Tiger Woods believes his next wins are coming soon

All through the final round of the PGA Championship, Tiger Woods had the crowd in the palm of his hand. What he did not have in his grasp, though, was the trophy. That remains the last elusive piece for the golfer who was the main story at the most recent major but was not the winner.

“I feel my next wins are coming soon. How soon, I don’t know,” he said Tuesday morning at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey, as he prepared for the Northern Trust, the opener this week for the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs. “But I’m putting myself there in tournaments now. I’ve done it two of the last three tournaments I’ve played in and they were big events, so I’m not that far away from getting it done.”

He was referring to having held the lead on Sunday during the British Open last month and having drawn within one shot of first place at the PGA in St. Louis the week before last. The latter was marked by airliner-takeoff caliber noise for his charge. Woods upstaged champion Brooks Koepka, but could not outplay him.

Whether he can overcome young, strong, confident golfers to win this week or at any point during the playoffs is the 42-year-old’s challenge. Neither Francesco Molinari, playing alongside Woods at Carnoustie in Scotland, nor Koepka, playing a few groups ahead in St. Louis, was rattled by the stir created by the 14-time major champion’s surge.

Having taken some time off to rest and attend his children’s soccer practices, Woods reflected on the tumultuous finish at Bellerive and said, “It was exciting to make a run, but I lost by two in the end. I shot a low round, but it just wasn’t enough. On a golf course that soft, we needed to make a few more birdies.”

Every birdie he did make was marked by a depth of public feeling that might not have been present even when Woods was winning four majors in a row. He considers it part of being "blessed" to have the chance to play again after back fusion surgery.

“I think everyone can relate to that because they have all gone through it. Everyone has got aches and pains. You get to your 40s, you’re feeling it,” he said. “This entire year has been so different. I’ve had excitement [before], I’ve had people into it over the years, but this has been so different.”

He acknowledged the need to pace himself. He could be playing five of the next six weeks if he advances through the playoffs and is named, as expected, by captain Jim Furyk to the U.S. Ryder Cup team, on which Woods already serves as an assistant captain. “We’re talking about myself in the third person a lot,” he said.

Golf’s momentum, with Woods’ revival and with Koepka having won the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills before winning the PGA, is certain to boost the Northern Trust — the event formerly known as The Barclays and before that the Westchester Classic. At Glen Oaks on Long Island last year, the Northern Trust was arguably the most thrilling event of the PGA Tour season — Dustin Johnson beating Jordan Spieth in a playoff — but was lightly attended.

Expect a lively performance from New York fans this week. “They are into it,” Woods said, adding with a grin, “It’s a huge sporting town, a little more opinionated than most cities. It certainly becomes a lot more opinionated when they tip back a couple.”