Tuesday July 06, 2010, 05:50 PM

Tiger Woods put the golf world on notice Tuesday that his form was steadily improving as he prepares to return to St Andrews for the British Open - where he has won the event twice.

Three-time British Open champion and world number one Woods is warming up for next week's event with a two-day charity tournament in Limerick, southwestern Ireland.

It was his first trip to Europe since his iconic reputation was shattered by revelations that he was a serial adulterer who had been cheating on his Swedish wife Elin for years.

Despite a drop in form following his high-profile off-course misdemeanours, Woods feels confident going into the British Open.

And few would overlook the American sports icon: Woods knows the Old Course at St Andrews inside out, having won the 2000 and 2005 British Open championships there by eight and five strokes respectively.

Woods finished tied for 46th place at the AT and T National in Pennsylvania on Sunday.

But he said here that he felt his golf was nonetheless getting better.

"I felt I made some good strides last week, I drove it great last week, I just putted terrible and finished way down the board," he said in a rare press conference outside the usual golf tournament circuit.

"Something I need to work on is my light putting and there will be a lot of light, long putts at St. Andrews."

Woods admits the course in eastern Scotland known as The Home of Golf is among his favourites.

"The first time I played it was in 1995," he said.

"My introduction to links golf was Carnoustie at the Scottish Open and then St Andrews, and I fell in love with it as the lines and angles are always different to what they say. People say hit miles left, but if you hit miles left you have no angle.

"It forces you to be more strategic in how you play. Your touch has to be great as you will have a lot of long, light putts, putts that break in three or four directions.

"A lot of past champions have had great short games and a great imagination and ball control. It's a fantastic golf course and what genius it took to lay it out that way."

He added: "To win at the home of golf, that would be what every champion wants to have happen.

"This is where it all started and to win at the home of golf there is a special feeling. To walk up the last hole, I've had that at other championships before but this one is different."

Woods said he was returning to his Florida home later Tuesday for "personal stuff" and "to see my kids."

Asked if he felt his misdemeanours had been worth it given his relatively poor form since returning to the game he replied: "I think you are reading too deep into this."

Woods said that he would arrive in St Andrews on Sunday or Monday. The tournament starts on Thursday.

© 2010 AFP/sid