Tiger Woods says he is on the up and close to recapturing his dominant form of old

Recent results may suggest otherwise, but Tiger Woods insists he’s close to recapturing his dominant form of old.

Woods has one PGA Tour victory this year - his first since September 2009 - but his game has hit a slump over the past month with a missed cut at Quail Hollow as well as frustrating 40th-place finishes at The Masters the and Players Championship.

Such results have led to many questioning whether the 14-time Major champion will ever get back to fighting for titles on a regular basis.

Tiger Woods says he is on the up and close to recapturing his dominant form of old

However, there appears to be little panic from the man himself, Woods confident of rediscovering his mojo with the clock ticking down to next month’s US Open.

“I think I’m headed in the right direction,” said the world No.7, who next tees it up at the Memorial on May 31. “I’m going to try and continue to improve in incremental steps in every facet of my game and try to make every facet of my game more efficient.

“I’ve just played three events - I won a tournament [four] tournaments ago. If I get more efficient at what I’m doing, then I’m going to win tournaments.”

Woods was speaking at the at Congressional Country Club where he’ll be heading at the end of June as he bids for a second AT&T National crown to the one he captured in 2009.

It was also the venue of last year’s US Open, which the 36-year-old missed through injury as Rory McIlroy romped to a record-breaking win.

And Woods said of the young star’s only Major title to date: “Unfortunately, I was in a position where I couldn’t play and it was tough because I missed out on a golf course I know, that I’ve won on and that I love. Those factors made it difficult to sit back and watch.

“What Rory did was extraordinary. He played some beautiful golf.”

Meanwhile, Justin Rose is using his 2010 Ryder Cup heartbreak to push himself to secure a place in the European side at Medinah this year.

He said: “I’m determined to make this team, not put myself in a position like last time where I need to rely on a captain’s pick. I’ve got to keep amassing the points - I’ve given myself a good chance now. But I’m certainly not taking my foot off the pedal.”