The bond we had transcended a normal parent-child relationship Tiger Woods on his late father Earl

Woods missed the cut at the US Open in his first event following his father's death, but second place in last week's Western Open hinted at a fresh start.

"I've come to terms with it. I'm back in the competitive flow," he said.

"But there's not a day that I go through without thinking about him. I love him dearly."

Interview: Tiger Woods

Speaking after a practice round at Hoylake, the defending Open champion said he still missed being able to turn to his father for advice.

"He's not here anymore," he said.

"It's not like I can pick up the phone and call him and say: 'What do you think of my putting?'"

"The bond we had transcended a normal parent-child relationship.

"That's probably why I will think about him more and especially when I'm out here playing and practising because all the fundamentals that I learned were from him."

Woods said he felt back in good form after missing the cut in a major for the first time at the brutal Winged Foot course which hosted the US Open.

We don't play golf courses like this each and every week Tiger Woods on Hoylake

"I took a lot of time off before the US Open and I wasn't hitting the ball as well as I wanted to in competition," he said.

"Plus it's the hardest US Open venue we've ever played and that made it really difficult.

"But I fixed those mistakes prior to the Western Open and got back into the competitive flow again."

Woods also said he was surprised by the way the Royal Liverpool course was playing in practice, with the hot weather having a major impact on the condition of the greens and fairways.

"Playing an Open Championship you always have to hit different golf shots," said Woods, who is likely to use a two-iron off the tees to maximise the roll of the ball.

"We don't play golf courses like this each and every week and then we certainly don't ever play a golf course this fast.