ROGERS, Ark. – One of Ayako Uehara’s best memories in her four full-time seasons on the LPGA Tour is a hole-in-one she made in her first appearance at the NW Arkansas Championship in 2013.

Uehara added to her growing list of memorable moments at Pinnacle Country Club by shooting a career-best 62 in the opening round Friday.

The 9-under round matched the course record and gave the Japanese player a two-stroke lead, a remarkable position for a player who entered the week ranked 214th in the world after struggling with her game for much of the year.

Uehara needed only 25 putts and made nine birdies in her bogey-free round, a score that bested her previous career low of 63 she posted in Malaysia in 2014. That was a year after her first appearance in northwest Arkansas, where she holed out on the par-3 17th on her way to a 25th-place finish.

It’s a moment she’s relived countless times since, especially in the days leading to the start of this week’s tournament.

“Since I got here this year, I’ve been watching this video of this hole-in-one many times,” Uehara said. “Also, I show my caddie.”

Taiwan’s Candie Kung had a 64, and 13 players, including Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, are tied for third at 65.

Uehara will tee off Saturday afternoon in pursuit of her first career victory, and at the very least looking to earn only her fourth career top-10 finish in 76 tournaments.

“The course conditions will be different, so we have to make good judgment decisions and we’ll go from there,” Uehara said.

Playing in muggy conditions after overnight rain, Uehara took advantage of the soft greens during the morning to match the course record of 62 set by Angela Park and Jane Park in 2008.

Uehara, whose best finish in an LPGA Tour event is third in Japan in the 2012 Mizuno Classic, missed the cut in eight of her first nine tournaments to begin this year. However, she entered this weekend having finished 39th or better in five of her last six events – an improvement in play she carried over to Friday.

After a pair of birdies on her opening nine, Uehara birdied four of the first five holes after the turn, including three straight to reach 7 under. She then reached 9 under with a closing birdie on the par-4 ninth, capping a round in which she hit 11 of 13 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation.

Uehara finished 4 under at the NW Arkansas Championship during her rookie season in 2013, tying for 25th. However, she missed the cut at the event in each of the last two seasons before putting together her career-best round on Friday.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko opened the tournament with a 5-under 66, while local favorite Stacy Lewis shot a 4-under 67.

Ko and Lewis were paired together with Minjee Lee – who finished with a 65 – and the trio attracted the largest gallery of the morning at the 6,330-yard Pinnacle Country Club.

Lewis, the former world No. 1 who played collegiately at nearby Arkansas, hasn’t won since her victory in the event two years ago.

However, she continued to draw large cheers of “Woo Pig Sooie” from the Razorbacks fans and finished with the 67. She had 31 putts, missing an 8-foot birdie attempt on her final hole of the day.

Ko, meanwhile, closed her round with a flurry while in search of her third victory of the year. The New Zealander, after opening on the back nine, eagled the par-5 seventh with a 35-foot putt, and she recovered from a poor chip and bogey on No. 8 with a short birdie putt on the ninth.

Second-ranked Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 69. She beat Ko in a playoff two weeks ago in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship outside Seattle.

Maude-Aimée Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and Kelowna, B.C., native Samantha Richdale are tied for 89th at even par.

Michelle Wie had a 71, and defending champion Na Yeon Choi shot 75.

BETHESDA, Md. – Jon Rahm was surprised about the level of fan support he has received at the Quicken Loans National, far away from his native Spain and where he went to school at Arizona State.

It helped that Rahm was playing with local guy Bobby Hurley III and helped even more that the two players went shot-for-shot Friday to share the lead. Rahm and Hurley were tied at 11 under, three strokes ahead of Vijay Singh going into the weekend at Congressional.

Rahm, who’s playing his first event as a professional, said he couldn’t be happier by following a great first round with a second-round 67.

“I’m just lucky to be here today,” said Rahm, who led Thursday after a 64. “If you tell me 10 years ago when I was 11 years old that I would be leading a PGA Tour event when I was 21, I wouldn’t believe you.”

Rahm would’ve had sole possession of the lead had he not missed a 10-foot par putt on the 18th hole. As a result, he was tied with Hurley, a Naval Academy graduate who lives in nearby Annapolis and grew up in Leesburg, Virginia.

Hearing chants of the Annapolis zip code and more from the galleries, Hurley shot a 6-under 65.

“I just hit a lot of good shots,” Hurley said. “I was just able to keep the pedal down and continue to attack the golf course, which is not something you usually do around Congressional. But being soft I was able to take advantage of the conditions and get the ball a little closer to the hole than you’re used to.”

