Tiger Woods

Dubai: Having played with top three Indian golfers, world No. 1 Tiger Woods is impressed that the sport has made dramatic progress in the country.

Woods has a fairly solid friendship with Arjun Atwal, who plays on the US PGA Tour. They are both members of the same golf club in Orlando.

The American had some words of praise for ace Indian Jeev Milkha Singh, with whom he played the first two rounds of the HSBC Championship in Shanghai last season.

At the same event, Jyoti Randhawa led for a brief period and played the third round with Woods.

Before he met Atwal, Woods knew little about Indian golf. He struck a decent relationship with Atwal and got to hear about some names who are making a mark at the top level.

But Jeev’s back-to-back wins in Japan last season arrested everyone’s attention, including that of Woods, who wished the Indian success and hoped to see him on the US Tour.

About his impression of Indian golf, Woods said, “I think it has progressed dramatically. It was nice to see how well they have played and the quality of their game. I think it’s fantastic that they are playing so well at the same time. It augurs well for Indian golf.”

Asked about his start to the season with a win at San Diego, Woods said he was quite happy with the way he had begun.

Asked whether he had an eye on Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors, Woods said: “His is the benchmark. Winning 18 is something that hopefully if you’re lucky enough, or over a lifetime in your career to have played, that you can come close, tie, or even surpass.

Away from golf, Woods lent support to David Beckham’s quest for super-stardom in the US.

The golfing icon felt that the former England captain knows what he is doing in moving from Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid to the footballing backwaters of the LA Galaxy.

“I think in Los Angeles, we’ve lost basically two football teams, the Rams and the Raiders moved out,” he said.

“Now we’re looking for something else and I think with David Beckham’s star power there, I think it will bring another notch and another thing for all of us in Southern California to come out and watch and observe.”

Woods though made it known that star-quality or not, he would not be changing his schedule to follow Beckham’s progress. (AGENCIES)