TUCKAHOE, N.Y. – Despite having 14 major titles, 79 PGA Tour wins and hundreds of millions in earnings, Tiger Woods feels the same way about golf as the rest of the world does.

“Golf,” he said on Tuesday at the U.S. Open, “is always frustrating.”

Yup, that it is. Of course, the level of frustration is always a relative measurement. But the causes of it are not. In his most recent comeback, Woods has had some ugly outings where he’s missed the cut, as well as some chances to add to his win total. But on almost every start, he’s been suffering from the same sort of affliction as a guy who plays the weekend at his local municipal course. One day he’s driving it great but can’t sink an uphill two-footer with no break. The next day the hole looks like a bucket when he’s putting but all he can do is slice and snap-hook it off the tee.

“There’s always something that isn’t quite right,” he said referring to the inconsistencies in his game in the nine tournaments he’s played so far in 2018. “That’s where we, as players, have to make adjustments. And you know, you’ve seen the tournaments I’ve played this year. There’s always something.”

At the Farmers Insurance Open, that something was a driver that sprayed the ball all over the park. He seemed to finally straighten that out at the Players, where he controlled his tee shots, especially on his weekend rounds. But at his next start, the Memorial, his putting stroke made him look like the village smithy as he missed a slew of gimmee-length tap-ins.

He’s been grinding over that putting stroke for the last week hoping to get his “feels” back while at the same time hoping to keep the rest of his game on the rails.

In spite of his inconsistencies this year, Woods remains the eternal optimist about his chances this week. He’s gone from the operating table last year to just trying to find a swing back in January to believing he can win in June.

“I’ve given myself chances to win, which I didn’t know if I was ever going to do again, “ he said. “Then again, [I’m] not happy with the fact that I didn’t win because I loved how it felt being there.

“I’ve had my opportunities. Also, I’m very thankful to have had those opportunities. I didn’t know if I was going to have them again.”

This is the 20th U.S. Open for Woods as well as his third at Shinnecock, which has been redesigned and will provide a much different test.

In 2004, Woods said, the rough right off the greens was six inches high. Now, the putting surfaces feature shaved off areas that require an entirely different set of skills and a plethora of opportunities.

And it’s unlikely the United States Golf Association will let the conditions deteriorate as they did in ’04. That means a stern, demanding test, just as it should be.

“The mistakes are magnified in a major championship, as they should be and this is our toughest test. “So I’m looking forward to having the opportunity and having the challenge. Hopefully, I can play well enough to put myself there.”