I’m better than ever, roars Tiger

Woods says he is a more complete player now than he was in 2000

Back to his best?: Tiger Woods is hoping to win a fifth Green Jacket at Augusta National this week

Tiger Woods has sounded a warning to all of rivals ahead of this week’s Masters Tournament by saying he feels he is an even more complete player now than he was in 2000 when he swept all before him.

Woods won the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Invitational on his outing, ending a 30-month winless run on the PGA Tour. That victory came on the back of some impressive performances in 2012, including a runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi and the lowest final round of his PGA Tour career at the Honda Classic.

Buoyed by those performances, Woods is rightly optimistic about his chances of winning a fifth Green Jacket – and a 15th major in all – at Augusta National this week. And he ominously said that his game is better now than it was in 2000 when he won three major championships, a World Golf Championship and five regular PGA Tour titles.

“I think I have more shots than I did in 2000,” said the world No.7. “I’m not driving the ball as far, but I’m longer than I was in 2000. It’s a different game now. The guys are much taller, much bigger, much more athletic. There weren’t that many guys over six‑foot, and now it seems like everybody is 6’3” and above. The game has become bigger and stronger.

“When I played back in 2000, the big carry was 280. That was a big carry over a corner. Now, that’s been moved out to 315, 320. It’s just a different number now.

But as far as controlling my game, yeah, I feel like I’m hitting the ball just as consistently day‑in and day‑out as I did then.”

If Woods does win this week, he will tie Jack Nicklaus’ haul of 73 PGA Tour titles. However, he is insists his focus is more on becoming Masters champion again than drawing level on wins with the Golden Bear.

“I’d like the Green Jacket more,” said Tiger. “I know the 73 would be a by‑product of it, but I’m here for the Green Jacket.”

Woods also had words of praise for one of his main rivals for the title this week: Rory McIlroy. He said he was impressed at the manner in which the young Nothern Irishman fought back from the misery of squandering a four-shot lead in the final round at Augusta last year to win by eight shots in his very next major appearance, the US Open.

“It was cool to see someone learn from their mistakes like that and apply it,” said Woods. “You know, he was playing so well . He just had one bad round. It happens to everybody, and we have all been in those situations where we’ve had one bad round. He learned from it, applied it, and ran away with it. That was some pretty impressive playing at the Open.

“The way he handles himself out there on the golf course, how competitive he is, he’s very feisty. It’s what you have to be out here. He has all of the makings of being a great champion for a long period of time. We have seen him obviously what he did last year at the Masters and how he came back at the Open. He led, what, seven out of eight rounds in major championships last year, which is pretty impressive. He just needs to get more experienced and that’s just from playing. It seems like every single tournament he plays in, he’s in the top ten, and that’s great to see.”

As impressed as he is with McIlroy, though, Woods is determined that this will be the week when he finally ends his major drought. You have to go back to the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines for Tiger’s most recent victory in golf’s ‘Big Four’. However, he is confident that, such is the current shape of his game, this can be the week that he breaks that duck.

Woods said: “I certainly am excited about playing and really looking forward to getting out there. I feel like I’m driving the ball much better than I have. I’ve got some heat behind it, and it’s very straight. My iron game is improving, too, so everything is headed in the right direction at the right time.”

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered