“I was in rough shape,” Woods said of his tough week at Bethpage Black, although he fought shy of specifics as to whether it was his balky back, or perhaps a cold.

“All of the above,” said Woods, who had electrified the golf world in April with his triumph at the Masters.

His 15th major title came 11 years after his 14th — in the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines — and after multiple back surgeries capped by spinal fusion threatened to end his career.

The 43-year-old acknowledged that his physical capabilities are far from what they were when he claimed his first US Open title at Pebble Beach in 2000 — when he marched to an astonishing 12-under par total and a breathtaking 15-shot victory that still stands as a major championship record.

“Yeah, it’s not the same body that I had back in 2000,” Woods said. “I don’t think any of us have the same body we had 19 years ago.

“Athletically, that’s one of the challenges. How do you compete against kids that were, for me, born in the 2000s? They were born after I won this damn tournament.”

Nevertheless, Woods said his approach to playing the scenic course nestled along the California coast hasn’t changed all that much.

“The golf ball is going further than it did back in 2000,” he said. “I’m slower than I was in 2000. I am about the same distance. And so the golf course really doesn’t play that much differently for me.

“It’s just a matter of putting the ball in the right spots.”

Woods said that was the key to his 2000 triumph.

“I did not hit every green. I did not hit every fairway, but I always had the proper angle,” Woods said of that “very special week.”

“It’s been 19 years. I still remember most of the shots I hit that week.I don’t know how I pulled it off, but on seaside poa annua (greens), I never missed a putt inside 10 feet for a week.”

Woods, however, declined to be drawn on whether that means he sees this week’s tournament at Pebble Beach as a chance to close in further on Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major titles — or whether that’s a target for him still.

“What’s important to me is that I’m back playing again,” Woods said. “This game was taken away from me for a few years there. And I miss competing, I miss playing. Now I have an opportunity to do that again.”

Alex Morgan (2R) and United States’ forward Megan Rapinoe (R) celebrate a goal. 

Ten of their goals came in the second half as the USA set a new mark for the biggest winning margin in a women’s World Cup match, bettering Germany’s 11-0 defeat of Argentina in 2007.

Rose Lavelle and Samantha Mewis netted twice each while Lindsey Horan, skipper Megan Rapinoe and substitutes Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also found the net for the USA in an embarrassingly one-sided Group F encounter watched by a crowd of more than 18,000 at the Stade Auguste-Delaune.

The result also far outstrips the USA’s own record result in a World Cup match, which had been their 7-0 defeat of Taiwan in the quarter-finals of the first tournament in 1991.

“We have to look at the group stage as every goal counts and it was important for us to continue to go,” said Morgan.

She was the star of the show, with her five goals in one game equalling the record for a player in a World Cup match set by her compatriot Michelle Akers, and taking her to 106 in total for her country on her 164th appearance.

Morgan and her coach, Jill Ellis, dismissed suggestions that the manner of the victory was in any way disrespectful towards Thailand or embarrassing for the game.

“This is a world championship so every team that is here has been fantastic to get to this point. To be respectful to opponents is to play hard against opponents,” said Ellis.

“A lot of this is about building momentum, so I don’t find it my job to go and rein them in.

“I respect Thailand, I celebrate that they are here, I spoke to some of them afterwards and just said keep your heads up. This is part of the growth of the game.”

Morgan had an effort disallowed for offside inside five minutes but quickly made up for that by nodding in a Kelley O’Hara cross, before Thai goalkeeper Sukanya Chor Charoenying — standing at just 1.65m tall — allowed Lavelle’s shot to beat her at the near post.

Horan smashed in the third in the 32nd minute, but the floodgates really opened in the second half as Ellis’s side scored four times in six minutes shortly after the restart.

Mewis bagged two either side of Morgan getting her second from close range, before Mewis squared for Lavelle to make it seven.

Only after that did the legendary Lloyd, scorer of a hat-trick in the 2015 final and now 36, come on.

There was a lull and it looked as if Thailand might avoid claiming an unwanted record, but the holders scored six more in the closing stages.

Morgan got three more to equal the record of Akers set in that game against Taiwan in 1991, while Rapinoe, Pugh and Lloyd joined in too as spectators struggled to keep up with the scoring.

The USA, who are aiming to win the trophy for the fourth time overall, now go to Paris where on Sunday they will face Chile, who lost 2-0 to Sweden earlier on Tuesday.

