Tiger talks divorce, still trying to find positives
At a press event on the eve of this week's Barclays tournament in New Jersey, Tiger Woods has spoken of his sadness regarding divorce from his wife Elin Nordegren.
The pair announced their marriage had irretrievably broken down earlier this week, and an interview with Nordegren has already appeared in US magazine People. In it the 30-year-old Swede related her version of the events of the last 10 or so months that has seen Woods exposed as a serial love cheat - and his professional standing scrape new lows.
Now Woods has offered his own take on the split – though, as ever, he refused to be drawn on potentially tricky questions. Asked whether he felt relief or remorse now that the separation had been confirmed, Woods offered: " I think it's just more sadness. Because I don't think you ever - you don't ever go into a marriage looking to get divorced. That's the thing. That's why it is sad."
Quizzed on whether he still loved Elin, Woods reached for familiar, safe, vague territory, replying: "I wish her the best in everything.
"You know, it's a sad time in our lives. And we're looking forward to - in our lives and how we can help our kids the best way we possibly can. And that's the most important thing."
When the reporter repeated his query about whether the star still loved Elin, Woods flat-batted it away by repeating the line: "That's the most important thing."
When the idea was suggested that the split could lead to an improvement in Woods game, the 14-time major winner replied: "It's one of those things where it's a sad time, what we're going through right now. And as far as my game and practicing, that's been secondary. We're trying to get our kids situated to our new living conditions and how that's going to be. That's where our focus is going to be right now."
By his own supreme standards, 2010 has been a bust, but Woods refused to consider the year a write-off. "A lost year? I don't look at it like that. Every year you have to find the positives. Even though there are a lot of negatives I think that's actually a good thing. Because I learned a lot about myself and how I could become a better person."
Woods admitted, however, that playing had been harder for him than he had expected this year. "It was, certainly. Because being asked questions all the time, even as the tournaments are going I've been asked questions while we're playing. And that's always difficult. And especially when I'm trying to work on a few things, trying to find shots in order to get around the golf course, and to have to talk about other things."
It's no surprise when Woods says a whole lot of nothing, of course, but sometimes the man can provoke a perverse kind of admiration with his ability to say absolutely not a word of consequence, again and again and again. Asked whether he had any response to Elin's magazine interview, Woods replied: "I certainly understand that she is sad. And I feel the same way."
And in perhaps the most robotic exchange, on being asked whether he felt any regrets Woods offered the following gem: "My actions certainly led us to this decision. And I've certainly made a lot of errors in my life and that's something I'm going to have to live with."
If it isn't statements of banality that Woods is relying on, brevity is the other chief weapon in his armoury. Asked "can you talk about the divorce, the paperwork, all that stuff, the preparation?" Woods’ considered response was the following mind-blowing nugget: "It was a lot more difficult than I was letting on."
The 34-year-old did touch upon possible swing changes in the future, commenting: "I'm trying to get obviously my game in order. Work on some new things, working with Sean [Foley, his potential new swing coach]. And I'm trying to put that together and hopefully play well for the rest of the year. And as of right now I need to play well to make it to next week. So that's kind of the focus right now."
"I still haven't officially decided to change my swing yet, just because this would be the fourth time since I've been on the PGA Tour," he added. "It's an undertaking that I have to wrap my head around because it's going to take some time."
Woods tees off in the first group at the Ridgewood Country Club later today.
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