday because his mother, who is from Thailand, wanted her grandchildren to see her homeland.
"We had the greatest time," he added. "Sam's birthday was over there. We rode elephants, went on a safari, visited the islands.
"They understand the culture there a little bit more, the things they didn't really know about. It was pretty cool for them to experience that at such a young age.
"It was an experience, especially since my mom's health is diminishing and we're not sure how many times she can do this."
