**<big>Tiger Woods is now officially a Wests Tiger</big>**
Tiger Woods is now the Wests Tigers' number one fan - but does he know anything about the game?
Making his first public appearance since arriving in Sydney for this week's Australian Open Tiger Woods was this morning presented a Wests Tigers Jersey and season ticket by premier and unashamed Wests Tigers Tragic Barry O'Farrell and winger Lote Tuqiri.
Like plenty of other overseas guests before him, Tiger Woods appeared to confuse the two codes this morning, when asked if he knew much about the game he told reporters he was learning and had been watching plenty of The World Cup.
" _more and more than I did," he said.\
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"I've been watching a lot of the world cup."\
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Unless the former world number one has a DVD library of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup matches, presumably Tiger was watching last month's rugby union world cup in New Zealand inbetween swings.\
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But then again, Tiger later mentioned he had caught a replay of the 1981 Grand Final between Parramatta and Newtown on television, so perhaps owning rugby league DVD library isn't out of the question.\
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After two years without a win, Tiger Woods is back where it all started - and reckons there is no better place to start conquering the world once again.\
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Woods touched down in Sydney late last night ahead of this week's Australian Open at the Lakes Golf Club, where he will tee off on Thursday as the $9 equal favourite with Australian Adam Scott.\
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And according to Tiger, he is a good bet.\
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Gallery: Tiger Woods in Australia\
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Woods hasn't won a tournament since his life spectacularly imploded two years ago following revelations of an extra-marital affair during Melbourne's Australian Masters.\
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His ranking has plummeted from a dominant No.1 to a fragile 58, while his game has struggled because of injury. His wife left him and his reputation suffered immeasurable damage.\
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However, Woods declared yesterday that he was close to regaining the physical condition that saw him win 14 majors, reign as No.1 for 623 weeks, and dominate golf in a way that convinced many he might actually have invented the game, as if Nicklaus and Palmer never existed.\
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In other words, he's back baby.\
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"I've had a ruptured ACL, I've had a broken leg, a torn achilles, and strained ligaments over the last five years," Woods told Melbourne's Triple M radio yesterday.\
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"I've been rehabbing for so long I haven't been able to train. Now I'm starting to get going, I'm starting to do all my explosive training again.\
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"I'm hitting faster, more explosive, my speed's come back. I'm hitting the ball distances I know I can hit the golf ball again. It's getting fun."\
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If nothing else, he certainly sounds like the Tiger of old.\
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Under the strain of his tremendous swing, Woods' knee has been breaking down for years and the rest of his body seemingly went out in sympathy.\
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It forced him to change his swing and did not allow him to practice as hard as he preferred.\
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Yet he now believes his body is fixed and, with the return of good health, so will come the return of his game. Most of all, Woods believes he has rediscovered the key that made him so different - and so dominant.\
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His speed.\
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His confidence was enough for bookmakers to declare him equal favourite with Scott in one of the best fields ever assembled for the Open. With Woods and Scott headlining the card, the tournament has faint whispers of the grand eras of Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen and Gary Player - all of whom won the title during their heyday.\
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http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/tiger-woods-is-now-officially-a-wests-tiger/story-e6freuy9-1226188569954\
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Wooh go u wests tigers :smiley:_
