Woods readies for PGA Championship

GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN - Tiger Woods found something he doesn&#39;t do well. <br> <br> While shooting a 6-under 66 on Wednesday during the Buick Open Pro-Am, Woods sported some stubble on his chin and above his lips. But the two patches of hair didn&#39;t connect on the sides of his mouth to form a goatee. <br> <br> Woods was asked if he has been working on it long. <br> <br> ``Too long,&#39;&#39; he sighed, before adding that he wasn&#39;t sure if he would stick with the new look for the tournament. <br> <br> Woods will be playing in Michigan this week, but his focus might be elsewhere as next week&#39;s PGA Championship approaches. <br> <br> Woods will have a chance to become the first golfer to win three majors in one year twice, if his warmup during the Buick Open leads to a victory at next week&#39;s PGA Championship. <br> <br> ``Myself and (Ben) Hogan are the only ones who have ever won three in the same year,&#39;&#39; Woods said. ``So, that would be nice to win three out of four again.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Woods, who won the PGA Championship in 2000 and 1999, said he is playing this week to win and increase his number of events. He has played in just 12 this year, and this will be just his third start in 11 weeks. <br> <br> He obviously had the choice to practice and rest or play in the Buick Open, which runs Thursday through Sunday. <br> <br> ``I&#39;ve won the PGA both ways,&#39;&#39; Woods said. ``I&#39;ve won by playing this event, and I&#39;ve won by not playing.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> A slew of major winners and money-list leaders are choosing to play before taking on Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., next week. <br> <br> Fifteen of the last 19 major winners will prepare for the fourth and final major at Warwick Hills, about 60 miles north of Detroit. Four of the top five and 12 of the top 20 on the money list also are here. <br> <br> Woods is playing in his first tournament since the British Open. There, he finished tied for 28th - following a third-round 81, his worse score as a professional. The loss spoiled his chance of winning the Grand Slam. <br> <br> Woods played a practice round at Hazeltine on Tuesday with fellow pro Mark O&#39;Meara but insisted his goal was to win the Buick Open, not merely prepare for the PGA Championship. <br> <br> Woods said the strong field in the Buick Open will help. <br> <br> ``It certainly brings out the best in just about every player,&#39;&#39; he said. ``And I think it provides a better atmosphere for all the fans.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Woods alone can create a buzz. <br> <br> Hundreds watched Woods practice at 6:30 a.m., and hundreds more followed him for four-plus hours during the pro-am. <br> <br> ``My father has always said, &#39;You don&#39;t have to like it. You just have to accept it and understand it,&#39; which I&#39;ve done,&#39;&#39; he said. ``You always wish you could have the privacy that you had when you were a kid, or back in college, or when you were anonymous and no one knew who you were. <br> <br> ``Then again, if you&#39;re not playing well, that&#39;s kind of how you end up being. So, I&#39;d much rather be this way because at least I&#39;m playing well.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Phil Mickelson, who will soon have another chance to win his first major, said Warwick Hills will help get him ready for Hazeltine. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s a great preparation because it&#39;s a similar style of golf, similar tree lines and so forth,&#39;&#39; said Mickelson, who trails only Woods on the money list. ``But what&#39;s really cool is that they have wonderful practice facilities here where you can work on your game. And it&#39;s a course that requires you to maneuver the ball both ways, right-to-left and left-to-right. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s also a course that you can gain confidence on because there are a lot of birdie holes out here with the par-5s and the drivable par-4s on 12 and 14. You have holes that you feel you should birdie just about every time.&#39;&#39;