Aug 1 WoodsPractices

By Jeff Latzke, AP Sports Writer

Tiger Woods took a quick detour Tuesday to play a practice round at Southern Hills Country Club, the site of next week’s PGA Championship.

Woods, the world’s No. 1 player, arrived about 7:15 a.m. and finished his tour of the course by 11 a.m. before heading to Akron, Ohio, to defend his title in the Bridgestone Invitational, a PGA official said.

“He really looked sharp. He was relaxed, he was cool, he was in control,” said the official, who watched Woods’ round and spoke on condition of anonymity because of PGA policy.

Woods, the defending champion at the PGA Championship, often plays at least one practice round at a major championship site the week before the event. Phil Mickelson and Luke Donald also have been seen at the course in recent days.

Southern Hills will host its seventh major championship and fourth PGA Championship next week. The course held the PGA Championship in 1970, 1982 and 1994, and the U.S. Open in 1958, 1977 and 2001.

Woods tied for 12th at the 2001 U.S. Open at Southern Hills, ending his “Tiger Slam” run of four straight majors. He finished at 3 over, seven shots behind Retief Goosen, who won in a playoff.

In a June conference call previewing the PGA Championship, Woods criticized Southern Hills for having the greens on Nos. 9 and 18 at different speeds than the other 16 holes during the event. The greens have since been rebuilt.

The Tulsa World first reported Woods’ visit and posted pictures of Woods on the course on its Web site.

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