Tiger gets ready to pounce

His game is dominant, and with five victories in 12 starts this year as well as two major top-10 finishes, the success rate is phenomenal.

Yet as Tiger Woods prepares for his 16th PGA Championship appearance at Oak Hill tomorrow, there is still one thing that remains tantalisingly elusive – a 15th major.

Tomorrow’s first round at Oak Hill’s famed East Course will mark the world number one’s 17th start since he last made an inroad into Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major championship wins, winning his 14th in the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.

There have been plenty of opportunities to land a 15th and nine top-10 finishes in those 16 attempts, most recently a tie for fourth at The Masters in April and a share of third place at last month’s Open, yet since the scandals that hit his personal life at the end of 2009, Woods has never genuinely come close to making a solid push for victory when it mattered most, on the back nine of a final round.

Five victories on the PGA Tour this year, the most recent a commanding seven-shot victory last Sunday in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, may have catapulted Woods to the top of the world rankings but they do not seem to have altered the trend in majors that has seen the 37-year-old get himself into contention and then fail to make the final push for victory, last month’s final round of 74 at Muirfield a case in point.

Major number 15, then, is perhaps proving the most difficult assignment of a glittering career that has included four victories in this championship alone, the most recent in 2007.

“It kind of seems that way. It’s been probably the longest spell that I’ve had since I hadn’t won a major championship,” Woods said yesterday. I came out here very early and got my first one back in ’97.

“I’ve had, certainly, my share of chances to win. I’ve had my opportunities there on the back nine on those ... probably half of those Sundays for the last five years where I’ve had a chance, and just haven’t won it. But the key is to keep giving myself chances, and eventually I’ll start getting them.”

Woods could certainly not be coming into Oak Hill in better form, his eighth Bridgestone victory last week underpinned by a second-round 61 at Firestone that had the tournament sewn up by Friday.

“I feel good. I had a great week last week, I’ve had a couple nice days of practice. Yesterday was very light. Today did a little bit more work, and you know, still got one more day to prep and prepare.

“Do I feel good? Well, obviously I feel pretty good about winning by seven and coming here. I feel like my game’s pretty good.

“That’s how I played at the British Open. Only difference is I made more putts last week. I hit it just as good at Muirfield, and didn’t make any putts the last three days. At Firestone, I putted well, but I hit the ball just the same.”

Now Woods has to try and make the great leap forwards, capitalising on his Bridgestone success a week later and getting himself over the line when it means the most.

“Well, the thing is, just keep building. I have three days to prepare and continue to work on the things that I’m working on and get a feel for this golf course and how I’m going to play it. I’ve got two days in so far. Still got one more to go, and like to do a little bit more work tomorrow (Wednesday). Overall, I feel very pleased with where my game is at. I’ve played well in the last two tournaments I’ve played in, especially coming off a little bit of an (elbow) injury at The Open and coming back and really played well in the last two tournaments, I’m very pleased about that.”

Woods may have lost his aura of invincibility in the majors since that spellbinding victory with a broken leg at Torrey Pines but last weekend’s procession at Firestone suggests he is a worthy favourite in ominous form.

Or as Padraig Harrington put it, ever so succinctly: “If you were offered being a shot ahead of Tiger Woods on Sunday night, for sure you’d take it.”