US Open: Woods on schedule

Major target. Tiger Woods keeps his eyes on the ball. (Getty Images)

Wednesday May 28, 2008
BETHESDA - Tiger Woods has ended speculation regarding his status for this year's US Open, announcing on Tuesday that he is on schedule to participate in the season's second major.

Woods, who is recovering from arthroscopic left knee surgery, admitted that he has grown bored of undergoing rehab for the injury during a news conference promoting his own PGA event, the AT&T National.

But the world number one confirmed that he will be ready for the US Open, which starts on June 12 at Torrey Pines.

"The rehab is working," Woods said. "It gets really old riding that bike. But everything is on schedule.

"I'm just trying to get this thing organised for the Open. I'm right on schedule for that."

Woods has not played since finishing second to Trevor Immelman at The Masters last month, undergoing surgery on the knee on April 15, two days after leaving Augusta.

The 32-year-old already has withdrawn from this week's Memorial and claims he will not participate in next week's Stanford St Jude Championship.

"I started my practice just recently," he said. "So going to Memorial that rusty, it wouldn't have made any sense.

"I wasn't sharp enough. I didn't hit all my shots I needed to hit yet at home and make sure everything is organised. I wasn't quite ready.

"No sense in going there not ready. The whole idea is to be ready for the U.S. Open."

Woods has been inconsistent at the U.S. Open, recording two victories and two second-place finishes but also placing outside of the top 15 six times in the last 11 years, even missing the cut in 2006 at Winged Foot.

But Woods, who won the 2002 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines after surgery on the same knee, expects to rebound quickly from the injury.

"It's not like I haven't been down this road before," he said. "I had a procedure done and came back at Torrey Pines.

"So I know what it takes to win a tournament coming back off after having a procedure done, and it is just a matter of being prepared, getting all my practice time in, m