Tiger Woods, the former world's number one golfer has struggled on and off the course since his private life unravelled at the end of last season amid sordid revelations of serial philandering.
He took a five-month break from the game in an ultimately unsuccessful bid to repair his marriage and embarked on the fourth swing change of his career in August.
"It's been difficult, but also it's been very rewarding at the same time," Woods told reporters at Sherwood Country Club.
"It forced me to look deeper into myself, how I grew up and how those things didn't match with the person who I am and getting back to that, getting back to how my parents raised me.
"As a golfer I learned so much more this year than any other year, and as a person infinitely more. So it's been a very successful year even though it was a very painful year."
Unquestionably the greatest player of his generation and possibly of all time, Woods has so far failed to string together four good rounds during his 2010 season.
His aura of invincibility on the course was severely dented and he ended his 2010 PGA Tour campaign without a victory for the first time since joining the circuit in late 1996.
