Woods has Masters on his mind

2008-03-19

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By Andrew Both PA SportsTicker Golf Writer

MIAMI (Ticker) -- It''s all well and good for Tiger Woods to winseven consecutive tournaments, but they will count for little inhis own mind if he doesn''t also win next month''s Masters.

Woods has never made any secret that he builds his career aroundthe four major championships. Other tournament victories areall well and good, but are simply building blocks toward hisultimate goal of becoming the most successful major championshipplayer of all-time.

"You don''t really get remembered for number of (regulartournament) wins in a career," Woods said Wednesday on the eveof the World Golf Championships CA Championship at DoralResort''s Blue Monster.

"It''s the number of wins in major championships. Those are thebiggest events. If you win one major a year, it turns a goodyear into a great year. That''s one reason we players put so much emphasis on these major championships. They mean so much, and not only to us but in the historical sense. You can win every tournament for the entire year but if you go 0-for-4 in the major championships."

Such comments are probably not what this week''s tournamentsponsor really wants to hear. It throws $8 million at theplayers, only to listen to Woods basically write off the eventas a Masters tune-up.

"I''ve always said you want to peak four times a year and I wanteverything positively going that way," Woods said. "Thisweek is a new week and I''m trying (to win) and make sure my gameis right for Augusta."

Woods, whose winning streak has comprised five United States PGATour events, one European Tour tournament and his ownlimited-field unofficial event, was asked if he expected to losea tournament this year.

Tellingly, he did not emphatically say yes, simply replying, "Imsure it''ll happen eventually."

As Woods prepares to add a 14th major title to his resume - healready is second on the career all-time list behind JackNicklaus - what perhaps is most worrying to his peers is that heseems to be getting better and better at rectifying any swingfaults while in the midst of a tournament.

"I''ve learned how to fix things while I''m playing," he said."That''s been the best thing about the way I''ve been playing thelast few years, learning how to fix my game on the fly and turnrounds that should be 73 or 74 into a 64. I think that''s thematuration of my game."

Woods demonstrated that last week at the Arnold PalmerInvitational. Seven strokes from the halfway lead, he found hisswing overnight and went on to win the tournament.

And now Woods brings his game to a tournament he has all butowned, winning it six times in its eight stagings. And it''s notas though the tournament is always played on a courseparticularly suited to his game, as his victories have all comeon different courses, in four separate countries no less.

He has won at Valderrama in Spain, Mount Juliet in Ireland, TheGrove in England, as well as Harding Park in San Francisco,Woodstock in Atlanta and here last year.

Woods'' record in WGC events is even better than in majors - 15victories in 26 starts. And he never finished outside the top 10in 17 WGC stroke play events. Ironically, while he puts most ofhis energy into preparing for the majors, his WGC record is far more impressive.