Golf: Woods making a splash in Atlanta

Tiger Woods was part of a star-studded group who put no fewer than eight balls in a lake on one hole in practice for the USPGA Championship.

The hole was the 18th at the Atlanta Athletic Club, which on Thursday will become the longest closing par four ever used in a major tournament.

Woods and his playing partners Adam Scott, Mark O'Meara and Notah Begay could afford to smile about the splashing time they were having.

But it was certainly an indication that it is a brute of a hole - and perhaps a sign too that Woods, winner of the PGA for the last two years, is not yet back to the top of his game.

Apart from his exhibition match with Open champion David Duval, Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb, the world number one has not played since finishing 25th at Lytham - his worst finish in a major for nearly four years.

Not that Woods' life has been totally uneventful since then. On a fishing trip to Alaska with O'Meara and fellow US Tour player John Cook they were chased by a nine-foot brown bear.

"Mark had just landed a big salmon and then yelled when he saw the bear, which must have smelt the fish. Everybody got into the boat in a hurry. We're alright - we're still here."

Woods had recovered from his ordeal today though, and from a nasty incident earlier when he was hit in the face by an autograph hunter's pen. He wasn't too fazed by his exploits on the 18th either.

After good tee shots by all four, Begay and O'Meara twice failed to get over the lake in front of the green and then 20-year-old Australian Scott, with a two-iron, and Woods, with a three-iron, did the same.

"My two went right, but both of them landed about pin-high," commented Woods.

"If I'd have hit them on line it would have been all right."

The course for the final major of the season measures 7,213 yards and is a par 70 - and there has already been rain, with thunderstorms predicted for later in the week.

"Most of our tee shots are picking up mud and backing up in the fairway (going backwards on landing). It's going to be a pretty tough test if we get more rain, but there are no tricks to it," Woods said.

"The object of this game is to drive the ball straight and in play. But don't narrow it down like Carnoustie (1999 Open) where the fairways were 10 yards across in some areas, and I didn't think it was right at Lytham to put in a bunker on the 15th so that we all had to hit three-wood.

"I think the person who did that wanted obviously to penalise the longer hitters. To penalise by growing the rough in is fine, but don't add a hazard like that."

Woods' successor as US Open champion, South African Retief Goosen, said of the 18th: "The green is really designed for short irons.

"They've set this course up perfectly for Tiger. He's smiling. All the trouble is about 280 yards and he flies it about 310."