Tiger Woods leaves ‘star-struck’ Andrew Orischak with practice insight

Andrew Orischak thought it would be difficult for the folks that run the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley to top last year’s surprise guest — Rory McIlroy, who not only put on a clinic but joined them in some video games.

And then came this year, when Tiger Woods showed up on the practice range to take questions and offer a glimpse of his progress in his return from back surgery.

“That was incredible, just as you would imagine,” said the Hilton Head Island teen, who tied for ninth in the prestigious junior showcase outside Aiken.

Woods conducted an extended Q&A session with the entrants, offering insights on his practice routine and how he approaches sessions on the range.

“His attention to detail in practice is just incredible,” Orischak said. “He said the only way you get better is to have that kind of attention to detail. You can actually get worse when you’re practicing and not focusing. You hear about practicing with a purpose, but sometimes it takes a different (manner) to really hear that.”

The University of Virginia signee said he’s already incorporated a few strategies into his own practice. Woods also went down the range as the players were warming up, giving a few minutes of one-on-one attention.

“I was so star-struck,” Orischak admitted. “But he was so gracious with all the time and knowledge he was sharing.”

Woods, by the way, went on to play his first holes in public since the surgery during Tuesday’s grand opening of Bluejack National, his course design outside Houston. There have been reports he’ll make his return at next week’s Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, though that field won’t be officially unveiled until late Friday afternoon.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 1:08 AM with the headline "Tiger Woods leaves ‘star-struck’ Andrew Orischak with practice insight."