Tiger’s on the prowl

9:32am Thursday 10th April 2008

TIGER Woods, the man with the golden game, has every other player in The Masters exactly where he wants them as he steps on to the first tee at Augusta National today.

The 94-strong field may all be equal and level par before ceremonial starter Arnold Palmer hits the opening drive at 7.50am, but one is more equal than others.

Forget the fact that Woods finished fifth, two shots behind the winner, in his last tournament.

Even he never expected to win every event he played in this year and capturing an eighth title in a row would merely have increased the probability of a defeat next time out.

Instead his Grand Slam quest - easily within reason'' are his words remember - is free of that extra burden of slaying everybody in sight every time he competes.

Going through 2008 undefeated would, of course, have made it the greatest golfing year in history.

But so will winning all four majors, and that is where his main focus lies.

Asked if anything had happened for him to ease down on his hopes for the season, the reply was not unexpected.

No,'' said Woods, who tees off at 10.45am in the company of US Open champion Angel Cabrera and Australian Stuart Appleby, leader after 54 holes last April.

I've done it before - I've won all four in a four. For the majority of my career (nine out of 12 years) I've won five or more tournaments.

So I've just got to win the right four. That what it boils down to.'' On his disappointment'' at the CA world championship in Miami, the world number one said: You have to put whatever happened behind you, whether you won or lost.

It's all about this week. You've got to be focused and ready and get everything going the right way.'' Back in 1930, Bobby Jones, the inspiration behind the launch of The Masters four years later, followed wins in the British Amateur and Open with the same double in his home country. It was a feat never to be repeated, but golf then cannot be compared with golf now.

In 1953 Ben Hogan triumphed in The Masters, United States Open and then The Open on his one and only visit to the championship. But the first round at Carnoustie that year was the day after the final of the US PGA - match play back then - and he had to make a choice between the two events.

Since Hogan's annus mirabilis only Woods has won three of the four majors in one season. That was in 2000 and included the US Open, by a record 15 shots, and The Open, by eight with a record 19-under-par total.

Woods then defeated Bob May in a play-off for the US PGA and completed the first clean sweep ever with a two-shot win over David Duval in the following year's Masters. It put his domination of his rivals at a level hard to imagine ever being exceeded.

Nobody doubts that he could do the Slam.

Woods is only 32 and he has already won 13 Majors.

Next best of those who hope they can upset the odds and beat him this week are Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els with three each.

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