Thailand’s Arm-Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who is currently ranked 46th in the world, is expected to fly the Asian flag alongside fellow Asian Tour members that include India’s Anirban Lahiri, South Africa’s Justin Harding, Australia’s Marcus Fraser and the Japanese duo of Kodai Ichihara and Mikumu Horikawa at the year’s third Major.

Kiradech, the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, is making his third appearance at the U.S. Open and his tied-15th finish at Shinnecock Hills last year remains his best result at a Major so far.

As the first Thai golfer to earn a PGA TOUR card for the 2018/19 PGA TOUR season, Kiradech has already notched two top-five results so far and is optimistic of rediscovering his best form.

“It has been a huge learning curve for me, and I feel I can do even better. I’m trying to get my best form back by practicing hard and playing well. Hopefully that next big break will come along,” said Kiradech.

Like Kiradech, Lahiri is also an Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, having won the prestigious title in 2015.

The Indian punched his ticket to his third U.S. Open appearance through the sectional qualifying in Columbus, Ohio last week.

Lahiri missed the cut in his previous two appearances at the U.S. Open in 2015 and 2016 and is determined to make his mark at the only Major where he has yet to make the halfway cut.

“It doesn’t feel good to watch majors from home so definitely a new perspective heading to the U.S. Open. Safe to say, I’m hungry to play well in the big events. I’m looking forward to heading to Pebble Beach,” said Lahiri.

Harding, a two-time Asian Tour winner, will be hoping to show the same consistency that led him to a notable tied-12th finish at the Masters Tournament in April.

The South African, who first created an impression during this rookie year on the Asian Tour when he won back-to-back titles in Indonesia and Thailand last year, could spring yet another surprise in his debut at the U.S. Open.

“I’ve shown more consistency in my game and I’ve become a little better mentally. I’m no longer really going through the highs and lows and emotional roller coaster, so to speak.

“But that also comes in not really playing the aggressive mindset game that I had in the past. I’m just trying to get a little bit smarter on the golf course and making less mistakes,” said Harding.

Fraser will meanwhile be making his fourth appearance at the U.S. Open, having teed up in 2007, 2013 and 2015 while Ichihara and Horikawa were rewarded with their debuts after earning their places at the sectional qualifying on home soil.

Chinese Taipei’s T.C. Chen’s tied-second finish in 1985 remains as the best result for an Asian player at the U.S. Open.

50% of the prize money earned by Asian Tour members at the U.S. Open will be counted towards the Order of Merit.

A total of 126 players, top 70 from the LET, the top 40 in the Thai LPGA and 16 from sponsor invites, will compete in a 72-hole strokeplay format with the top 60 players qualifying for the weekend rounds.

Parinda and Chonlada are already established LPGA players, while Arpichaya is a teen sensation who hopes to use the home event to raise her international profile.

Chonlada, the current leader on the Thai LPGA Order of Merit, is among local players to have made an impression in the LET-Thai Ladies Professional Golf Tour co-sanctioned event as well as posting four top-10 finishes on the Thai LPGA tour.

“It’s probably one of the biggest tournaments for me as there are many good players,” said the 24-year-old from Nakohn Ratchasima, who finished third 12 months ago, five strokes behind the winner, Kanyalak Preedasuttijit.

“My goal is to achieve a better result than the last year but I’m trying to gain my confidence back as I’m adjusting my swing and cannot control the ball well. I hope to regain my confidence in time before the tournament.”

2017 Thai LPGA No 1 Parinda is poised for another impressive run after finishing tied for fourth four years ago.

“When it comes to a home tournament, you always wish to do well. I’ve done well on this course in the past and I hope to do even better this year,” said Parinda, winner of the Taiwan LPGA Sampo Ladies Open in April.

Last year’s Thai LPGA No 1 Arpichaya, 17, who posted a record of five straight Thai LPGA wins last year said: “I’m confident that I will do better than last year as I have been practising well for a month. I’m focusing on my game plan, which includes careful play on the greens. I cannot let myself under pressure in easy shots and must concentrate well before I hit the ball.”

The Football Association of Thailand says the 51-year-old Brazilian submitted his resignation on Tuesday morning, two days after his team lost to Singapore in the Merion Cup final.

Despite leading Buriram United to two Thai League titles, in 2014 and 2015, Gama was never able to repeat his success with the national side.

They suffered heartbreaking losses to Indonesia 2-1 in February’s AFF U22 final and 4-0 to Vietnam in a qualifying game for the under-23 Asian Cup a month later.

