After another warm welcome from the Irish public, Tiger Woods turned curt and dismissive at a news conference Tuesday when asked about his state of mind since the sex scandal that's wrecked his marriage.

Woods was questioned after his 3-under 69 in his final round of the J.P. McManus Invitational Pro-Am in Adare, his first foreign appearance since the turmoil.

When asked whether his liaisons with other women had been "worth it" since it cost him his marriage and endorsements, Woods replied, "You're looking too deep into this." He torpedoed the follow-up question with an icily firm "Thank you."

Woods returned immediately to his Central Florida home rather than head to Scotland to prepare for next week's British Open at St. Andrews, where he won Opens in 2000 and 2005. Once the subject was broached, the previously easy-speaking Woods flipped a switch into staccato half-sentences.

How will you prepare? "Practicing."

Where? "Home."

Why not try to play some links golf in Scotland beforehand? "I need to get home." Silence.

Why? "See my kids." Silence.

Throughout the 15-minute news conference Woods had to parry various attempts at a comment on how his marital implosion was affecting his game.

"There are times in one's life when things get put in perspective, one being when my father passed, and obviously what I've been going through lately," he said in his most expansive reply.

But when asked again

whether he was finding personal worries overshadowing his game, Woods clearly had enough.

"Everything's working itself out," he said.

When asked if that meant his troubles were still undermining his golf, Woods descended into glum-eyed silence, offering an expression somewhere between a grimace and a frown.

Out on Adare Manor, Woods felt nothing but love and admiration from the more than 20,000 fans who lined the golf course five-deep to watch his every drive, approach shot and putt.

Armed with a full night's sleep, Woods breezed through a course that had befuddled him Monday, when he shot a 7-over 79.

His Irish caddie, Tipperary car dealer Arthur Pierse, said Woods was exhausted Monday after flying overnight following the AT&T National outside Philadelphia, where he finished 46th.

Darren Clarke of Northern Island finished first after shooting a 68 for a two-day score of 3-under 141. Woods finished seven shots back, tied for 24th.

Every five years, Irish billionaire McManus persuades many of the world's top golfers to join his charity event, where three-member teams of amateurs pay $155,000 for the chance to play alongside the professionals.

  • Woods is assured at least one trophy this year. He stayed at No. 1 in the world, and this being the second week of July, that means he has clinched the Mark H. McCormack Award for the 13th straight season. The award is given to the player atop the world ranking for the most weeks in a calendar year.

    British Open: David Toms withdrew to rest an ailing right shoulder, and Anthony Kim formally pulled out as he recovers from thumb surgery in May. The Royal & Ancient Club said they were replaced in the field by Ricky Barnes and Davis Love III. ... The winner of the 150th Open will earn $1.29 million, about a $60,000 increase from the previous year. The total purse is $7.3 million. Royal & Ancient Club CEO Peter Dawson says organizers took into account the pound's weakened position against the dollar and the euro.

    U.S. Women's Open: Oakmont Country Club (Pa.), a demanding course capable of producing scores in the 90s, is tormenting the field with a different kind of problem: temperatures in the 90s. The tournament begins Thursday in suburban Pittsburgh.