Before Rahm and Hurley even got onto the Blue Course on Friday, Singh put on a show to rival what Ernie Els did Thursday. Singh turned in a 66 that was most memorable for his shot from the edge of the water on No. 18.

The 53-year-old Singh hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2008. He would be the oldest PGA Tour winner if he captures the Quicken Loans National, but said he wasn’t thinking about making that kind of history.

“It would be good to win,” the three-time major champion said. “But it’s only halfway, so I’ll be focused on my game tomorrow and see what happens.”

Singh looked to be in trouble on the 18th when he hit into the rough under a tree and then landed his approach shot just inches from the water. He rolled up his pants and waded in to hit the shot that dropped him to 8 under at Tiger Woods’ annual tournament.

“I was unfortunate that it went that far in and fortunate that it stayed out,” Singh said. “I kept sinking when I got in the water. I started out with just my foot in the water and then it started getting up to my ankles. The more I moved the deeper I went, so I kind of had to play a very safe shot. I got away with a bogey.”

Els bogeyed holes Nos. 1 and 18 but played well enough in between to finish with a 69 to get to 7 under along with Webb Simpson (68), Bill Haas (69) and Harold Varner III (69). The 46-year-old Els said he has to be happy with where he’s at and hopes he and Singh can play well Saturday to set up a vintage showdown.

“I’m not quite as old as Vijay, but I’m getting there,” Els said. “He’s obviously a legend of the game and done so much for the Tour and a great champion. I know he’s been working hard on his game and he’s been quietly optimistic. Same with me. I’d love to maybe see if we can really go low tomorrow and see him on tomorrow.”

Sixth-ranked Rickie Fowler had just one bogey in his second round, shooting 68 to get to 6 under. Fowler ended his streak of missed cuts at three.

“I was able to just kind of stay patient and give myself a lot of looks at birdie, which is always good,” Fowler said. “Nice to have a tee time on the weekend.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., carded a 4-under 67 to hold a share of 11th, and Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor is tied for 25th at 3-under.

MADISON, Wis. – Gene Sauers rebounded from a bulging disk to share the first-round lead with Estaban Toledo on Friday in the PGA Tour Champions’ inaugural American Family Insurance Championship.

The 53-year-old Sauers matched Toledo with a 9-under 63 in front of large galleries at University Ridge. Sauers withdrew from the Constellation Senior Players Championship two weeks ago in Pennsylvania because of the disk problem.

“I had to go home, see my doctor, and I didn’t play for like seven, eight days,” Sauers said. “Of course, we had the week off prior, which was great, which helped me. And saw my teacher at home, he got me kind of straightened out. Coming here this week I had a lot of good thoughts coming into this week. … Hopefully, I can make it the next few more days.”

Sauers closed his bogey-free round with a birdie on the par-5 ninth.

“It’s a great golf course,” Sauers said. “The front side is kind of wide open and then the back nine is tree-lined, so it’s a good mixture. The golf course is in great shape. The greens are perfect. What more can you ask for? You know, shooting 9 under is pretty good out here on this track. It’s not a real easy golf course. You’ve got to just concentrate on fairways and greens and give yourself opportunities.”

The three-time PGA Tour winner has successfully fought the rare skin condition Stevens-Johnson syndrome to continue his career. He has four runner-up finishes in 81 career starts on the 50-and-over tour.

Toledo made five straight birdies on his first nine, added three more on Nos. 1, 2 and 4 and capped his bogey-free round with another on the ninth. The 53-year-old Mexican player won the Allianz Championship in February for his fourth senior title.

Fran Quin was a stroke back, making six birdies in an eight-hole stretch that ended on the par-5 16th. The 51-year-old Quin has finished in the top 25 in all three of his tour starts this year.

Kevin Sutherland and Tom Byrum shot 65, and Fred Funk, Duffy Waldorf, Loren Roberts and Bart Bryan followed at 66.

Large crowds followed the players in event that hometown PGA Tour player Steve Stricker helped launch and hosts. He turns 50 in February and will be eligible to play next year.

“We can’t ask for anything more,” Sutherland said. “There was a lot of people out there today. It was amazing to see everybody out here. I think it says a locality about Steve Stricker, about the way people feel about him around here, and they should. He’s a tremendous human being, he’s obviously a great golfer. So this says a lot about Steve, says a lot about Madison. It’s been fantastic.”

