DUBLIN, Ohio — Tiger Woods on Tuesday created his to start with public visual appeal in nearly two months when he played a practice round for the Memorial Event along with his pal Justin Thomas.

The two performed the back again 9 at Muirfield Village Golf Club, where by Woods will be grouped with Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka for the very first two rounds.

When we final noticed Woods actively playing in general public, he paired with Peyton Manning and defeated Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in an exhibition match on May possibly 24 at Medalist, Woods’ household course in South Florida.

Woods previous performed a PGA Tour function in February, when he finished last in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, a event that advantages his basis. He opted to skip the first five occasions of the PGA Tour’s COVID-19 restart just before this week’s Memorial, a tournament he’s received five times.

“I did contemplate taking part in, hoping to determine out if I ought to play or not,” Woods disclosed following his follow spherical Tuesday. “But I just felt it was much better to remain at property and be safe and sound. I’m used to enjoying with tons of individuals all over me or getting lots of persons have a immediate line to me, and that places not only myself in risk but my mates and household. (I have) just been at household training and social distancing and being away from a large amount of individuals.

“That’s one thing that I appeared at and claimed, ‘Well, I’m genuinely not really comfortable with that, that entire concept. Let us see how it plays out to start with and let us see how the Tour has performed out, how they’ve started, and I truly feel that I’m relaxed enough to arrive back again out below and perform again. I’m energized to do it.

“It feels great to be again,” Woods went on. “I hadn’t played on a match location in a even though — it’s been given that February — so it’s been a lengthy time for me. To get out there and to perform with ‘JT’ was a bunch of exciting. It is definitely a distinctive world, unique setting that we’re in. To perform follow rounds like this and to observe as the Tour has evolved and started out back again and to see no fans, it is just a really different entire world out here.”

Woods said, as he noticed the tournaments in the PGA Tour’s restart, he watched the golf differently than he usually would.

“It was far more of watching golf to see how it is now, see what our close to foreseeable future, our truth is and our foreseeable future is likely to be,” he reported. “Some of the men when they initial performed the to start with few months, it was quite different. To have no one particular yelling, no one particular screaming, no electrical power, the social distancing, no handshakes.”

Among the the issues he had for his friends who have been taking part in in the tournaments included, “Where are you going to go work out? Are you likely to be equipped to go work out at a health and fitness center? No, you can’t go to the fitness centers. What are you likely to do here? Experience masks?”

“We’re striving to determine out all the suggestions and the guys are seeking to determine it out on the fly and also contend,” he said. “So, it was very complicated making an attempt to get a regime for most of the gamers.”

Woods’ final victory came at the Zozo Championship final October. It was his 82nd profession win, which tied Sam Snead’s all-time PGA Tour report. It, way too, came just after an extended time away from event golf of almost two months.

Questioned on Tuesday, if that confirmed him he can get soon after a extended layoff, Woods explained, “Well, I would like to say that I’m going to earn the occasion. Which is my intent. Regardless of whether that performs out arrive Sunday … with any luck , that will be the circumstance. There is no motive why I just cannot do it once again this 7 days. I’ve just obtained to go out there and do my function and make that happen.”

Woods indicated that he feels superior physically than he has considering the fact that very long just before his very last tournament, the Genesis.

“Physically, I was quite stiff at L.A.” he claimed. “I was not transferring that nicely. (My) again was just not rather loose. It was chilly. I was not hitting the ball extremely much, wasn’t actively playing incredibly very well, and for that reason I finished lifeless final.

“Fast ahead five months later, I have been capable to practice a great deal. I experience so considerably much better than I did then. I’ve been capable to prepare and focus on finding back again up to pace and back up to match velocity, so how I was going at ‘The Match’ and becoming able to development considering the fact that then.”

Woods has not been offered because the tragic George Floyd dying at the hands of the Minneapolis law enforcement, and was questioned on Tuesday if he has felt a “positive difference” in phrases of the racial injustice issues that have plagued the state in the aftermath with the protesting and awareness.

“I believe transform is great,” Woods reported. “As very long as we make improvements devoid of hurting the innocent, and unfortunately that has occurred. Hopefully it doesn’t transpire in the future. But a movement and alter is wonderful. Which is how culture develops. That is how we increase. Which is how we move ahead. That’s how we have fairness.

“Unfortunately, we’ve missing harmless lives together the way, and ideally we do not lose any far more in the long run as we transfer to a a lot greater spot socially.”