Tiger Woods ready to roar into action

If Tiger Woods can pick up in the Open where he left off last year - and his recent form suggests he could - golf fans are in for a real treat at Carnoustie this coming week.

The record book shows that Mark O'Meara beat fellow American Brian Watts in a play-off at Royal Birkdale 12 months ago.

That championship will also live long in the memory for 17-year-old Justin Rose's unbelievable fourth place finish - the best in the Open by an amateur for 45 years.

But Woods signed off in a manner which reminded everybody who is the most exciting talent in the game.

A 30-foot chip-in at the 71st hole and then a 30-foot closing birdie putt gave the Californian a 66, but, having started the final day five behind, he still missed the play-off by one stroke.

As a signal of intent for the future, though, it was breath-taking and for all the success which David Duval has had in the last two years and the emotional and dramatic victories of Jose Maria Olazabal and Payne Stewart in the first two majors of this season, Woods is still a crowd-puller without equal.

Now he returns to Europe as world number one again after winning three of his last four tournaments and in the other he finished third at the US Open.

The 23-year-old is well aware that great things will be expected of him. But that has been the case ever since he won the 1997 Masters - his first major as a professional - by an unbelievable 12 shots.

After that achievement the question on everybody's mind was whether the player had finally arrived who might one day challenge Jack Nicklaus's record 18 major titles.

Nine majors on he still has 17 to go and some chances to increase his tally have already slipped by. But he is not dwelling on that.

As O'Meara and Watts went into their four extra holes last July, Woods was asked if he was reflecting on what might have been.

"You could do that and you could beat yourself up forever," he said.

"You could do that every tournament - say 'what if?' You have to look at the positive - I started out good (a first round 65 gave him a share of the lead), finished good and hit a lot of good shots.

"I'm proud of my performance. Finishing third is not something you should be upset about. I was one shot out of a play-off."

Woods took the same upbeat approach at Pinehurst last month after a brilliant birdie at the difficult 16th in the final round was followed by a bogey on the 17th to kill his hopes.

"I didn't make one mental mistake," he stated. "Unfortunately, I made physical mistakes - I got steep on a lot of shots - and that happens.

"My short game is back, better than ever. I've got a couple of shots I've been working on and it was pretty sweet that when I used them they turned out right.

"I'm very pleased with my performance. I had a good chance, but it just proves to me that I can definitely win a US Open. I know I have the game and the mind for it - it's just a matter of time.

"I know I can win a British Open too because I've come close."

Woods has an advantage over some of his leading rivals at the Open - he has played Carnoustie twice before, albeit as an amateur in the Scottish Open each time.

"It's probably the hardest course on the British Open rotation," he comments. "If they have the rough up the way they can and narrow the fairways it will be very difficult.

"If we get bad weather it is brutal. On the 17th (a 459-yard par four) I remember hitting driver, driver and barely rolling onto the green and then the next day I hit five-iron, five-iron.

"It's a very interesting course, but it is all dependent on the weather. If it's not bad, the guys can tear it apart.

"I've played it under basically every single different kind of condition imaginable - rain, wind, calm, sunny, cloudy, foggy. And I think that was all in one round!

"It's a challenge playing that course. A couple of guys pulled out because they hurt themselves in waist-high grass."

Defending Open champion Mark O'Meara has no hesitation calling Woods the greatest striker of a golf ball he has ever seen.

And fellow American Lee Janzen is among those in no doubt that Woods is getting better and better.

"He probably hits his driver 20 or 30 yards shorter than he did when he first came on tour," said double US Open champion Janzen. "But he's really learning how to tone it down, to be a ball-control player.

"He knows he has to hit each iron the right distance consistently. I see him working towards that and I think he is improving.

"He drives the ball very straight for as far as he hits it and I think that's because he has learnt how to swing at 75-80%."

The bottom line to outsiders, however, is that Woods won his first major as a professional and has not won any since.

He and others can make all the noises they like about him being a better player now than 12 or 24 months ago. Everybody knows that the only measure of him that matters is how many majors he wins.

Woods considers it time to move on from one to two. Carnoustie will do nicely.