Bernhard Langer topped the group at 67. The 58-year-old German star is coming off a victory two weeks ago in the Constellation Senior Players Championship, his second major win of the year. He has three overall victories this year to push his senior total to 28.

“I just didn’t make any putts on the back nine,” Langer said. “Played pretty good, but the greens were a bit on the slow side, so I left a couple short and didn’t get it close enough. But overall it’s a solid round. I’m right there. Got two days to catch up.”

John Daly opened with a 71, also finishing with a birdie on No. 9. He’s making his sixth tour start since turning 50 in late April.

St. Catharines, Ont., resident Rod Spittle and Victoria B.C., native Jim Rutledge shot matching 70s for shares of 42nd.

The Olympic trophy is in the midst of a historic and timely renaissance. Golf’s return to the Games this summer has ramped up interest in the beautiful sterling silver chalice to an unprecedented, never-before-seen level. For decades it remained cloaked in relative obscurity. No more.

Golf Channel showcased the trophy earlier this year in a segment on Morning Drive. It has made public appearances in support of Olympic golf, including at this year’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla., and last year’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and RBC Canadian Open. Highlighting a busy upcoming schedule it will tentatively be on display during the Open Championship at Royal Troon, be flown back from Scotland for the RBC Canadian Open the following week, then tentatively be in Rio de Janeiro August 5-21 for the men’s and women’s Olympic golf competitions.

Awarded to Toronto’s George S. Lyon in 1904, the Olympic trophy has never shined quite as brilliantly as it has of late. On permanent display at the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum on the grounds of Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., this uptick in attention has put it into the conversation among the game’s grandest trophies.

“During many Canadian Opens that I played at Glen Abbey, I had a chance to see the Olympic individual trophy George Lyon won several times,” said two-time Masters champion and noted golf historian, Ben Crenshaw. “Mr. Lyon was one of the great amateur golfers in Canadian history. I’ve also read he was a very fine player, with his crowning achievement being his Olympic win in that playoff with Chandler Egan in St. Louis in 1904. It’s a shame he didn’t get the chance to defend the trophy with golf cancelled out of the Olympics in 1908.”

Lyon’s fellow countrymen will take up that quest on his behalf. More than a century later Canada’s Olympic golf team heads to Brazil as the defending gold medallists. The trophy is a symbolic reminder of that victory, a feat that ranks right alongside Mike Weir’s victory at the 2003 Masters as one of this country’s greatest golfing achievements.

“There’s kind of an aura about the trophy,” says PGA Tour winner Nick Taylor, one of the players vying for a spot on the Olympic men’s team. “When you’re around it you feel it. It’s pretty special.”

Lorne Rubenstein can relate to Taylor’s viewpoint. The renowned national writer’s first job in golf was as curator of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, Museum & Library during its time in a spacious room on the ground floor of the old Jesuit retreat at Glen Abbey. Now a Hall of Fame member himself, Rubenstein fondly recalls the hours he spent in such close proximity to the iconic piece of golf history.

“The Olympic trophy took pride of place on a stand all its own, in a central part of the museum,” recalls Rubenstein. “I was in the museum every day, and, every day, I would make my way over to this ornate, grand trophy that seemed to stand sentinel over the room, bathed in light pouring in through the leaded windows. It seemed almost mystical to me. The trophy belonged to Canada, to all golfers. I often wondered if we would again see golf in the Olympics, and if golfers from around the world might even again compete for this iconic trophy — so special among all the trophies in the game.”

Made of 26-point sterling silver, the trophy — along with all trophies and medals awarded for golf at the 1904 Games in St. Louis — was commissioned by host course Glen Echo Country Club. Local business J. Bolland Jeweller Co. designed and manufactured the trophy, which features the stately Glen Echo clubhouse on one side.

Fred Lyon, George S. Lyon’s son, donated the trophy along with the clubs his father used in the Olympic Games during his time as a Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) governor back in the late 1950s.

“The RCGA had started to collect memorabilia and artefacts for a potential museum and library in the 1950s,” explains Meggan Gardner, current Canadian Golf Hall of Fame curator. “It was a generous donation of a treasured Lyon family heirloom. It’s certainly our crown jewel.”

And as Rubenstein points out, Canadian golf’s crown jewel is about to go global.

“There was nothing like it. There still is nothing like it,” he says. “In my mind’s eye I still see the trophy in the museum, drawing me in, drawing in all visitors just as it will draw the world’s attention this summer for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.”

