Tiger ready to roar back, but Singh may change his tune

TWO DAYS before he goes looking for a fourth Masters crown and ninth major title Tiger Woods believes his best is still to come.

Without a major since the 2002 US Open and displaced as world number one by Vijay Singh, Woods feels ready to start closing in again on Jack Nicklaus’ record haul of 18.

“I’m only 29 - I’m not over the hill yet,” he said.

When asked if he anticipated his best was still ahead he said: “I think so.

“Everybody is always saying ‘you can try to get back to 2000’ (the year he won the US Open by 15 and Open at St Andrews by eight). I don’t want to - I want to become better.

“That’s the whole idea of making a (swing) change. I won the Masters by 12 in ’97 and I changed my game. Do I want to go back to that? No, I don’t. I wanted to become better than that and I was able to achieve that. That’s why I’ve made this change.

“I’ve been scrutinised over the past year or so for doing that and I’m starting to see the fruits of it now.

“I just wanted to get to a better level, a higher level and be more consistent day-in, day-out. Last year I was just getting started with the changes and this year I’m just putting the finishes touches.”

For the first time in his life, Singh enters a major championship this week as world number one - and he admits he is finally at ease in the spotlight.

“I’m enjoying my game right now. What can be better - I’m here at the Masters, the best player in the world right now and I’m ready to go win another one.

“Once I reached number one last year I thought ‘wow, this is it’.

“But then I won again straight away and it changed the whole outlook. I increased my lead and I said ‘well, let’s see how long I can keep this and see if anyone is going to catch me’.

“I love being number one. There’s no hiding that.

“It’s the biggest achievement of anyone’s career and something I can always look back on, but I’m trying to win tournaments.”

Asked about the mental side of the game Singh revealed the importance of Eastern philosophy to him.

“I’ve worked with Joe Parent, who wrote Zen Golf, two or three years ago, but he probably learned some from me and I learned some from him.

“It was kind of a give-and-take thing. I read a lot of psychology books.

“It’s not just thinking positive or routine. It’s how you breathe and how you walk and how you approach things. I love following Eastern philosophy.”