Woods prepared for "short-term suffering"

The American believes his return to form will take time.

Tiger Woods has said that he must go through "short-term suffering" in order to return to major-winning form.

During a press conference ahead of the US Open at Chambers Bay yesterday, Woods spoke about his swing change and the unpredictability of the course.

The 14-time major winner said: "Sometimes you have to make a shift. And I did.

"And short-term suffering for long-term gain. I've done this before when I've made changes in the past, I've struggled through it.

"I've come out on the good side," he added.

Woods hasn't won a major since 2008, when he won the same tournament he's preparing for this week at Torrey Pines.

However, the American confirmed his commitment to the game is the same as it always was.

"I wouldn't have made the changes if I wasn't devoted to the game of golf and winning golf tournaments," he said.

"This year certainly has been a struggle. But for me to go through what I went through at Torrey and Phoenix, to come back and do what I did at Augusta gave me a lot of confidence moving forward."

Woods can move on to four US Open wins if he succeeds this week, level with Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Willie Anderson and Bobby Jones.

He stressed the need for patience, though, at a course that has sparked debate in recent months.

"The ball is going to roll and catch slopes. You're going to see guys hit terrible golf shots and end up in kicking range from the hole.

"You're going to see guys fire at the flag and get a good one and get a hard bounce and end up in a hard spot.

"You're going to see some different things this week than you have probably any other Major Championship that we play," he added.

Woods will tee off on Thursday and Friday alongside Rickie Fowler and Louis Oosthuizen.