(CNN) -- Tiger Woods admits his personal problems are affecting his game, but the world's top golfer refused to blame media intrusion on his life for his disastrous return to the PGA Tour this week.





Woods defied expectation when he tied for fourth on his comeback last month at the Masters, one of golf's four major events, but struggled at the Quail Hollow Championship in North Carolina as he missed the halfway cut for only the sixth time in 14 years as a professional.





On Friday, he slumped to a seven-over-par 79 that saw him miss the weekend rounds by eight shots -- and a massive 17 behind leader Billy Mayfair.





It was his second-worst single-round score behind the 81 he carded at the 2002 British Open, and his highest 36-hole total meant he missed the cut in a non-major for the first time since 2005.





The 34-year-old, who took a five-month break from playing following the scandal over his admitted marital infidelities, admitted he was feeling pressure due to continued questioning about his private life.





"Well, I get asked every day. Every day I do media, I get asked it, so it doesn't go away. Even when I'm at home, paparazzi still follow us, helicopters still hover around," Woods told reporters in quotes carried by his personal Web site.





"Does it test you? Yes, of course it does. Is that any excuse? No, because I'm out there and I have the same opportunity as everybody else here in this field to shoot a good number, and I didn't do that."





Woods will hope to address problems with his game ahead of the Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida starting next Thursday.





"It'll be interesting because I'll probably get home and hit balls on the range, and I'm going to have to get up there to Ponte Vedra a little early to putt because Isleworth is all torn up," he said.





"My short game was terrible. I three-putted there twice back-to-back, and you can't do that. I didn't get up-and-down at six and chipped the ball off the green at seven. Those shots, you're just throwing away shots when you do stuff like that.





"You have to let it go. It's like baseball, you go 0 for 4 two days in a row like I did, you've got a whole new tournament next week, which is great."





While Woods struggled at Quail Hollow, the 43-year-old Mayfair shot his second successive 68 to claim a one-shot lead from Argentina's Angel Cabrera.





Last year's Masters champion, who played his first two rounds with Woods, fired a 67 featuring an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys.





Current Masters champion Phil Mickelson also carded 68 to be in a tie for third another shot back on 138 along with fellow Americans J.P. Hayes (64), Dustin Johnson (65) and Paul Goydos (70).





Meanwhile, England's Mark Foster will take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Spanish Open in Seville.





The world No. 363, seeking his second victory on the European Tour, carded a three-under-par 69 in his third round on Saturday.





Spanish duo Alvaro Quiros (67) and Carlos Del Moral (70) were tied for second along with Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin (71).
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question: The top golfer missed out on PGA tour event for the first time since when?, answer: 2005. | question: who is tiger woods?, answer: the world's top golfer | question: what did he miss?, answer: halfway cut for only the sixth time in 14 years as a professional. | question: What has Woods missed?, answer: the halfway cut | question: What is affecting Woods golf?, answer: personal problems | question: Which chamionship will Woods line up at again next week?, answer: PGA Tour | question: Who has admitted tat that personal problems are affecting his golf?, answer: Woods