Gama has supervised the team for seven months only. According to local media, the Brazillian is expected to work for a Thai League Club.

Meanwhile, Thai FA has yet to reveal the name of a new U23 coach. Rumour has it that a few former national players are strong cadidates to take the job.

Once again, Citi is inviting everyone to collectively drive a golf ball 44 million yards – the length it takes to circle the globe – either in-person or virtually. This time, the Citi 44 Million Yard Challenge is aimed at supporting the launch of a First Tee chapter, to be managed by the PGA of Australia, at the 2019 Presidents Cup.

Ed Skyler, Global Head of Public Affairs at Citi said, “We are proud to again partner with the Presidents Cup and support the return of the Citi 44 Million Yard Challenge and the expansion of First Tee into Australia. We see golf as a platform that allows us to give back, and by supporting First Tee, we hope to provide opportunities to enrich the lives of young people around the world. The challenge also helps unite people around the world in pursuit of a common goal, reminding us in the process that the circumference of the globe is a mere 44 million yards!”

The Citi 44 Million Yard Challenge will feature a web-based game, a simulator, and a mobile game, allowing fans from all over the world to play and enjoy an interactive experience, while driving toward the opportunity to expand First Tee programs in Australia. The simulator will be placed in popular locations throughout Australia, and other select locations, to build excitement and increase awareness for the 2019 Presidents Cup, which will return to The Royal Melbourne Golf Club for a third time from 9-15 December, 2019. The full list of Simulator locations is still being determined but fans in Melbourne got a preview this past weekend, at popular Federation Square. The first location in the United States debuts today at Brookfield Place New York.

The Citi 44 Million Yard Challenge will drive toward a launch of First Tee programs in Australia later this year. Each year, First Tee (www.thefirsttee.org) provides education programs to young people throughout the United States on golf courses, in schools and at other youth-focused locations. The launch of a First Tee chapter in Australia will mark the organization’s sixth international location, including Canada, Japan, Korea, Morocco and Mexico. First Tee positively impacts the lives of young people through the game of golf by providing education programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values.

“Citi has been an engaged and valued Global Partner of the Presidents Cup. The Citi 44 Million Yard Challenge is a fantastic extension of the core values of giving back that makes The Presidents Cup special. We are excited to bring it to life as the buzz and momentum continues to build toward what we believe will be the best Presidents Cup yet at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club this December,” said Matt Kamienski, Executive Director of the Presidents Cup.

After winning his first PGA TOUR event in New Orleans in 2017, Australian Cameron Smith made a significant donation to a local First Tee Chapter in Florida. Along with the donation he wrote a note that read, “I remember being your age, hitting balls, dreaming of being on the world’s biggest stage and practicing making putts to win PGA TOUR tournaments… Without the nine core values, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Using these values each day, I strive to be a great person before a great golfer.”

Smith also recognized Citi for their efforts. “It’s great that Citi is not only launching this initiative to help bring awareness to the Presidents Cup, but First Tee will have a lasting legacy on the youth in Australia, not just as golfers, but to build overall life lessons and opportunities outside of the game.”

“We’re grateful to Presidents Cup, Citi and PGA of Australia for collaborating around the idea of bringing First Tee programs to young people in Australia as a part of 2019 Presidents Cup,” said First Tee President Greg McLaughlin. “While our programs have been in place in the U.S. for more than 22 years, I am pleased we are able to look for ways to strategically expand through relationships like this.”

The Citi 44 Million Yard Challenge mobile game will allow participants to take shots on the 18^th Hole at Liberty National Golf Club (host of the 2017 Presidents Cup) and the 18^th Hole at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club (host of the 2019 Presidents Cup). The online game can be accessed globally by users who go to www.PresidentsCup.com/Citiand Presidents Cup social channels. The game will be available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.

Fans in select countries who play the Citi 44 Million Yard Challenge will be entered into a once-in-a-lifetime sweepstakes, with one (1) grand prize winner and one (1) first prize winner.

