Woods getting into stride

TOUR/News:Only time will tell, but all the statistics are stacking up to indicate that Tiger Woods is the greatest player in the game's history.

"I'm just kind of getting into my stride," remarked Woods after his win in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines on Sunday, the 62nd victory of his career on the US Tour, which tied him with Arnold Palmer in fourth place on the all-time win list.

The difference is this: when Palmer won his 62nd tournament title, he was 44; Woods celebrated his 32nd birthday only last month and, providing he stays fit, he has plenty of time on his side as he seeks to close in on the 82-career wins achieved by Sam Snead.

Of course, it is a different record, the 18 major wins of Jack Nicklaus, that Woods most wants to beat. Woods has 13 to his name, but he has reached that mark more quickly than Nicklaus, who was 35 when he won his 13th.

Woods's quest for what he refers to as "Ws" - or, more bluntly, "wins" - is insatiable, and, knowing he has time on his side, he is also patient, even if the manner in which he chalked up wins last season and already this year would indicate otherwise.

"It's just like Nicklaus's record, just like Snead's record. Those take time. Those aren't going to happen overnight, it's going to take a long time. Those guys did it over an entire career. I figure this is my 13th season on tour and I'm just kind of getting into my stride of my career," said Woods.

His win in the Buick Invitational by eight strokes from runner-up Ryuji Imada was his sixth victory in his last seven tournaments, dating back to the Bridgestone Invitational last August.

This latest winning cheque (for $936,000) brought his career winnings on the US Tour to $77.5 million.

Yet, as he headed on to Dubai for this week's Desert Classic on the European Tour, the rather scary message sent to all would-be conquerors by Woods is that there are still some "holes" in his game.

"I've been playing well. They (the other tour players) can look at it however they want to look at it. I know that I'm trying to win and trying to improve and trying to get better."

As season-openers go, Woods's dominant performance in the Buick Invitational has left nobody in any doubt that his game is as good as ever. And probably better.

The work he has undertaken with Hank Haney on his swing, his putting and his chipping has allowed him to redefine the fame. "That's one of the reasons I made the changes, because I knew I could attain another level and here we are."

Woods reckons he is playing better now than he did in 2000 when he won the final three majors of the year, starting with the US Open at Pebble Beach. "I'm starting to get better. I'm hitting shots that I could never hit before, even in 2000. I'm actually hitting the ball better now than I did during that stretch."

If there was one area of his game that Woods felt let him down at Torrey Pines (where he will return in June for the US Open), it was his driving. Maybe there is some hope for everyone else after all.

BUICK INVITATIONAL- Leading final scores (US unless stated, par 72): 269 - T Woods 67 65 66 71; 277 - R Imada (Jpn) 69 72 69 67; 279 - R Sabbatini (Rsa) 67 75 70 67, S Cink 68 69 69 73; 281 -J Leonard 76 68 65 72; 282 - P Mickelson 70 73 68 71, J Durant 70 70 67 75.