Don't picture an elephant.

Didn't work, did it?

For the better part of five years, that's the dilemma the best players on the PGA Tour have faced.

Only, Tiger Woods is the elephant.

So ever-present is the world's No. 1 golfer -- perhaps of all time -- the best laid plans of other golfers are often laid to ruin by Woods' presence on the leaderboard.

Case in point was last year's final round of the Masters, where Woods today begins his quest for an unprecedented third consecutive Masters title, a piece of history he says he would rank just behind his historic Tiger Slam of 2000-2001.

Ernie Els remained in the hunt against Woods turning to the back nine a year ago, but pressing to make eagle on the par-5 13th hole, Els snapped his drive into the woods, tried a low-percentage recovery shot and was never heard from again.

"After the tee shot, I was dead," Els said. "Then I just made mistake after mistake. I was trying to really rectify it as quickly as I could and subsequently I just myself deeper in a hole."

The verdict won't be known until the back nine on Sunday, but entering play at Augusta National Golf Club, a handful of Woods' would-be rivals may have finally gotten a grip on the best way to topple Tiger.

Pretend there's no Tiger at all.

Don't picture an elephant.

"I played tournaments, played majors, against Tiger," Els said. "Let's face it. Tiger's going to be there. So if you start playing Tiger on Thursday from the first tee, $you're going to beat yourself up and not play your normal game."

Els, ranked second in the world and a top-10 finisher the last three years at Augusta, has won four-times worldwide this year and captured the British Open last year for his third career major championship.

The South African credits his work with Belgian sports psychologist Jos Vanstiphout the last two years with helping him move past his numerous defeats at the hands of Woods, last year's Masters finish notwithstanding.

"If I, with my talent, play the golf course the way I should play it, I should be there Sunday afternoon," Els said. "And then it's a matter of keep on doing what you're doing. At times I've done that and at other times I haven't."

Woods himself said there's no sense in worrying about which golfers he might have to battle this year on the back nine on Sunday. He's got to get there first."If you start thinking that way, you're not going to do any bit of good to yourself," said the owner of eight career major championships, including three green jackets.

"I've got to go out there and play my game, at least give myself a chance to win this tournament. Whoever is there on the back nine on Sunday is there. That's the way I've looked at every tournament."

"I think we're all learning it's fun to look (at the leaderboard) but try not to recognize what's going on up there," said Davis Love III, who leapt to third in the world rankings after winning The Players Championship two weeks ago.

"I don't think Tiger looks at the board and worries about anybody else," Love said. "It's best for us not to worry about him or anybody but ourselves."

When he was young, Woods, 27, said he used to focus so much during a round of golf, he would actually tire himself out by the 13th or 14th hole.

"I've always been one who was very intense when I played," said Woods, calling his learning to relax "his biggest thing" as a young player.

"You can't be focused for five straight hours," he said. "I've learned to break it up. I think that's the biggest thing. I feel so much more in control of my emotions because of that."

Woods enters play this week with three victories in five starts this year and talking of feeling as confident about his game as he did in 2000, when he won nine times on the PGA Tour and won the last three majors of the year.

With Augusta National, already a long-hitters' paradise, playing even more into the hands of long hitters because of relentless rains so far this week, Woods may be an ever greater favorite than a year ago.

"I guess I'm still the favorite," said Woods, using absolutes not usually heard from the world's No. 1 player.

"I would really like to win this week," he said. "No one's ever done it before. I've been able to do certain things in golf that no one's ever done before, and if you're ever in that position, you want to take advantage of it, because it doesn't happen all the time."

Don't picture an elephant.