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 The 14-times major champion will be making his second competitive
appearance in four months at this week's British Open and Woods is
just happy to be back at the venue of his memorable 2006 victory at
Royal Liverpool."With this particular injury with my back I didn't
want to do anything," Woods told reporters on Tuesday. "I couldn't
get out of bed and I couldn't move around the house.
"That made me appreciate just how fortunate I was to be able to play
at that high level for the better part of 17 years. It made me
appreciate that a lot more."
Woods famously won the 2008 U.S. Open, the most recent of his major
triumphs, virtually on one leg due to anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL) problems that eventually led to surgery.
 "When I had no ACL and my leg was pretty trashed I could actually
still go out there and play," explained the 38-year-old American. "I
couldn't do that with this back injury.
"I couldn't actually enjoy my life...the daily things of just moving
around. It wasn't a whole lot of fun."
Woods missed the cut on his comeback at the Quicken Loans National
event in Maryland last month but he is delighted just to be
pain-free these days.
"The people who have had my surgery, they've all said the same
thing. It changes your whole life, it just takes away all the pain,"
said the world number seven.
"Yeah, you're sore from the incision but you don't have that
radiating pain that goes down the leg. Once that was removed, even
though I was hurting from the surgery, I knew I could come back and
play.
 A MATTER OF TIME
"It was just a matter of time before I got out here and was able to
play at elite level again. Once I went through the procedure and I
was just sitting in the recovery room and I didn't have that pain
any more it was a lot of relief."
Former U.S. Ryder Cup captain Curtis Strange told Reuters earlier
this month that Woods had to limit his ambitions at Hoylake because
of his limited playing time since surgery.
Golf's great drawcard, however, said he had proved in the past how
he can triumph in the face of adversity.
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"I've been in circumstances like this before," Woods added. "In 2008
I had surgery after the U.S. Masters at Augusta.
"The Sunday before the U.S. Open I didn't break 50 for nine holes
and still I was able to win it in a playoff (with Rocco Mediate)
with an ACL and a broken leg.
"I've proven I can do it. It's just a matter of giving myself the
best chances this week, to miss in the correct spots, to be
aggressive when I can and obviously to hole putts.
"That's a recipe you find for every major championship."
Woods's golfing mentor, his father Earl, died in the months leading
up to the Hoylake Open in 2006 and he said his tear-stained victory
that week was extra special.
"That was a very emotional week," he said. "I pressed pretty hard at
Augusta that year because it was the last time my dad was ever going
to see me play in a major championship.
"I came here and just felt at peace. On Sunday I felt real calm out
there.
"It was surreal at the time. I felt my dad was with me in that
round," said Woods.
"I said it back then in 2006 that it was like having a 15th club in
the bag."
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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