Tiger Woods 'a lot stronger' ahead of US PGA Championship tilt at Southern Hills

Former world No 1, who won there in 2007, plays practice round on Sunday before this week's major

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  Tiger Woods waves to the crowd on the 18th green after finishing his round during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2022. AFP

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  Tiger Woods and caddie Joe LaCava shake hands on the 18th green after finishing their round of the Masters. Getty

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  Tiger Woods tips his cap on the 18th green during the final round at the Master. AP

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  Tiger Woods hits out of the pine straw on the 14th hole during the final round of the Masters. EPA

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  Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the 15th hole during the final round of the Masters. EPA

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  Tiger Woods and Jon Rahm walk down the fairway on the 11th hole during the final round of the Masters. EPA

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  Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the 12th hole during the final round of the Masters. EPA

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  Tiger Woods and Joe LaCava discuss his tee shot on the 12th hole during the final round of the Masters. EPA

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  Tiger Woods lines up a putt on the 13th green during the final round of the Masters. AFP

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  Tiger Woods plays his shot left-handed on the 13th hole during the final round of the Masters. Getty

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  Tiger Woods hits a shot on the 11th hole during the final round of the Masters. AFP

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  Tiger Woods on the ninth green during the final round of the Masters. EPA

Tiger Woods says he has “gotten a lot stronger” since the Masters last month, as he played a nine-hole practice round at Southern Hills Country Club on Sunday ahead of this week’s US PGA Championship.

The 15-time major champion, 46, is getting set to compete in the season’s second major, which tees off in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Thursday, having made his shock return to tournament play at Augusta National.

The Masters marked Woods’ first competitive outing since he suffered severe leg injuries during a single-car crash in February last year. The five-time Masters winner, who because of the accident was close to having his left leg amputated, eventually finished 47th.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday at Southern Hills, Woods said: "I've gotten a lot stronger since the Masters. We went back to work on [the] Tuesday [following Augusta National]. Monday was awful. I did nothing and Tuesday was leg day. So, we went right back after it.

"We started ramping up a week or so ago, played a little bit more golf, and it was good. Everything is better."

Woods told the media Immediately after his final round at the Masters that he would have to carefully select his tournament appearances from now on, committing only to this summer’s Open Championship at St Andrews.

However, like Augusta National, the former world No 1 knows Southern Hills well: Woods triumphed there in 2007, the last time the club staged the PGA Championship. It represented his 13th major title.

On Sunday, his caddie, Joe LaCava, told reporters: "Hundred percent I see him stronger. I just think the endurance is there now. I don't think he's getting quite as tired as quickly. I see more endurance more than anything.

"Other than the fact that he won here 15 years ago, I think it's the stamina and endurance thing that excites him the most."