Tiger Woods reports he’s now back to ‘chipping and putting’

Tiger Woods continued making the “not dead yet” rounds on Wednesday when he said on his website that his health was improving and he was practicing his short game in the friendly confines of his Jupiter, Fla., estate.

“As I announced last week, I am starting to feel a lot better,” said Woods, who was all over social media and the real world during last week’s Honda Classic. “I have been chipping and putting at home, and recently started hitting 9 irons. That’s been so nice.”

Woods, who last week posted a video of himself tepidly hitting a golf ball into a simulator, noted that competing in three-hole chipping contests with son Charlie (“loser has to do push-ups”) had helped him get to the point where his short game “feels pretty sharp.”

“The big thing right now is trying to get stronger and more flexible,” he said. “Sitting out as long as I did, some weakening occurred, and I have a lot of work ahead of me.”

Woods, who said several of his PGA Tour colleagues had phoned and texted “their support and encouragement,” provided no inkling about when he would be back on the circuit.

“While there is no timetable on my return to competitive golf, I want to play this game at the highest level again. In order to do that, I have to get healthy,” said Tiger.

Woods planned to meet the press later Wednesday to plug his 10-hole short course, The Playgrounds, at Bluejack National. Golf Channel promised to preempt its regularly scheduled coverage of WGC-Cadillac Championship news conferences to air Woods’ presser.

We’re sure Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, et al, won’t mind, because, as Woods noted about the backing he had received from the guys, “We’re all in this together.”