No distractions for Tiger Woods

But the world number one scoffs at the suggestion that the entry to the world of his baby daughter, Sam Alexis, will distract him from his goal of clinching a third consecutive British Open title at Carnoustie this week.

Woods, whose wife Elin gave birth to their first child the day after he finished second in last month's US Open, is used to dealing with predictions that developments in his personal life could reduce his appetite for dominance in his sport.

"First it was getting engaged, then it was getting married," he said with a resigned smile on Tuesday. "Now it is having a child. There is always something."

Joking that the trip to Scotland would give him the chance of much-needed rest, Woods did acknowledge he would have to deal with the emotions any new parent experiences when separated from their offspring.

"I miss them, but Elin and Sam are doing fantastic," he said. "We are very excited to have Sam in our life and we're looking forward to the future.

"I don't see how it can be a negative."

Woods revealed earlier this month how complications in his Swedish wife's pregnancy had resulted in her being hospitalised on the day of the opening round of the US Open.

Having decided, on medical advice, that he should play, Woods arrived home in Florida on the Sunday night after finishing in a tie for second place, just hours before the birth.

Woods said the situation had been tough to deal with but played down suggestions it had affected his game.

"It was harder than normal to stay focused all day, but you have to do it," he said. "You go out and give it all you've got.

"The doctors had assured me and she assured me that she was doing fine. They said 'there is nothing can do here, go and win the Open. I didn't quite do it but the day in itself was the greatest day I ever had. Win or lose the Open, in the end seeing Sam being born was the greatest thing ever."

Those reflections on the joys of fatherhood came at the end of a third practice round on a Carnoustie course that has been shorn of the ferocious rough that terrorised the field when the Open was last played here, in 1999.

After the revelation that fatherhood had left him as hungry as ever for success, the second bit of bad news for those tasked with preventing him from claiming his 13th major title here, was Woods's enthusiasm for the way the course has been set up.

"It is extremely fair," he reported. "It is not like it was in 1999 and it is probably a little bit more difficult than in the Scottish Opens I played here, so it is roughly right in between."

Despite that judgement, the American laughed at a suggestion that the 'Carnasty' of 1999 had been replaced by 'Carneasy'.

"If you have wind it becomes more difficult than you think. You really do have to hit the ball well, and the greens are extremely subtle, just like all links they're very hard to read, so you have to do your homework.

"I've never heard anyone say Carnoustie is easy. Even the times I played the Scottish Open here, when the conditions were more benign than this, the scores were not that low."

Woods famously used his driver only once in 72 holes on his way to victory at Hoylake last year, but he indicated that was a response to particular conditions there rather than a permanent shift in his approach to Open venues.

"Last year year I thought the golf course forced you to do that," he argued. "It was so fast and firm, faster than I've ever seen for a British Open.

"I hit drivers in the practice rounds and was getting it down there to where I had a nine iron or a wedge in my hand. But if I was just in the wispy stuff I couldn't spin the ball and keep it on the green. I had a better chance spinning the ball with a six iron from the fairway."