Olympic trophy This article was originally published in the May 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

Allen, Texas’ Paul McConnell shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday at Dakota Dunes Golf Links to take the first round lead at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open, the fourth event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 25-year old managed seven birdies, an eagle and a bogey on day one to lead by two over Chilliwack, British Columbia’s Brad Clapp and Sea Island, Georgia’s Bobby Wyatt through one round at Dakota Dunes.

“I focused on one hole at a time and tried to make birdies, and had a lucky eagle on two, which is great. It was just fun and I was having a good time,” said McConnell.

The second year Mackenzie Tour member is coming off a 2015 campaign that saw him retain exempt status by finishing inside the top 60 on the Order of Merit, as well as an off-season where he Monday qualified for two different PGA TOUR events, two accomplishments the University of Texas-Arlington graduate said were more than a coincidence.

“This is a good proving ground to get to the next level, and last year playing the Mackenzie Tour allowed me to play well for the qualifiers on the PGA TOUR and get some good experience,” said McConnell.

Two shots behind McConnell were Wyatt and Clapp, who carded his best career round in his third start at Dakota Dunes.

“I stayed out of trouble for sure and didn’t feel much stress today. I had a couple of tough chips coming in, but I hit a lot of greens and never really got myself out of position,” said Clapp.

Clapp carded seven birdies and one bogey on Thursday for a 6-under 66. Thursday marked the ninth straight round after which a native of British Columbia has been inside the Top-five.

13 players were tied for fourth at 5-under after day one, including a trio of Canadians Elliott Whitley of Hamilton, Ont., Dundas, Ont., product Christopher Ross, and Edmonton’s Wil Bateman.

BETHESDA, Md. – Jon Rahm couldn’t remember a single shot he took in a professional debut to remember. Ernie Els recalled shots he hit on the same course 19 years ago.

Rahm shot a 7-under 64 on Thursday at Congressional to take the first-round lead in the Quicken Loans National, Tiger Woods’ annual tournament that started two hours late because of rain.

The soft course, with a fox lounging on the edge of a bunker and darting around with little care for the golf going on around him, allowed players to attack fairways and play aggressively. Rahm took advantage of that with seven birdies in a bogey-free round.

“I was anticipating this moment,” the 21-year-old Spaniard said. “I’m working on it a long time that I kind of blacked out a little bit. I don’t remember a single swing I made all day or any putting stroke or anything. I just remember the ball flying or rolling.”

The former Arizona State star was the only amateur to make the cut last week in the U.S. Open, tying for 23rd at Oakmont. With momentum from the U.S. Open, Rahm tried to temper his expectations and relied on advice from golf great Jack Nicklaus.

“What he told me is to just never do more than what I can do,” said Rahm, who cited not looking at social media as another key to his success. “Try not to risk too much. And that’s certainly something I did today.”

The long-hitting Rahm had a one-stroke lead over Jhonattan Vegas and a two-stroke advantage over a pack that included Els, who won the 1997 U.S. Open at Congressional. Rickie Fowler and Vijay Singh were among those at 68.

Els, who turned pro five years before Rahm was born, chose to play the Quicken Loans immediately after missing the cut at the U.S. Open because of how much he likes the course. He has the same caddie, Ricci Roberts, who was on his bag back in 1997, and Thursday was full of useful memories.

“Winning a major at a special place like Congressional, playing here again, you just keep thinking back on shots,” Els said. “Almost every single hole there’s a moment back in ’97 where we can remember still.”

The 46-year-old Els is almost four years from his last victory, when he won the 2012 British Open. But he started feeling more like himself during the pro-am Wednesday and showed it by shooting a 66.

“I felt comfortable with my swing this week,” Els said. “I’ve had a very tough year. I haven’t played very well, so I need to start playing well.”

Rahm, on the other hand, has been gradually improving. He opened eyes by tying for fifth at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February 2015 and turned pro as the top-ranked amateur.

Now his challenge is to keep expectations low while leading a tournament. Rahm’s plan was to go see a movie and get away from golf rather than focus on it.

“It is a challenge,” Rahm said. “I’ve been playing a lot of golf lately and maybe trying to get time off golf is just as important as time practicing, so maybe just resting my mind a little bit would be the best way to do it.”

Bill Haas, Jamie Lovemark, Kyle Reifers, Camilo Villegas, Harold Varner III, Billy Hurley IIIand Wesley Bryan were at 66 along with Els.

