Tiger's fans in firing line

Dublin - When Tiger Woods struggled on Sunday, his fans felt his pain - three of them literally.

Woods hit three spectators en route his closing 72 at the Memorial, his fourth tournament of the year and his last tune-up before the US Open at Pebble Beach later this month.

"I kept hitting everybody out there today," said Woods, who has a habit of giving an autographed golf glove to any spectator he hits. "Thank God I get them for free."

Woods pulled his drive at the first and hit Jeramy May in the neck.

At the second he hit a fan standing left of the fairway in the back of the leg and at the 15th hole he hit another spectator on the hand.

Despite some wayward shots, Woods said he wasn't too disappointed with his first competitive outing in three weeks - since a neck injury forced him out of the final round of the Players Championship.

He was also playing without the guidance of swing coach Hank Haney, after the two parted ways in the wake of the Players.

The week before that tournament Woods had missed the cut at Quail Hollow in Charlotte.

Asked what he learned about his game at Memorial - a tournament he has won four times, Woods laughed.

"Well, I'm capable of playing four rounds in a row," he said.

"I need to be able to shape the ball both ways comfortably," he said more seriously. "I was able to do that most of the week here this week, which was good. I hit some shots that I hadn't hit in a long time."

Woods opened and closed his week with even-par 72s at Muirfield Village, with two 69s in between.

"I felt like this week I hit some really good shots, shots that I have been lacking," Woods said. "It's just one of those things where I still need some work at home."

Woods nabbed three birdies in the front nine on Sunday, but also two bogeys to go with a bogey at the par-three 16th.

"Still not quite right," he said of his tee shots. "Not enough air. I felt a little bit defensive. I was hitting the ball, basically, too easy and just putting it in play instead of going ahead and just letting it go.

"Then I was trying to place the ball on the correct side of the fairway to give myself angles," he added. "Maybe I was trying to do that too much instead of just hitting it down there like everybody else is."