Winning can't ease pain of loss: Woods

Two more majors. Two more world championships. Nine more wins. Ten million more dollars. Six strokeplay victories in a row.

Sounds great. But for Tiger Woods, arguably the world’s greatest sportsman, 2006 will still go down not as the best year of his life, but the worst.

An eight-shot victory in the American Express World Championship at The Grove near Watford on Sunday was never going to change the world number one’s assessment.

“When you take into account what’s happened off the course it’s my worst year,” said the 30-year-old prior to flying home to Florida for a well-earned rest.

Woods’ father Earl died in May and no amount of victories can make up for that.

“I consider this year as a loss. Golf does not compare to losing a parent,” added Woods, who broke down in tears on winning the British Open at Hoylake in July.

That week began an amazing run of strokeplay success and judging by what happened this past week Byron Nelson’s 11 consecutive wins in 1945 is a possibility.

Woods was in control from the moment he went to the turn in 29 in the first round. He led by one after an opening 63, five after adding a 64 and then by six and eight after weekend rounds of 67 gave him a 23-under-par total.

On Nelson’s 11 straight the American, saddened by the legend’s death last week at the age of 94, stated: “There’s still a long way to go – I’m barely halfway. What he did was absolutely remarkable. I'm just thrilled I’ve been able to win six in a row twice. That’s a pretty neat accomplishment in itself.

“Although I didn’t make the putts I wanted at the weekend overall this was just a fantastic week. The things I’ve been working on are coming together. It’s nice to see the fruits of all the labour. My iron play is better than it was in 2000.”

That was the season Woods won the US Open at Pebble Beach by 15, the British Open at St Andrews by eight and the US PGA at Valhalla after a play-off with Bob May.

He has yet to repeat three majors in a year but he goes into 2007 having won the last two and with his domination as great as it has ever been.

Not that it has ever wavered in the World Golf Championships – introduced in 1999 – where his record is simply amazing:

:: Accenture World Match Play – seven appearances, two wins, three finals (he lost to Darren Clarke in 2000), four quarter-finals.

:: Bridgestone Invitational – eight appearances, five wins, one second, two fourths.

:: American Express Championship – seven appearances, five wins, one fifth, one ninth.

:: World Cup – two appearances, one win, one second.

Thirteen wins in all. No one else has more than two and Woods’ earnings from the series amount to more than €13.3m.

His worldwide career earnings total over €60.6m and this was his 72nd victory in 245 events – a staggering success rate. Jack Nicklaus won 73 of 594 US Tour events and Gary Player 24 out of 436.

On his six-tournament winning streak Woods has been earning at the rate of more than €3,400 for every shot – more than Nicklaus earned for winning the 1966 Open.

Money is on the minds of the European Tour’s Order of Merit contenders as, with Paul Casey finishing only 56th out of 60 his lead over David Howell (13th) is down to €118,000 ahead of this week's Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

Another Englishman, Ian Poulter, followed up his win at the Madrid Masters last month with a joint second place at The Grove after a closing 66.

The €473,000 he earned should guarantee him a return to the Masters next April.

“When Tiger got five or six clear he was going to be hard to beat,” he said. “So my goal was really to finish second and I just focused on my job.”