The 7,569-yard course, which last hosted the U.S. Open in 2011 when Rory McIlroy won it by eight strokes, could play even longer once it dries out by the weekend. After rain that started before dawn, players said the fairways weren’t bouncing, so clean shots could get the job done.

“On this course you had better drive it well in the fairway and it’s a bonus if you can drive it long and straight,” Vegas said. “Put it in the fairway and greens being a little softer than normal, you can play a good round today.”

Abbotsford, B.C., products Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor opened with matching 2-under 69 showings and hold shares of 35th. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., sits T55 at 1-under.

TORONTO – It was a dramatic finish to the Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, on June 23 at Lambton Golf & Country Club. After 54-holes, a champion was yet to be crowned. First and second round leader, Ryan Kings, and Matthew Sim were all tied at two-over and needed a playoff to determine a winner. On the first playoff hole, it was Sim who brought the crowd surrounding the 18th green, to their feet by sinking a nearly 20-foot birdie putt to capture the title.

Heading into the day, Sim, from Oakville and the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club, sat in a tie for fourth at three-over for the championship. The 29-year-old got off to a great start with birdies on the fifth, sixth, and seventh holes and was two-under at the turn. He continued to lower his score on the back nine with three more birdies on 10, 12 and 14 and was four-under for the day, one-under for the tournament, with three holes to go. However, after a bogey on 16, he found the trees on 17 leading to a double bogey. He pared the 18th but was watching the final group to see where he would finish.

The final group included Kitchener’s Kings and Brooklin’s Ashley Chinner, who began the round in first and second place respectively. Kings, a Deer Ridge Golf Club member, started the day with a four-shot lead but gave it back as he finished six-over on the front nine. He would get one back with a birdie on 11, but still found himself tied for the lead at two-over heading to the 18th. On 18, Kings drained a lengthy par putt to force the playoff with Sim. Kings managed to par the playoff hole but there was nothing he could do except watch as Sim sank the winner for the title. Sim finished the tournament at two-over (75-72-71-218), Kings went (69-72-77-218).

After the win, Sim talked about how he felt during the week. “Coming into the week I felt great and things just came together for me. I struggled a bit down the stretch but I held it together. Today my putting was my strong point, I definitely made some key putts.”

The most key putt for Sim came on the playoff hole. He remembers what he was thinking as he stared down the shot for the win. “It was a double breaker over a slope and I thought it was going to straighten out. It got about two feet from the hole and I could see it going right in the middle. I couldn’t believe it when it dropped. It still hasn’t sunk in yet. This win feels fantastic, it is above everything else by a long shot!”

As for Chinner, a member of Coppinwood Golf Club, he too had a chance to join the playoff for the title. However, it all came down to 18 where he settled for a bogey dropping him to a share of the bronze medal. Chinner finished the tournament at three-over (71-74-74-219) and won the Mid-Masters Championship.

He shared the bronze medal with North York’s Charles Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons, from Thornhill Golf & Country Club, began the day in a tie for seventh at four-over. He finished the round at one-under to end the tournament at three-over (73-75-71-219).

Fitzsimmons and Chinner played off for the third Team Ontario spot for the team competition at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, Aug 23 – 26 at Golf Château-Bromont in Bromont, Quebec. Fitzsimmons claimed the spot in the second playoff hole.

Golf Ontario would like to thank Lambton Golf & Country Club along with their staff and volunteers for hosting the event. Thanks also to the Golf Ontario volunteers and to title sponsor Investors Group for their continued support of golf in the province.

For full tournament information, including the final leaderboard, see the tournament site.

DUBLIN – Graeme McDowell rejected the chance to replace Rory McIlroy in the Irish Olympic team on Thursday, becoming the latest high-profile golfer to opt out of the Rio de Janeiro Games.

While McIlroy cited concerns about the Zika virus, McDowell said he decided months ago not to leave the United States in the weeks leading up to the birth of their second child.

Next in line for Irish selection for the first Olympic golf competition since 1904 is three-time major champion Padraig Harrington.

“I will work very hard over the next few weeks to achieve this selection as it would be a huge honour for me to represent Ireland at the Olympic Games, having played an active role in golf’s bid to be re-included in the Olympic Games program,” Harrington said in a statement.

McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion, said his wife Kristin was due to give birth “just a couple of weeks” after the Olympic golf ends on Aug. 20.

The International Golf Federation responded to the latest Olympic setback by saying it recognizes the “unique circumstances for Graeme and his family.”

