Tiger Woods wasn’t as rested as he would have liked upon arriving at Royal Troon this week for the British Open.
Instead of relaxing and getting some sleep on his Saturday night flight from Florida to Scotland, Woods was wide awake watching TV coverage of the shooting of former President Donald Trump.
“I didn’t accomplish a lot because I wasn’t in the right frame of mind,” Woods told BBC Sport on Tuesday. “It was a long night and that’s all we watched the entire time on the way over here.”
The 15-time major champion and the 45th President of the United States share a passion for the game of golf. And Trump awarded Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019.
One person was killed, while Trump and two other people were wounded when shots were fired Saturday night during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Authorities shot and killed the would-be assassin, later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
“I didn’t sleep at all on the flight, and then we just got on the golf course” when the plane touched down on Sunday, Woods said.
A three-time British Open champion, Woods said his physical condition has continued to improve, and he feels like he has chance to win this week or he wouldn’t be playing. However, he hasn’t made the cut at any tournament since finishing last at the Masters in April.
In two previous British Open appearances at Troon, Woods finished tied for 24th in 1997 and tied for ninth in 2004. He did not play the last time the Open was held at Troon in 2016 due to injury.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tiger Woods says Donald Trump shooting impacted his British Open prep
