Woods looking to end year on high

Tiger Woods embraces charity and as such this week’s Target World Challenge will benefit his own foundation, but there will be no pre-Christmas hand-outs from the newly-crowned PGA Tour Player of the Year when he goes into battle against an elite field at the Sherwood Country Club.

The world number one is red-hot favourite to succeed Padraig Harrington as winner of this invitational event and scoop the £750,000 jackpot which goes to the champion.

After beating the likes of Ernie Els and Vijay Singh to win the PGA award last weekend, Woods is on a high and hungry for more success at the end of a year which began with him on the treatment table after knee surgery.

Since returning to the tour in mid-February, Woods has won five titles and earned £4million in prize-money. Even though he has failed to win a Major for the first time since 1998, Woods’ year has been remarkable.

And there is no sign of Woods letting up, or showing any indication of winding down for the festive season.

Far from it in fact, because the Woods desire shows no indication of abating.

“It’s the same desire. The desire is just to win. The goal, that’s to win,” said Woods.

“That’s what gives me a tremendous amount of satisfaction in the game of golf is getting out there and winning because you know that there’s no-one else that week that beat you, and that to me is a lot of fun knowing that you beat everyone out there on that field and they gave it their best.

“The goal has not changed, the desire is the same.”

The lack of a Major in this year’s portfolio has led some to question whether Woods might be struggling to live up to his legend.

But neither Singh or Els emerged triumphant in the Masters, US Open, the Open or the PGA Championship, during a bizarre year in which all four went to first-timers.

Woods is tournament host this weekend, and competing for the top prize are a number of the world’s finest players, including Singh, Masters champion Mike Weir, PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel and Ben Curtis – the most astonishing of all Major winners in this or any year.

Curtis won The Open at Royal St George’s despite being ranked 396th in the world immediately prior to the tournament.

Woods looks at Micheel, Curtis, Weir and US Open winner Jim Furyk and barely raises any concern that these players have won the big prizes in 2003.

Asked whether he would rather have had his or Weir’s year, and Woods unequivocally responds: “Mine.”

Pressed further, he reasons: “I’ve won three Masters.”

Harrington, Davis Love III, Kenny Perry and Darren Clarke are others who could come into contention over the four days of this event, while Australian Robert Allenby will fancy his chances having won the Australian Masters last weekend.

Woods sees it as an opportunity to finish the year in style and silence those who still question whether he might have lost his way over the past 12 months.

“It’s frustrating because I knew I wasn’t in a slump. There’s certain players that I have seen go into a slump and I certainly wasn’t in that,” added Woods, referring to a barren spell earlier this year.

“I just had not won in, what was it, three or four months or whatever it was.”