Woods Addresses Knee, Caddie at Sherwood

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Looking lean and fit, Tiger Woods talked about his knee, his game and his caddie, Steve Williams, during a news conference Wednesday at Sherwood Country Club, where he is hosting the Chevron World Challenge. Woods, who'll turn 33 on Dec. 30, is still recuperating from knee surgery and will not defend his title this week.

"I've just been training and trying to get back," said Woods.

Woods has been chipping and putting for about a month, and recently began hitting full shots with his short irons. But, he is following doctors' orders and won't start playing until early next year. His sense of humor is in mid-season form.

"Obviously, I haven't progressed very far in the bag," he said. "The ball's not going very far, so I know how you guys feel."

Woods has no timetable for his return to the PGA Tour but would like to play in a couple tournaments before the Masters in April.

"That's the frustrating thing, the uncertainty," said Woods. "All of this is an unknown. I want to look forward to something. I just have to take it day to day."

For Woods, the good news is that his left knee feels stronger and more stable than it has for a decade.

"I did a lot of things to compensate for that leg," he said. "The fact that I made it this far is amazing."

Woods said he has spoken to caddie Steve Williams about critical comments he made last week about Phil Mickelson.

"What ended up happening is I communicated with Phil, and we have discussed it," said Woods. "I talked to Stevie about it, and he feels bad, what happened. It's something that none of us really wanted to have happen, but it's over and done with and we put it to bed."

Woods said Williams will continue to caddie for him in 2009.

--Mark Soltau