Tiger Woods: ‘That’s why I work my tail off…’

PHUKET: Tiger Woods made 27 birdies on his way to a two-stroke win in the WGC-Cadillac Championship yesterday and needed just 100 putts in 72 holes as he clinched his second victory of the young year.

Yes, it looks like Tiger Woods is well on the way back.

And if there is any doubt about Woods being close to returning to the pinnacle of the game, a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in two weeks would send the 14-times major winner back to number one in the world rankings.

“I’m just trying to get better,” said Woods.

“It’s very simple. I feel like my game is becoming more efficient and more consistent, day-in and day-out, and I am very pleased with the progress I’ve made with (swing coach) Sean (Foley).”

The debate over whether Woods is truly back to his best, to the kind of devastating form he showed in the early 2000’s, will not be over until he ends his nearly five-year wait for another major title.

But his rivals see all the signs of Tiger being Tiger again.

“His attitude and what I saw this week and his belief in himself again, looks very similar to where he was in the early 2000s,” said Steve Stricker, who was runner-up at Doral on Sunday, two strokes behind Woods.

“He just seems in a better place mentally to me. He seems to be having fun and seems to have a lot of confidence in himself and his game.”

Stricker helped Woods with his putting this week, but while he used that advice to be deadly on the greens he was consistent and controlled through all aspects of his game.

— Phuket Gazette Editors

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