AP
Tiger was pleasantly surprised with Ridgewood, which is playing fairly long.
PARAMUS, N.J. -- Tiger Woods hopes all parts of his game click this week in The Barclays -- the first of four FedExCup Playoff events -- which starts Thursday at Ridgewood Country Club.
Woods ranks 112th in points in the 125-player field. According to projections, he needs to finish no worse than 57th to advance to next week's Deutsche Bank Championship, near Boston, which is limited to 100 players.
"As of right now, I'm only guaranteed one," Woods said. "So I need to play well to move forward."
This will be his first event at Ridgewood, which measures 7,400 yards and plays to a par-72.
"I didn't play here in '08," said Woods. "So this is my first look at it. I got in last night, and I was a little surprised, pleasantly surprised with the golf course. Played long. They said it was going to be a pretty tricky golf course, but with this being this soft and balls are backing up with 3-irons and 4-irons, it will be interesting to see how the golf course is with the tees and how much they move it up, if at all. Because some of the holes are playing really long."
Woods said his practice round Wednesday was encouraging.
"I played better," Woods said. "I had some good shots today. Worked on some things, which is good. Pleasantly surprised and pleased the shape of shots I was able to hit today."
Woods said he spent a couple days working with instructor Sean Foley.
"I worked with Sean two times at home," he said. "We worked on the same stuff that we worked on at the PGA. And it's just a matter of getting it more solidified. I just need reps and hopefully the weather dissipates and I can get some reps in this afternoon."
As for the future, nothing permanent has been decided.
"I still haven't officially done it yet," said Woods. "Just because this would be the fourth time I changed my golf swing since I've been on the PGA Tour. So it's an undertaking that I have to wrap my head around because it's going to take some time."
Woods and his wife Elin were officially divorced Monday. Admittedly, it has been a tough time for both.
"I wish her the best in everything," he said. "You know, it's a sad time in our lives. And we're looking forward to ‑‑ in our lives and how we can help our kids the best way we possibly can. And that's the most important thing."
Woods said concentration has been a problem at times during tournaments.
"You know, at times it was difficult," said Woods. "Certainly, you try and block it out as best you can and focus on a shot. But at times it certainly was, yes."
While he has yet to win in 2010, Woods doesn't consider 2010 a lost year.
"I don't look at it like that," he said. "Every year you have to find the positives. Even though there are a lot of negatives, I think that's actually a good thing. Because I learned a lot about myself and how I could become a better person."
His goal now is to finish strong. No matter what happens this week, Woods still has events remaining in China, Australia and Southern California, the Chevron World Challenge.
"I'm trying to get my game in order," Woods said. "Work on some new things, working with Sean. And I'm trying to put that together and hopefully play well for the rest of the year. And as of right now, I need to play well to make it to next week. So that's kind of the focus right now."
Woods tees off Thursday at 7:10 a.m. ET with Cameron Beckman and Troy Matteson.