Woods suffers new low after 18-over par total

A total of 280 is his worst as a professional but the American is confident he can find form to be part of the US Ryder Cup bid.

Tiger Woods cut a furlorn figure yesterday.

Tiger Woods will go into this week's US PGA Championship with his game in total disarray and the emotional state of his mind highly questionable after a career-worst performance at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. The American struggled to a stunning seven-over-par 77 in yesterday's final round at Firestone Country Club, his highest last day score as a professional, to lie second-last in the 80-strong field.

At a venue where he has previously reigned supreme with seven victories in 11 starts, world No 1 Woods carded two double-bogeys in the last five holes to post an 18-over total of 298. It was his highest 72-hole aggregate on the PGA Tour, his worst relative to par and the first time since the 2003 PGA Championship he had strung together four rounds over par. "[I'm] just not playing well," a grim-faced Woods told reporters after completing his round nearly three hours before the leaders were scheduled to tee off.

"Shooting 18 over par is not fun. The only thing I can say all week is I was patient, and unfortunately that's not enough." Looking ahead to the USA PGA, he added: "I have got to be ready come Thursday. That is all that matters. I need to hit the ball better, chip better, putt better, score better." Woods also said that while he right now did not deserve to be picked for the American team for October's Ryder Cup showdown against Europe in Wales, there was plenty of time to turn his game around before the matches.

"I would not help the team if I am playing like this," he added. "I think I can turn it around, but we have got a lot of time between now and then, which is good." Meanwhile, Colin Montgomerie, the European captain, is considering handing a Ryder Cup wild card to Bernhard Langer, even though the German stopped playing mainstream golf several years ago. Langer, 53, played the last of his ten Ryder Cups at The Belfry in 2002 and now competes on the seniors Champions Tour in America.

In the last three weeks he has won both the British Seniors Open and the US Seniors Open. Montgomerie believes his vast Cup experience could be invaluable to a Europe team which looks like containing at least four rookies. "I would not rule out picking Bernhard," Montgomerie said. "I'm not ruling out anybody, especially someone who has performed to that degree and is in the form of his life." Montgomerie said to win the British Seniors at Carnoustie, then travel eight time zones and beat local favourite Fred Couples at the US Seniors Open in Seattle was no mean feat.

"He [Langer] said afterwards that he used everything he had learned in the Ryder Cup to overcome a very vocal home support and I think it wouldn't be such a dramatic move pick to have someone of that age and that experience in the team. "It wouldn't be such an out-of-the-blue pick. I think he's playing as well as he ever has and he's said he is." There is a danger that Montgomerie will not have the services of European No 1 and World No 3 Lee Westwood, who pulled out of the Bridgestone Invitational after two rounds on Friday with a calf injury.

The Englishman says he will need at least six week of rest and treatment before he can return to golf, which leaves him little recovery time. * Agencies