Golf: Tiger sets sights on elusive rich prize

JACKSONVILLE - Tiger Woods, buoyed by his first win of the season, chases the biggest prize to elude him when he starts the Players Tournament Championship this morning.

Woods goes after the title, known as the fifth major, having just ended a sequence of eight PGA Tour events without a victory - the longest of his career.

Headlines in Florida papers declared "The drought is over."

However, they were not referring to the violent storms that ripped through the Sunshine State, dumping bucketloads of rain and dousing bush fires.

The drought on everyone's mind was Woods' run without a win that he stopped by capturing the Bay Hill crown in Orlando with a 15ft birdie on the final hole to secure a tense one-shot victory over Phil Mickelson.

With his so-called slump over, Tiger-mania is again at a fever pitch and set to escalate as Woods looks to add golf's richest event to his list of honours.

However, with 46 of the world's top 50 players tackling the menacing Sawgrass course, just south of Jacksonville, Woods must confirm he has shaken off his frustrating start to the season and is back to his brilliant best.

"Tiger raised the bar by winning nine tournaments last year. He raised it to the level that probably even he can't reproduce," said defending champion Hal Sutton, who beat Woods into second place last year.

"I see Tiger being frustrated. He's being backed into a corner and I see frustration coming out in him."

Waiting to add to Woods' frustration is a course that is rated as one of golf's toughest layouts.

Over the past three years, players have carded an average score of 74.1, the third highest on the PGA Tour behind only the US and British Opens.

The tight par-72 layout that puts a premium on accuracy has also developed a reputation as a Tiger-tamer.

In his last 100 PGA tournaments, Woods has shot 66 rounds in the 60s, but has gone under 70 only once in 16 rounds at Sawgrass.

Among the field is New Zealand's Michael Campbell, who is confident after ditching the golf ball used by Woods.

It is only Campbell's second appearance in the event and he joins in-form Grant Waite as New Zealand's only two representatives chasing the first prize of $US1,080,000.

He arrived at the course on Monday after missing the cut in the Bay Hill Invitational tournament.

"It was a bit of hiccup in Orlando where I used the Nike ball that Tiger uses, but it didn't work for me," Campbell said.

"Basically, Tiger's brand ball spins less and plays about a club longer.

"I didn't like playing with it that much, so I've gone back to the old one I've been using for some time."

The event, first staged in 1974, regularly attracts all of the world's best golfers.

This year all but three of the top 50 are present in the 145-player field.

Campbell last competed in 1996, but managed to break par only twice.

He is grouped with American Greg Craft and Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez for the first two rounds and Waite, who finished a superb third behind Woods and world No 2 Mickelson on Monday, will play alongside Americans J. P. Hayes and Doug Barron.

- NZPA