Newsletter

By Tiger Woods

I'm looking forward to competing again at the Memorial Tournament. I've been work-ing hard on my game since The Players Championship, although we've had a lot of rain recently in the Orlando area. It rained 6 inches one day at Isleworth Country Club.

In six starts this year, I've won once and had five Top 10 finishes, which isn't too bad considering how long I was away from the game after my knee surgery. It's just frustrating when you're in position to win and don't get it done. I just need more repetitions.

I recently hosted Tiger Jam XII presented by AT&T in Las Vegas. No Doubt kicked off their first tour in five years - it was an incredible concert, and we were able to raise more than $1 million for my Foundation. I'm very grateful to the donors, sponsors and fans who helped us. Special thanks to Ben Roethlisberger for lending his support as well. I made a purchase during the silent auction: a one-of-a-kind guitar autographed by Bruce Springsteen. I'm a huge fan and saw him play in Australia. I also got to spend some time with three students from our programs - Alma, David and Ramses. They were phenomenal and their stories really helped the crowd get into the spirit of the night.

On a more somber note, Elin and I were saddened to hear that Amy Mickelson has breast cancer. She's such a great person and it's a shame she and her family have to deal with this. Hopefully, the prognosis is good and she can make a fast and full recovery. This is a tough time for the Mickelson family and we're all thinking about them.

I was also sorry to hear about the death of former ABC fairway reporter Bob Rosburg. Like me, he attended Stanford University and won a PGA Championship. I just remember him always saying you had no shot. Rossie was very good at his job and in tune with all the players.

On a happier note, it was awe-some to hear that Jose Maria Olazabal has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. I always enjoy playing with Ollie because I learn so much from how he chips and manages his game. He has a phenomenal understanding of how clubs work around the greens.

In July, I'll be hosting the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club. We have a great field, headed by defending champ Anthony Kim. Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Danny Lee, Sean O'Hair and Nick Watney have also committed, making this year's field pretty strong. The course is in fantastic shape as well, so I'm really looking forward to playing against those guys and hopefully posting a W.

I recently had a chance to meet with Presi-dent Obama in the White House. I would love to be able to play golf with him and just talk. Maybe one day we can do that. He's got a lot on his
plate, but is a very down-to-earth person, especially for someone who is the leader of the free world.

I got a tour of the White House. What I especially enjoyed was learning about its history and details about all the different rooms. It was pretty neat stepping back in time. I also enjoyed talking with the Secret Service agents.

The U.S. Open will be here soon. I'm definitely going to try to go to Bethpage to play and take a look at the course. They've made a few changes since I won there in 2002 and I want to check them out.

I'm really torn about the NBA finals. I grew up a die-hard Los Ange-les Lakers fan, but have season tickets to Orlando Magic games. Hopefully, it will be a great series.

Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you soon.

Tiger