“While we are disappointed that he is not available for the Olympic Games, we sympathize with his position,” the federation said in a statement.

EDMONTON – Brett Hogan of The Glencoe Golf & Country Club claimed victory at the Scott Venturo Alberta Open Championship at RedTail Landing Golf Club with a tournament total of 10-under 134. After losing the lead to Calgary’s Wes Heffernan early in the round, Hogan chipped-in on the 18th to win by two strokes.

Hogan started his front nine with two bogeys and two birdies to give Heffernan the early lead. Hogan proceeded to make five more birdies on the back nine before finishing with his one-hop chip-in on the final hole. “I knew I had to do something special,” Hogan explained. “I hit it a lot harder than what I wanted to and it one-hopped into the pin. Crazy things happen I guess.” With the win, Hogan has earned an exemption into the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada’s 2016 Syncrude Oil Country Championship.

Wes Heffernan claimed runner-up honours with an 8-under performance. Heffernan’s four consecutive birdies on his first four holes gave him the early lead. “It was pretty flawless for 15 and a half holes, one of the best rounds I’ve ever played in a tournament,” said Heffernan. “To get back into contention at the Alberta Open was awesome.” Heffernan remained positive, adding, “I guess I’ll have to try to win an Alberta Open again.”

Wes Heffernan was awarded $5000 for being the low professional.

The top 16 amateurs from the 2016 Scott Venturo Alberta Open Championship will move on to compete at the Alberta Match Play Championship from June 23-24.

Complete results are available here.

BETHESDA, Md. – Tiger Woods can play soccer with kids and ride a bike but hasn’t progressed far enough in his rehab to set a timeline on when he’ll return to professional golf.

Woods, who hasn’t played on the PGA Tour in 10 months after two back surgeries last year, isn’t yet able to play 36 holes a day and practice how he’d like. Before getting back, he said he’d have to play several days to show his body can handle the workload.

“I need to get to where I can play 18 holes out here and go to the range for an hour and work on my game,” Woods said Wednesday on the eve of the first round of his Quicken Loans National tournament. “That’s what I used to do, that’s one of the reasons why I think I’ve had some success – I was able to work on it during the week. Just not quite there yet.”

The 40-year-old is battling soreness day-to-day when he practices and said he needs to get into golf shape some more. He hasn’t had any setbacks and hasn’t lost distance on his drives, but the strain of playing on consecutive days is still a struggle.

Woods said he has pushed through injury rehabs before and vowed not to do it again. He missed nine months in 2008 and 2009 after surgery to repair the ACL in his left knee.

“Trying to do it correctly this time,” he said. “I’m just playing it week-to-week and I keep getting better, I keep getting physically better. I just hope that everything clicks in and I can do it sooner rather than later.”

Woods hasn’t played since the Wyndham Championship in August. The 14-time major winner said it’s especially tough to miss his own tournament, which he has hosted since 2007.

“I want to be out there,” Woods said. “I feel like I should be able to compete against these guys. I miss playing against these guys. I have to sit on the sidelines just like everybody else. I might get an inside-the-ropes pass, though.”

The Quicken Loans National following the U.S. Open hurt the quality of the field that will tee off Thursday at Congressional Country Club. But Woods appreciates that Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh are among those taking part, along with sixth-ranked Rickie Fowler.

“These guys could be resting and get ready for next week but they’re here playing,” Woods said. “It’s neat to see these guys are veterans and they’ve gone through countless wars with us, they’ve been around for a long time and for them to come out here and play.”

Watching the U.S. Open on Sunday, Woods criticized the USGA for how it handled a rules situation with eventual champion Dustin Johnson. Officials told Johnson at the 12th hole they’d decide after his final round whether to penalize him for his actions on the fifth green, and he had to play the final seven holes not knowing what his score was or how far ahead he was of the rest of the field.

“It was awful because no one knew what was going on,” Woods said. “It wasn’t fair to Dustin, it wasn’t fair to the other players who had a chance. It just wasn’t fair to anyone.”

Asked how he would’ve handled that situation, the three-time U.S. Open champion said: “I’m a little bit feistier than Dustin, so I think I would’ve probably said a few more things during the round.”

Woods would like to get back into competition and won’t rule out playing in any future event. That doesn’t mean he’ll be ready for the British Open next month, only that he’ll continue doing his “mundane” exercises and building up strength.

“I’m just playing it week to week and I keep getting better,” Woods said. “I keep getting physically better. I just hope that everything clicks in and I can do it sooner rather than later.”