Tiger Woods not getting carried away

Tiger Woods admits he is not getting carried away as he prepares to compete in this week’s Genesis Open.

The former world number one and 14-time major winner is continuing his comeback from his long-standing back injury and this week’s tournament in Los Angeles will be just his second official event on the PGA Tour since his return.

There were some encouraging signs for 42-year-old at the Farmers Insurance Open last time out, as he finished in a tie for 23rd place, but he is refusing to get too carried away, as he continues to adopt a cautious approach to his return.

“I’m just starting back,” Woods said. “I’ve been away from the game for a very long time and I’ve basically played two tournaments so I’ve got a lot of room for improvement and a long way to go.”

Woods certainly doesn’t want to take any unnecessary risks following his long injury lay-off, but he confirmed he is starting to get a better understanding of his back, after undergoing numerous operations on it over the last few years.

He added: “The more tournaments I play in, the more I’ll be able to get a better understanding of that but also I don’t want to play too much. This is still all new to me and I just want to be real smart about it.”

The American will play alongside Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas during the opening two rounds of this week’s Genesis Open and he is priced at 41.00 to go on and claim what would be his first PGA Tour victory since his triumph at the Bridgestone Invitational in August 2013.