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| February 06, 2007 | Tuesday | Muharram 17, 1428 |
Woods has US Masters on his mind
DUBAI, Feb 5: Tiger Woods, striving to overhaul the great Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major championship wins, said his mind was always focused on April's US Masters as soon as the New Year celebrations were over.
“When the year turns, you are thinking what you need to do to peak for (the first major of the season in) Augusta,” the world No 1 said on Sunday.
“Once Augusta is over you are trying to figure out how to peak for the US Open (in June), then the British Open (in July) and then the US PGA Championship (in August).”
Together with Arsenal's France striker Thierry Henry and the world's leading tennis player Roger Federer, Woods was present at the Gillette Champions' launch as the company unveiled the three top sportsmen as their newest brand ambassadors.
The 31-year-old Woods, who was third behind Swedish winner Henrik Stenson in the Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club earlier on Sunday, again underlined the fact his golfing fortunes rested on his performance in the four majors.
“The whole deal is to peak four times a year, have mind and body come together for four weeks,” said the 12-times major champion after being picked to represent the world's leading razor maker because of his status as an elite athlete.
“If you are able to do that in our sport, you are going to have a pretty good career.”
Woods said he never struggled for motivation.
“I have always looked at life as, the next day is the day I can become better,” he said. “That to me is exciting, the prospect of becoming a better player, a better person.
“I love waking up, looking in the mirror in the morning and starting the day.”
Meanwhile, Woods bemoaned his ‘worst putting week in a long time’ after finishing joint third.
“It is very frustrating and I have got a lot of work to do when I get home,” he told reporters after a closing 69 for a 17-under-par total of 271 left him two shots adrift of winner Stenson.
Leading final-round scores:
269 – Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 68, 64, 69, 68.
270 – Ernie Els (South Africa) 66, 65, 68, 71.
271 – Niclas Fasth (Sweden) 69, 69, 65, 68; Tiger Woods (US) 68, 67, 67, 69.
272 – Ross Fisher (Britain) 65, 65, 71, 71.
274 – Peter Hanson (Sweden) 69, 65, 69, 71.
275 – Simon Dyson (Britain) 67, 69, 69, 70; Prom Meesawat (Thailand) 68, 68, 68, 71; Jyoti Randhawa (India) 66, 68, 67, 74.
276 – Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 70, 69, 66, 71; Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 67, 68, 71, 70; Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 70, 67, 68, 71; Maarten Lafeber (Netherlands) 70, 71, 69, 66; Colin Montgomerie (Britain) 73, 66, 68, 69.
277 – Stuart Appleby (Australia) 69, 69, 71, 68; Andrew Coltart (Britain) 69, 71, 67, 70; Johan Edfors (Sweden) 72, 68, 69, 68.
278 – Ignacio Garrido (Spain) 71, 67, 68, 72; Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) 67, 70, 72, 69.
279 – Paul Casey (Britain) 70, 68, 68, 73; Darren Clarke (Britain) 68, 70, 68, 73; Robert-Jan Derksen (Netherlands) 70, 66, 71, 72; David Park (Britain) 70, 70, 70, 69; Phillip Price (Britain) 67, 71, 69, 72.
280 – Paul Broadhurst (Britain) 73, 66, 71, 70; David Griffiths (Britain) 71, 67, 69, 73; Andrew Marshall (Britain) 69, 70, 68, 73; Paul McGinley (Ireland) 69, 69, 71, 71; Taichi Teshima (Japan) 69, 69, 68, 74; Lee Westwood (Britain) 68, 69, 75, 68.—Reuters
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