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 Woods' quest to surpass Jack Nicklaus' record haul of 18 majors
has been stalled at 14 since 2008 after a string of injuries and
personal problems sent him off track.
Having not played since the PGA Championship in August, the
38-year-old American returns to action on Thursday near his Florida
home at the at Isleworth Golf and Country Club in a tournament
benefiting his foundation.
All eyes will be on a creaky back that limited Woods to just eight
events last season where he missed the cut twice and withdrew from
two others.
The former-world number one underwent back surgery in March and
despite long periods of rest and rehabilitation never returned to
full fitness missing the Masters and U.S. Open, withdrawing from the
WGC Bridgestone Invitational and missing the cut at the PGA
Championship.
 "I'm older," Woods said drawing laughs from reporters at a news
conference on Tuesday. "Father Time is undefeated.
"We all eventually are losing some of the things we are able to do
when we were younger."
This was no capitulation, just an acknowledgement from Woods that he
needed to try another way, and returns having switched to consultant
Chris Como from swing coach Sean Foley.
"We all have to make adaptations as athletes, and we have to make
adjustments," said Woods, who believes he has more winning golf
ahead of him.
"Like MJ (Michael Jordan) created a fade away. He couldn't jump over
everybody anymore, and he created a new way to score and get points.
"I'm the same way. I can't blow it out there with some of the longer
guys anymore.
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"Back when I was younger, a long ball was 290 (yards) in the air.
Now it's 320, 325. I don't have that."
Woods said his aging body would not allow him to fire from positions
Foley wanted to put into his swing.
Fans and fellow golfers will get their first look at Woods revamped
swing on Thursday when he partners with Australian Jason Day in the
18-player invitational.
"We looked at a lot of video from when I was a junior and in amateur
golf," said Woods about time spent with Como. "It was quite
interesting to see where my swing was then and how much force I
could generate with a very skinny frame.
"That's kind of what we are getting back into.
"It feels great. It feels fantastic."
(Writing by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Steve Keating.)
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