HOYLAKE, England -- Tiger Woods was an early arrival to the British Open with hopes of avoiding an early departure. Melvin Gordon III Womens Jersey . Woods has played only two competitive rounds in the last four months because of back pain that led to surgery. Thats why he chose to get to England a day earlier than usual -- Saturday -- to get acclimated to links golf at Royal Liverpool. Its nothing like he remembers from his two-shot victory in 2006. Hoylake was brown and dusty that year, and the ball was bouncing along at such speed that Woods hit only one driver the entire week. That was on the 16th hole, and the shot wound up on the 17th fairway. He still made birdie. "The golf course is a little bit softer than what it was in 06," Woods said on Tuesday. "Ive played three practice rounds now and have had three different winds. So thats been helpful to be able to see the golf course in different conditions." As an example of the change, Woods pulled out a driver on the par-5 fifth hole with the wind in his face. His tee shot landed in the fairway. That he already has played three practice rounds has been encouraging. Woods missed the cut at Congressional in his return to competition three weeks ago, though he was pleased that he felt no pain from March 31 back surgery. He even has been to the gym twice in the last couple of days. Woods played 12 holes on Saturday and a full 18 on Sunday and Tuesday, taking a break Monday to work out and then go to the practice range. "Its one of the reasons why I came over a little earlier," he said. " I went to Geneva for a day with Rolex, but I came here a day earlier than I normally would to have an extra day in there, as well as possibly taking a day off, if need be. And it worked out." As for his goals? They havent changed. When asked what would be a reasonable result in his first major of the year, Woods replied, "First. "Thats always the case." The back surgery forced him to miss the Masters for the first time, and then the U.S. Open. The last time Woods had this much time off with so little competition before a major was in 2010 when he returned from the chaos in his personal life. He tied for fourth at the Masters. It might help that he at least has won at Royal Liverpool, even if the course has changed dramatically. Woods has changed, too. His victory eight years ago produced more raw emotion than ever for Woods. It was his first major since the death of his father, Earl, two months earlier. He sobbed on the shoulders of his caddie and then his wife. Woods now has a different caddie and he is divorced. "My life has certainly changed a lot since then," Woods said. "That was a very emotional week. As you all know, I pressed pretty hard at Augusta that year, trying to win it, because it was the last time my dad was ever going to see me play a major championship. And then I didnt play well at the (U.S.) Open -- missed the cut there miserably. And then came here and just felt at peace. I really, really played well. On Sunday, I really felt calm out there. "It was surreal at the time. Ive had a few moments like that in majors where Ive felt that way on a Sunday. And that was certainly one of them." The others were at the 1997 Masters, which he won by 12 shots; the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, which he won by 15 shots; and 2000 British Open at St. Andrews, which he won by eight shots to complete the career Grand Slam. Woods has won the career slam twice more since then, running his total to 14 majors by winning the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2008 despite not having played in two months because of torn ligaments in his left knee and a double stress fracture in his left leg. He said that victory, with the odds against him, should be a reminder not to count him out. And hes not ruling out his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus and his 18 majors. Woods, who is 38, was asked if he would play well into his 40s and even his early 50s if it meant a chance to break the Nicklaus benchmark. "Hopefully, I have it done by then. But Im really looking forward to that cart," he said, referring to Champions Tour players being allowed to ride in a cart. Doug Flutie Womens Jersey . George Hill had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Pacers, who stayed atop the overall NBA standings despite losing twice on their West Coast trip. Los Angeles kept it close into the second half before the Pacers finished an easy win over the injury-riddled Lakers, who have lost five straight. Doug Flutie Youth Jersey . -- Antoine Bibeau bought the Val-dOr Foreurs valuable time at the Memorial Cup with his 51-save shutout Friday. http://www.prochargersteamstore.com/Youth-Keenan-Allen-Elite-Jersey/ . Among the teams moves was trading one of the teams two third round picks, no. 83 overall, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Brandon Bollig, a six-foot-two, 223-pound left-winger who had seven goals, seven assists, and 92 penalty minutes in 82 games last season.LIVERPOOL, England -- Fulham and Cardiff were relegated from the Premier League on Saturday after Sunderlands surprise 1-0 win at Manchester United proved a reality check for the deposed champions interim manager Ryan Giggs. Fulham lost 4-1 at Stoke and Cardiff was defeated 3-0 at Newcastle, leaving both teams unable to climb out of the bottom three with one match apiece remaining. "I have to apologize for not managing the situation. The club asked me to come -- I tried," said Fulham manager Felix Magath, who was hired in February in an attempt to keep the club in the top division for a 14th straight season. "The thing is you can never say any player would like to see relegation, but they didnt fight enough, especially today." Cardiff goes down after spending just one year in the Premier League. Sebastian Larssons 30th-minute winner at Old Trafford means resurgent Sunderland have picked up seven points from recent away matches at Manchester City, Chelsea and United to move three points clear of third-bottom Norwich with two matches left. After opening with a 4-0 win over Norwich last weekend, Giggs saw United turn in a performance reminiscent of David Moyes woeful 10-month tenure that was ended last month. "I feel flat," said Giggs. "The players were flat annd I dont know why . Dan Fouts Womens Jersey. We were putting five- or 10-yard passes astray and if you do that in the Premier League you get punished. Weve had a problem at home all season -- its not been good enough." Already out of contention to qualify for the Champions League, United is also struggling to make the Europa League as it is six points behind sixth-placed Tottenham, which lost 2-0 at West Ham. Spurs went down to 10 men in the 25th minute when Younes Kaboul was given a straight red card for a professional foul, before an own goal by Harry Kane and Stewart Downings free kick secured a victory that preserved West Hams Premier League status for another season. Aston Villa is almost certain of staying up, too, after beating Hull 3-1 thanks to Ashley Westwoods goal after 58 seconds and a pair of headers from Andreas Weimann just before halftime. Villa is six points clear of Norwich, which likely needs at least four points to survive but ends the season with games against Chelsea on Sunday and Arsenal next weekend. Hull, a point behind Villa, is also unlikely to be hauled in by Norwich but its three-game winless run bodes ill for the FA Cup final against Arsenal on May 17. Southampton beat Swansea 1-0 away thanks to Rickie Lamberts injury-time goal in Saturdays other match. ' ' '