Now that Tiger Woods is back on top (with the exception of not winning a major since 2008), he likely won’t be hearing as many questions about the state of his game.

It doesn’t take much to annoy Woods. He admitted this week he didn’t enjoy questions from those pesky reporters asking why he no longer resembled Tiger Woods on the course during last two-plus years.

“I have to deal with it in every single press conference,” he said. “I have to  answer it in post-round interviews—whether it’s with you guys or in a live shot  [on TV]. You do that for a couple of years, sometimes you guys can be a little annoying.”

If anything, Woods used all the negative stories as motivation, according to his good friend Notah Begay. Appearing on the Golf Channel’s Morning Drive, Begay said:

He doesn’t forget what people write. He probably has a list under his pillow that motivates him at night.

Indeed, from what I’ve heard, few players are more possessed about what’s written about them than Woods.

As for those pesky questions about his game, they won’t go away entirely. The British Open is in a couple of weeks. He’s going to hear plenty of questions along the lines of, “Tiger, why can’t you win in majors anymore?”

******

I’m still amazed that the leaders of the PGA and LPGA Tour aren’t doing more to curb slow play. The snail’s pace is making the sport absolutely dreadful to watch on TV.

The slow-play problem came up Wednesday during a Golf Channel State of the Game show prior to the U.S. Women’s Open. Host Rich Lerner asked Annika Sorenstam why it is an important issue? Sorenstam said:

I think for a lot of reasons.  You watch golf on TV, and it’s very slow.  It’s not moving.  I know that a lot of golfers are leaving the game because it takes too long to play.  I think as a professional we need to be role models and we need to show them you can play, and I think it’s hurting the game, I really do.

NBC’s Dottie Pepper, who also appeared on the telecast, is in favor of stroke penalties being assessed for slow play. She said:

In my mind it’s the thing that hurts most.  It’s the one thing that really gets you, it’s not in your pocket, it’s on your scorecard.

All I can say is that something needs to be done about slow play. And fast.