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Tiger Woods refuses to rest on laurels
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-26 10:59 Even after 10 years defined by his 10 major
championships, there are times when Tiger Woods still feels as though he has
something to prove.
The chill of a Pacific breeze was in his face Tuesday morning when he reached
his ball in the sixth fairway, seemingly too far away to reach the green.
"No chance to get there?" he said to his caddie.
Tiger Woods follows
through on his tee shot on the fifth hole on the South Course at Torrey
Pines during the Pro-Am at the Buick Invitational Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006
in San Diego. [AP] |
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Steve Williams shrugged his shoulders and told him it was 275 yards to the
front of the green, a long way considering the wind and temperature in the 50s
that keeps the ball from traveling as far.
"Let me show you my stuff," Woods said with a smile, grabbing a driver from
the bag.
He ripped a low, piercing shot that held its line until tumbling into the
first cut of rough, a few yards short of the green. And this brought another
smile.
"That," he said, "was pure."
There were few signs of rust for Woods, who makes his 2006 debut at the Buick
Invitational after taking the second-longest break of his career.
He missed two months because of knee surgery at the end of the 2002 season,
returning at the Buick Invitational and winning by four shots. He took six weeks
off this time, a self-imposed break to recover from a long year in which he
spent more time on the range trying to refine his swing.
More than just the six weeks, Woods made it a point not to touch a club until
the calendar changed.
"Once the new year came around and I started to realize I only had a couple
more weeks to prepare, to start getting ready, then my mind kind of switched
over," Woods said. "Before that, I basically had made a decision not to touch a
club until the following year."
He spent four days skiing, and the rest of December in southern California to
be near his father, who is fighting a losing battle with cancer. Woods said only
that Earl Woods was "hanging in there."
Woods is the defending champion at Torrey Pines, where the field isn't as
strong as it was a year ago. Only three of the top 10 players from the world
ranking are at the Buick Invitational, the others being Phil Mickelson and
Sergio Garcia. Ernie Els is making his '06 debut at the Qatar Masters, joined by
Vijay Singh.
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