Even Woods believes in a possible Slam

2008-01-08

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(C) 2007 PA SPORTSTICKER, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED By John Nestor PA SportsTicker Golf Editor

"I think it's easily within reason," said Tiger Woods and with those words the watch has officially begun as even Woods himself sees the Grand Slam as a possibility this season.

And why wouldn't he? Woods will always be one of the favorites at The Masters and the U.S. Open will be held at Torrey Pines on a course where Woods has won five Buick Invitationals.

Granted, Torrey Pines has never been set up for the Buick like the USGA will have it for the Open, but five wins on the same track, that has to add up to some kind of advantage for a player who hardly needs it.

The British Open is at Royal Birkdale, where Woods finished one shot out of a playoff in 1998 and the PGA Championship is at Oakland Hills where he was leading the '96 Open as an amateur in the first round and played well at the 2004 Ryder Cup.

Woods is coming off a season in which he won seven times in 16 starts, including a triumph at the PGA Championship. He seems poised to rip off another run of stellar golf and there is nothing that anyone can do about it.

He won't win every time out, he has 15 wins in his last 31 starts, it will just feel like it. And when he is at least two majors closer to Nicklaus after the season, comments like Rory Sabbatini's "he's as beatable as ever" will be viewed as both ridiculous and hilarious.

In fact, Woods looks like he'll be tougher to beat than ever, and nowhere more so than at the majors this season.

NEVER TO EARLY: The Ryder Cup, which will be played at Valhalla in Louisville this September, still seems to be a long ways off, but it is never too early to look ahead at how the U.S. team is shaping up.

Captain Paul Azinger will have four picks to round out his team, with the top eight players in the points list automatically qualifying.

Tiger Woods leads the way, followed by Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker. Woody Austin is fifth, followed by Hunter Mahan, Stewart Cink and Joe Durant.

Only Woods, Furyk, Johnson and Stricker have over 1,000 points and, if the team was being picked today, Azinger would have to use one of his four picks on Phil Mickelson, who is 55th in the standings.

The standings are almost guaranteed to change quite a bit throughout the season and are designed to reward the players who are playing well currently, rather than the ones who were hot a year ago.

Among the players on the outside looking in heading into the first full-field event of the 2008 season, the Sony Open, are Jerry Kelly (ninth), David Toms (10th), Scott Verplank (11th), Davis Love III (17th) and Brandt Snedeker (21st).

Question or comment? e-mail John.Nestor@PA-SportsTicker.com