DUBLIN, Ohio, June 2 (UPI) -- U.S. golfer Tiger Woods said Wednesday his ailing neck has improved and he's ready to defend his Memorial Tournament title this week.
Speaking during a news conference at Muirfield Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, Woods indicated his neck injury -- which forced him to pull out of The Players Championship last month -- has markedly improved, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported.
"My neck feels pretty good," Woods said. "Still not where I want it to be, but the inflammation has calmed down. I got a range of motion again."
Woods indicated his Muirfield practice session went well.
"I have played a full round," he said. "The other day we played 54 holes. No cart, in shorts and fast."
Four of the top five players in the world are entered at Muirfield Village this week. The field also includes eight of the top 10 players on the PGA Tour money list.
Woods -- a four-time Memorial winner -- joins seven other former winners in this year's field, including three-time winner Kenny Perry.
