Injury scare for Tiger won't affect Masters

Tiger Woods was hampered by a leg injury at last week's Players Championship in Florida, but insists this will not affect his build-up to the U.S. Masters.

The world number one, determined to win his first grand slam title since the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, is spending the next few days at his Florida home where he will complete preparations for the April 8-11 event.

"My leg is sore, there's no doubt about that," Woods told reporters after tying for 16th in The Players at the TPC at Sawgrass. "Hey, I just go ahead and keep playing."

The 28-year-old American added the problem was a sore quadriceps muscle that he injured on the driving range at the Nissan Open in Los Angeles last month.

"Overall, though, I'm pleased with the things that I'm working on starting to come together," he said. "I'm starting to show signs. I just need to replicate it more often.

"I need to hit more fairways, more proper golf shots at the flags, give myself more birdie opportunities because I'm really putting well, just not giving myself enough looks at putts."

By his lofty standards, eight-times major winner Woods has struggled for much of the last 12 months to dovetail accuracy off the tee with his ability to reach greens in regulation.

In 2000, he won three of the season's four majors -- two of them in record-breaking style -- and ended one of the greatest years in golfing history by setting or tying 27 PGA Tour records.

Last year, however, he was winless in the majors for the first time since 1998 and this season he has been forced to scramble his way around the course with either his driver or his approach play letting him down.

Although Woods won last month's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa, he never found his best form. He then faded to a tie for 46th at Bay Hill the following week, his worst finish in five years.

"My swing is good if I let it go and trust it but, when I get out there and I see a little trouble and I've got a little wind and have to hit a shot in play, I don't trust it," said Woods, who had knee surgery 15 months ago.

A significant improvement at Sawgrass last week was that, if he did miss the fairway, it was always to the left.

"That I can deal with," he said. "The two-way miss is not a good way to play golf, so at least I got it singled down to one way.

"It's just a matter of staying behind it and trusting it because it's in there."

Woods, a three-times Masters champion, will play his first practice round for this year's tournament at Augusta next Monday.

He felt no need to pay an earlier visit to the course because no significant changes have been made to the 7,290-yard layout since last year.

"The only hole they really changed is 11, with the tree line" he said. "It's not like a reconstruction of some of the greens or some of the tee boxes like they did a few years ago."