Grand Prize: Trip for two (2) to the 2019 Presidents Cup, which includes the following:

• Round trip airfare (economy)
• Five (5) nights’ accommodation (Crowne Plaza)
• Four (4) days return transfers to The Royal Melbourne Golf Club
• Four (4) days Captains’ Club tickets to the Presidents Cup (Thursday – Sunday)
• Presidents Cup spectator function, Thursday evening at Official Hotel Crown
• Presidents Cup souvenir merchandise

First Prize: A framed 2019 Presidents Cup pin flag signed by Tiger Woods and Ernie Els

Grand Prize entries must be received by 11:59 pm USA ET on August 22, 2019

First prizes – December 15, 2019 by 11:59 pm AUS local time

In Paris, Argentina restricted Japan, finalists in the last two World Cups, to three dangerous chances without creating a clear scoring opportunity of their own as the game ended in the first goalless draw of the competition and only the seventh in the competition’s history.

The result leaves both teams on one point in Group D, behind England who beat Scotland on Sunday.

When the whistle blew at Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes stadium Argentina’s substitutes jumped off the bench to join the players on the pitch at finally getting a World Cup point at the seventh attempt.

“This point is really important for us. I think we’re able to reflect upon what Argentina is and what it means as a team,” said Estefania Banini, Argentina’s captain who was voted player of the match.

“We weren’t good enough to break down Argentina’s defence today,”  said Asako Takakura, the Japan coach.

Argentina came out to defend in depth and the approach worked.

“Basically we couldn’t play any other way against this team,” said Carlos Borrello, the Argentina manager.

“It was satisfying to gain a point in this World Cup.”

Banini, short, left-footed and wearing number 10, has inevitably been dubbed the female Lionel Messi, but in build and manner she more closely resembles another left-footed Argentine 10, Diego Maradona.

She was tenacious both with and without the ball and both first-half yellow cards were for rough Japanese challenges on the Argentine captain.

Japan played with more urgency in the second half, pushing Argentina back.

“We don’t set out to be defensive against any team,” said Takakura. “Of course we have to keep a very solid defence but we don’t want to play defensive football. It wasn’t in our mindset at all. But the players were cautious today.

“In the second half, they realised they had to be more offensive – so their tempo was faster and they attempted more shots at goal.”

After 50 minutes, Kumi Yokoyama’s drive from 35 metres drew a sprawling save from Vanina Correa. The ball ran to Yuki Sugasawa who blasted over from close range.

Since the group stage only eliminates eight of the 24 teams, the draw leaves Japan and Argentina needing one victory in their next two games. Both will need to find a way to score.

– ‘More points’ –

“We’ve still got two teams to face and they’re going to be really competitive,” said Banini. “We have to play really intelligent, compact football and become a really compact team and I think that we can progress.

“We believe that we can continue fighting and we can get more points and not go home with just one.”

In the late match in Montpellier, Cameroon, playing their second World Cup, also set out to defend in the Group E opener.

Canada struggled with their shooting and only broke through from a set piece just before half time.

Defender Kadeisha Buchanan arrived late to meet a corner at the far post and bounced a header past Annette Ngo Ndom in the Cameroon goal. It was Buchanan’s fourth international goal. Three have been from headers.

Canada’s veteran striker Christine Sinclair, who needs four more goals to overtake retired American Abby Wambach as the top scorer in women’s international football, had a particularly difficult night in front of goal.

The other two teams in the group, Netherlands and New Zealand, meet in Le Havre on Tuesday.

Three-time European champions Spain ran out 3-0 winners in their Group F encounter with the Swedes at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, recovering from the early frustration of seeing a Rodrigo Moreno effort wrongly disallowed for offside.

They won a penalty just after the hour when Sebastian Larsson blocked a Marco Asensio cross with his arm, and captain Ramos converted the spot-kick. It was the Real Madrid defender’s 20th goal for his country, his seventh in his last eight matches.

Morata, who had come on as a second-half subtitute, won another penalty late on when he was brought down in the box by Filip Helander, and he duly netted from 12 yards too.

Real Sociedad striker Mikel Oyarzabal, also on from the bench, wrapped up the win with three minutes left.

The result means Luis Enrique’s side have the maximum 12 points from four matches and are five points ahead of Sweden and Romania at the top of the six-team section. The top two teams in each group qualify for the finals.

“These matches are more difficult than the result makes them look,” Morata told Spanish media. “We played well, defended well and we are very happy.”

Romania, who host Spain next in September, eased to a 4-0 win in Malta. Norway, whose only appearance at the Euros so far came in 2000, got their first win of the campaign as they beat the Faroe Islands 2-0 away thanks to a brace from US-born forward Bjorn Johnsen.

– Irish five clear –

Ireland are top of Group D with 10 points from four games after again doing the minimum to get the better of minnows Gibraltar.

