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STRUGGLING Tiger Woods has gone back to basics for the US PGA Championship. Every amateur golfer has been told at times to keep their head fairly still. It's not something the greatest player of his generation would generally need to be reminded of.

But that's what Woods has focused on over the past few days as he prepares for the year's final major at Whistling Straits, starting early tomorrow [Melbourne time].Woods had to try something after his woeful performance last week in Ohio, where he finished second last at 18 over par in the World Golf Championships.

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Tiger Woods talks to the golf coach Sean Foley during a practice round for the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. Photograph: Charlie Neibergall/AP One minute he is on the fairway, the next he is in the trees. One day he is looking after his own golf swing, the next day he is auditioning swing coaches. One week he is missing the Ryder Cup, the next he wants to play in it.

In an uncertain world these days the only certainty is that Tiger Woods is uncertain about virtually everything, although the world No1 did take the opportunity today to shine a little light on the life of the organisers at Celtic Manor by stating his intention to make the trip to Wales.

"Yes," he said baldly when asked if he would accept a captain's pick from Corey Pavin, in stark contrast to his answer to the same question at Firestone last week which was notable for its equivocation. "No, I haven't seen him [Pavin] and hopefully I won't be a pick. I would like to play myself on to the team."

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The PGA Championship loves to call itself "Glory's Last Shot." For Tiger Woods this week, Whistling Straits may be his last shot at anything in 2010. After leaving the Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio with his worst-ever performance as a pro, an 18-over disaster on a course where he's won seven times, Woods may need a decent finish in golf's last major to motivate him to play much more the rest of the year.

There's speculation that Woods may pack it in for the year after the Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus later this month - if he even qualifies for the FedEx Cup - and skip the Ryder Cup. He's currently 10th on the points list for the U.S. squad and would have to be a captain's pick by Corey Pavin, who intends to talk to Woods this week about his desire to even be on the team.

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Lee Westwood, who had a glimmer of hope of overtaking Tiger Woods for the No. 1 spot in the rankings, aggravated an injury to his right calf.

On Friday and said he does not know if he will be able to play the weekend rounds in the W.G.C.-Bridgestone Invitational.

“It’s seems to be getting worse,” said Westwood, the No. 3 ranked player, who injured the tendon that runs from his calf to his ankle two weeks before the British Open.

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Alex Cejka shot a 4-under 68 Friday to take a 1-stroke lead in the Turning Stone Resort Championship. Chris Tidland and first-round co-leader Rory Sabbatini were tied for second at 9 under after the second round at the 7,482-yard Atunyote Golf Club in Verona, N.Y. Tidland posted a 69 and Sabbatini had a 70.

Six players were tied for fourth at 7-under 137. Champions Tour — Tommy Armour III shot a 9-under 63 and has a 1-shot lead over Mark Calcavecchia and David Frost after one round of the 3M Championship. John Cook and Jeff Sluman are 2 strokes back. Westwood pulls out of PGA — Lee Westwood, the world's No. 3 player, has been battling a sore left ankle for the past month, and he withdrew Friday from the Bridgestone Invitational, and from the PGA Championship next week.

Robert Allenby will miss the Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship next week after he slipped on his boat while fishing and tore ligaments in his right knee. Allenby had been gearing up for this week's World Golf Championship, followed by.

The final major of the year. He decided to take a weekend fishing trip in the Bahamas, then slipped on a wet spot on his boat and his legs went in different directions. The Australian figured he hyperextended his knee. Tests revealed a torn ligament, and he had surgery Tuesday. Allenby, who is No. 14 in the world ranking, said doctors told him he should be able to return in time for the FedEx Cup playoffs in three weeks.

Oliver Schniederjans shot a second-round 3-under 69 on Wednesday and leads the 35th U.S. Junior PGA Championship going into the final round. At 9 under for the tournament, the 17-year-old native of Powder Springs, Ga., was three strokes ahead of Denny McCarthy, 17, of Burtonsville, Md. He shot a 66. First-round leader Justin Thomas, 17, of Goshen, Ky., shot a 75 and was among four players tied for third place at 4 under.

Kyle Roig, 17, of Puerto Rico, was 2 under and two strokes up on the rest of the girls field at Jack Nicklaus-designed Sycamore Hills Golf Club. She shot a second-round 72. After play was canceled because of rain Tuesday, the tournament was shortened to 54 holes and the field was cut after Wednesday's rounds to the top 33 and ties on both sides. "I honestly do think that taking a day off in the middle of the tournament was awkward for most players," Schniederjans said.

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Golf's Magic Number Doesn't Seem So Magical: The PGA Tour used to be so hard that it was boring to play, much less watch. It was only three years ago at Firestone — Tiger Woods was the only player to break par that week — that Steve Stricker spoke for dozens of players when he said just about every tournament felt like a major. It sure hasn't seemed like that lately. "This is a little different," Stricker said with a smile Tuesday when reminded of his comments.

Now, every tournament feels like the Bob Hope Classic. Consider the flurry of low scores over the last four weeks on the PGA Tour: _Paul Goydos became the first player in 11 years to shoot golf's magic number when he opened with a 59 at the John Deere Classic. Even more amazing was it only gave him a one-shot lead over Stricker, who shot 60 and went on to win the tournament. _Rory McIlroy didn't flirt with a 59, but he had a great chance to set a major championship record at the British Open until he missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 17th at St. Andrews. He was mildly disappointed with a 63.

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Britain's Ross Fisher improved his chances of securing a debut Ryder Cup spot when he grabbed control of the Irish Open with a scintillating second-round 10-under-par 61.The 29-year-old broke the Killarney club course record by three shots as he surged to 12-under 130, three strokes clear of the field.

Last year's World Matchplay champion threatened to record the first 59 on the European Tour as he ran up six successive birdies from the third hole and four in a row from the 11th. He fell short of the magic mark, however, after missing chances over the closing holes.

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England's Ross Fisher erupted into life again with a 61 in Killarney today – and he needed nobody to tell him it could have been a historic 59. One of Europe's great talents has been somewhat dormant since winning the World Match Play in Spain last November. But his bid for the Ryder Cup debut he just missed last time was reignited by a remarkable charge into a three-stroke halfway lead over Italian Francesco Molinari at the Irish Open.

Six successive birdies for a front-nine 29, then four more in a row from the 11th left Fisher needing just two from the last four to become the European Tour's first player to break 60. But, like so many before him, Fisher had to settle for the lowest round of his Tour career and not the record. He missed from six feet at the 15th, parred the long 16th after driving into sand and failed with birdie attempts on the last two.

"I was standing on the 14th green and it [59] did sort of enter my mind," said the 29-year-old, who could leap from 13th to sixth in the cup standings by winning. "I was quite strong mentally to try and block it out of my mind. I just tried to give myself four chances and I did that, but it wasn't meant to be."

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