Gearing up for the Ryder Cup

I'm excited about going over to Wales and competing

By Tiger Woods

I leave for the Ryder Cup on Sunday night and am really looking forward to getting to Wales. I'm excited about going over there and competing and playing with whomever my captain puts me out there with. I've never missed a match, but we'll see what happens. I just want to get over there and see the golf course and be ready come Friday.

Can we learn the course in a few days? Absolutely. We do that every week. That's our job.

Contrary to what some people might think, I don't feel extra pressure or incentive as a captain's pick to perform. The goal is to win every match you're put out there so you can help the team retain the Cup.

I'm not sure who I will play with; it keeps changing. I just have to take care of my own business and be ready to play.

I've worked with Sean Foley a few times since the BMW Championship, and I'll work with him again this weekend. I get more comfortable with each passing session. More than anything, I can understand what the fix is going to be after a poor shot. That's the biggest thing. I can get it to where I'm hitting it good, but also when I hit it poorly, how do I fix it right away. That's part of learning a new system, just like it was with Butch Harmon and Hank Haney.

To be honest, I'm picking up Sean's swing changes faster than I thought I would, but I still have a long way to go. I'm definitely hitting the ball farther than I ever have, just because the transfer of energy is more efficient. We're just going to keep working.

Sometimes he has me hit shots barefoot, just to work my balance. I've done that before. The only difference is I used to practice barefoot to work on my sock tan line. Now, it's for a different reason.

As far as this year, I'm excited about the future going forward. I'm really excited about the prospects of the tournaments coming up in China, Australia and the Chevron World Challenge in Southern California. Hopefully, I can put myself in contention to win. We've got a wonderful field for Chevron -- a lot of the top players are competing -- and it'll be a great week that raises money for kids.

I want to congratulate my friend Arjun Atwal for winning the Wyndham Championship. He's worked awfully hard to get his game back and battled through shoulder and knee problems. I'm proud of him.

I also want to congratulate David Chung of Stanford for reaching the finals of the U.S. Amateur. I watched the whole match. I thought he played good but made a couple mistakes here and there, but David and Peter Uihlein both did. It doesn't take much, especially at Chambers Bay.

I've gotten some grief for wearing white belts on the golf course. It's just a sign of the times. The first time I wore one was on Saturday at the U.S. Open, and I played pretty well.

People keep asking me how I'm doing, and I have to say it's night and day from how I started the season at the Masters. There's no comparison. My family and I have gone through some pretty tough times. I've said it many times, but I really mean it: The fans have been great. Thanks for your support.

Take care, and I'll talk to you after the Ryder Cup.