TULSA, Okla. – Tiger Woods is two months from discovering if a tweaked and lengthened Southern Hills Country Club is his major championship cup of tea.

The defending PGA Champion, Woods participated in a teleconference Monday to address more than 130 guests gathered at Southern Hills for the 89th PGA Championship Media Day. The world's No. 1-ranked player and winner of 12 major championships, Woods admitted that his previous two trips around the famed Perry Maxwell-designed links have not been as productive.

Woods, whose off-course focus is on the impending birth this summer of his first child, said he will make a visit prior to the PGA Championship, Aug. 6-12, to learn more about the changes to the 7,131-yard, par-70 course. Southern Hills played to 6,824 yards in 1994 when Nick Price cruised to a second PGA Championship title.

This will be the fourth PGA Championship at Southern Hills and its first major since the 2001 U.S. Open, where Woods finished 12th. He also was 21st in a 30-player Tour Championship in 1996, his first season as a Tour professional.

"You have to place the golf ball there," said Woods, "and that's off the tees as well as firing it into the greens. You have to place the golf ball correctly, and if you're not hitting the ball well there, you will definitely be exposed. You look at the Champions who have won there; they've all hit the ball beautifully. Putting is also an integral part of the game, but you need to get to the putting surfaces first and foremost on that golf course and be in the right position in order to make the putts." With that, Woods said that Southern Hills is a course that doesn't suit his game.

"I always thought that it was a wonderful golf course. It really tests your ability to shape shots. To keep the ball in the fairway you have to shape it correctly on a couple holes, hit the ball against the hills. It's certainly a golf course you have to maneuver the golf ball both ways. You can't just go out there and hit it one way. You also have to hit it different trajectories, too, which is great."

A three-time PGA Champion following his victory last year at Medinah Country Club near Chicago, Woods said that he isn't "extra motivated" for the season's final major.

"I don't think that you can be any more motivated for a major championship," he said, "it just being a major championship. You are going to be playing against the best, and there are four events that you really want to win per year. You always know going into every PGA Championship, though, that that is the deepest field we get to play in or play against all year."

The PGA Championship, which attracted a record 98 of the top 100 World Ranked Players in 2002, featured 93 ranked players a year ago, and a Championship record 63 international players representing 18 countries, the largest international turnout of any U.S. major.

Woods praised Southern Hills as "one of the better tests that we'll ever play," adding, "It's not overly long, but with Bermuda rough, you don't need to have rough very high around the greens or even the fairways to have it be very difficult. If the greens get up to speed, it's definitely going to be one of the toughest tests that we're going to play."

Woods reflected briefly on the life changes that he has undergone in the past year. His father, Earl, died last year to cancer.

"This year is totally different," said Woods. "From losing a father to certainly becoming a father, my life is in two totally different places, a polar 180 from one another." Woods would not speculate on how much or how little he will be able to play following the birth of his first child.

"As I say, it all depends on how Elin (his wife) is feeling and the health of our child," he said.

Tickets to the 89th PGA Championship are still available by calling 1-800-PGA-GOLF (732-4653) or by visiting the Championship's official Web site, www.PGA2007.com.

Players and clubhouse guests will enjoy a newly-refurbished locker room, gathering places and expanded meeting space inside the clubhouse for member and corporate hospitality. It also will accommodate this year's Champions' Dinner, hosted by Woods.

Tickets and general information regarding the 2007 PGA Championship may be found online at www.PGA2007.com, or by calling 1-800-PGA-GOLF.

The PGA Championship is one of four premier golf events conducted by The PGA of America. Others include the Ryder Cup, the Senior PGA Championship and the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, which brings together the winners of golf's four major championships. Since 1916, golf's best professionals have been competing for the PGA Championship's coveted Wanamaker Trophy. Past Champions span both the legendary and recent stars of the game: Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson.

The PGA of America is the world's largest working sports organization, comprised of 28,000 men and women golf Professionals who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf while serving millions of people throughout its 41 PGA Sections nationwide. Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has enhanced its leadership position in a $62 billion-a-year industry by growing the game of golf through its premier spectator events, world-class education and training programs, significant philanthropic outreach initiatives, and award-winning golf promotions. Today's PGA Professional is the public's link to the game, serving an essential role in the operation of golf facilities throughout the country.