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Gary Player hopes Tiger Woods regains form: ‘We need a black champion’

He’s a man of color.

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“We need a black champion”.

Woods, 39, now ranks 258th in the world after a stellar career in which he won 14 major championships, second only to Nicklaus, who amassed 18.

While many have been ringing the death knell for Tiger Woods’ career, his young niece Cheyenne is making a name for herself on the Ladies Tour ahead of the Scottish Open.

I don’t know if anybody in the world today can play like Tiger Woods did”. “My experience of links golf is pretty limited”, added Woods, who will be at Irvine next Monday attempting to qualify for the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Turnberry. They don’t have to be in the same day, but you’ve got to have a nice run in there, and I haven’t done that at all.’. That might have been all people knew about me.

The tournament is a unique pro-am style event that sees professionals such as world No. 2 Lydia Ko, and two-time major victor Suzann Pettersen compete alongside celebrities including Westlife singer Brian McFadden and former Scotland rugby player Gavin Hastings.

“But it’s sad to see him shooting 85 and missing the cuts and not hitting the fairways”.

“Tiger Woods won the US Open by 15 shots (in 2000)”, Player said. “It takes a bit of adjusting to playing golf with four layers on”, she said with a warming glow to a small gathering of press men who have developed the tortured rictus that comes with looking at too many sombre weather forecasts of late. If I want to know about business I’ll go to a businessman, I’ll come to you for good interviews; everyone has got their skills.

Woods is now working with swing consultant Chris Como after parting ways with Sean Foley, his swing coach of four years, in August 2014.

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“But Tiger Woods, he needs it overall – mentally, physically and theoretically – so he can get back to normality”.

Jordan Spieth keeps his focus during his round of 66