Woods has to live up to his own high standards
One green jacket and Tiger Woods already was being compared to Jack Nicklaus.
Four straight majors, and the comparisons climbed even higher – to himself.
The lofty standard facing the No. 1 player in golf was never more clear when Woods arrived at Augusta National. He is the betting favourite to win the Masters for the fourth time, and yet there is a feeling this major has never been so ripe with contenders.
He has won eight majors – none of his peers have more than three – but Woods is facing sharp scrutiny because he has gone the last six majors without winning.
“It's different for me versus any other player,'' Woods said on Tuesday.
“Some other player has a bad week, misses the cut, it's no big deal, he slips through the radar. Whereas, if I shoot one bad round, it's a little different.''
But this is no surprise.
“It's the only thing I've ever known since I've been out here,'' Woods said.
“I was compared to Nicklaus when I first came out here, and now I'm being compared to what I did in 2000, 1999 and 2001.''
It was during that time that Woods made history just about every time he played. He won nine times and US$9 million in 2000, the centrepiece of a stretch when he won five out of six majors.
Expectations have taken on a new meaning.
“The people out there, spectators, if they don't see Tiger in the top five making a charge on Sunday afternoon, there's something wrong with him,'' Ernie Els said.
But even Woods concedes that his swing is not the same as it was in 2000, and there are inconsistencies in his game that he is trying to solve.
Augusta National should be a good place to find some answers.
No one has ever played the Masters on a course this long and this firm. While the fast fairways should negate some of the length, the greens will accept only the best shots.
It doesn't necessarily favour the longest hitters or the sharpest short games, but simply the best players.
“A guy that feels good about his game this week, he's got a good chance to win,'' Els said. “It's pretty open.''
Phil Mickelson, leading the PGA Tour money list for the first time in six years, won the Bob Hope Classic and has finished in the top 10 in all but one event. Several people, including Harmon, believe Lefty will finally break through and win his first major this week because of the control he has shown in his game.
Vijay Singh is closing in on the No. 1 ranking Woods has held the last five years. Els has already won twice this year, one of those at Royal Melbourne in Australia, which reminds so many people of Augusta National.
Adam Scott, the guy who swings like Woods, is coming off a victory in The Players Championship and is suddenly regarded as golf's next star. – AP
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