Mick McCarthy’s team won 1-0 on the rock in March and won 2-0 against the same opponents this time.

They went ahead in Dublin when David McGoldrick’s wayward shot went in thanks to a wicked deflection off Joseph Chipolina. Robbie Brady then wrapped up the victory at the death.

“If the remit for me was to get 10 points, which I’m sure it was, that job’s done,” McCarthy told Sky Sports.

Ireland are five points ahead of Denmark, with whom they drew in Copenhagen at the weekend.

However, the Danes have a game in hand and romped to a 5-1 win over Georgia on Monday, with Kasper Dolberg of Ajax scoring twice. Tottenham Hotspur star Christian Eriksen scored a penalty, while Yussuf Poulsen and Martin Braithwaite also netted.

Poland have maximum points after four games in Group G, with hotshots Krzysztof Piatek and Robert Lewandowski both on target in a 4-0 defeat of Israel in Warsaw.

Austria boosted their chances of qualifying as West Ham United’s Marko Arnautovic bagged a brace in a 4-1 victory in North Macedonia, while Slovenia romped to a 5-0 win in Latvia.

– First win for Kosovo –

The Czech Republic joined England on six points at the top of Group A thanks to a 3-0 defeat of Montenegro, although they have now played a game more than Gareth Southgate’s side.

In the same group, Kosovo registered their first win in qualifying for a Euro or a World Cup, coming from behind to beat Bulgaria 3-2 in Sofia thanks to Elbasan Rashani’s injury-time strike.

Ukraine are six points clear at the top of Group B after beating Luxembourg 1-0, while Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice and new Real Madrid signing Luka Jovic got one goal as Serbia defeated Lithuania 4-1.

Newly crowned UEFA Nations League winners, and reigning European champions, Portugal will resume their qualifying campaign in Serbia in September sitting eight points behind Ukraine.

– Brooks Koepka –

Koepka, ranked number one in the world, is chasing history at Pebble Beach, trying to become just the second player to win three straight editions of the US Open.

He has little track record at Pebble Beach, playing the US PGA Tour’s National Pro-am only once, in 2016.

But the big-hitting American thrives on golf’s grandest stages — a fact he proved again with a PGA Championship crown at Bethpage Black in May.

– Tiger Woods –

Woods, who has risen to fifth in the world and added a 15th major title to his resume with his victory at the Masters, returns to the scene of his 2000 US Open victory that epitomized his one-time dominance of the US PGA Tour.

Woods marched to a 12-under par total and a record-setting 15-stroke victory to earn the first of three US Open titles.

But he hasn’t finished in the top 20 in the championship since 2010. After his Masters triumph, Woods was unimpressive in missing the cut in the PGA at Bethpage but gained momentum for the year’s third major with a strong weekend showing at the Memorial, his final tuneup for the Open.

– Rory McIlroy –

Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, ranked third in the world, arrives at Pebble Beach off a convincing victory in the US PGA Tour’s Canadian Open, where his final-round 61 on Sunday gave him a seven-shot win.

McIlroy, the 2011 US Open champion, has had a runner-up finish in Mexico City and a tie for fourth at Riviera also this year. But if he wants to add to his four major titles he’ll need to avoid the kind of slow starts that proved too much to overcome at the Masters and the PGA Championship.

– Dustin Johnson –

Johnson grabbed an elite WGC title in Mexico this season and charged to second-place finishes at the Masters and the PGA Championship — where he completed the career runner-up grand slam.

Now the second-ranked player in the world would like nothing better than to added a second major title to the US Open he claimed at Oakmont in 2016.

He’s a proven winner at Pebble Beach, where he won the tour’s National Pro-am in 2009 and 2010. But he may also feel he has some unfinished business on the Monterey Peninsula: Johnson held the 54-hole lead in the 2010 US Open at Pebble but closed with an 82 to finished tied for eighth behind winner Graeme McDowell.

– Patrick Cantlay –

The world number eight is a California native who grew up putting on Poa annua greens like those at Pebble. He captured his second US PGA Tour title at the Memorial, erasing a four-shot deficit to beat major-winner Adam Scott by two-strokes in the star-studded tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus.

Cantlay’s bogey-free closing effort ws the best final round by a winner in the history of the Memorial, and put the former US collegiate star in the winner’s circle after seven top-10 finishes this season — including a tie for third at the PGA Championship.