Golf: Watch out, says Tiger, I'm just getting started in this game

IRVING - The best is yet to come was the warning yesterday from United States Masters champion Tiger Woods, who will return to competition at the Byron Nelson Classic starting in Texas this morning.

Woods has enjoyed four weeks off after his victory in the Masters, where he became the first player to hold all four modern major titles at the same time.

With six major victories at the age of 25, Woods is one-third of the way to matching the record 18 professional majors won by Jack Nicklaus.

And the way Woods is talking, he will get there sooner rather than later.

"I'm just five years into my career," he said. "In golfing terms, I'm just getting started. I have so many years, or possible years, that I can play at a high level. I like where I'm at right now."

While Woods sets his sights on his seventh major, the two rivals who battled with him over the final nine holes at Augusta, Phil Mickelson and David Duval, are still seeking their first major.

With every passing major that they do not win, the pressure mounts on Mickelson and Duval.

"It was nice to win a major early in my career, rather than keep plugging along and have the media [questioning me] and the pressures mounting within me to try to accomplish that," Woods said, referring to the 1997 Masters, which he won in his first major as a professional.

"I was fortunate to get it done right away, and that's a big deal. That relieved a lot of stress and tension.

"I don't think I would want to keep plugging along, major after major, without a title, because the pressure you put on yourself mounts when you are not winning.

"I understand how to win those championships.

"That's probably an even bigger deal, because once you understand what it takes coming down the stretch, how to control your game, your mind, your focus and your outlook, I think that is going to serve you down the road."

Woods' primary focus is on next month's United States Open at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

He was scheduled to have a practice round there on Tuesday, but cancelled it to attend the funeral of Mark O'Meara's mother.

* New Zealand's leading player, Michael Campbell, has ended a three-week break to play in the Benson and Hedges International Open at the Belfry course near Birmingham, which began early today.

The £1 million ($3.44 million) event is the first major tournament this season on British soil and has attracted the big guns of the European Tour.

The field include the British trio of Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie, Ireland's in-form Padraig Harrington and Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, who tamed Woods 10 weeks ago in the Dubai Classic.

Campbell is still fighting the effects of a virus he picked up from his son, Thomas, but was confident he had broken the back of the illness.

"Thomas picked up a bug at day care, then he gave to [wife] Julie and then I got it," Campbell said yesterday.

"But I'm feeling a lot better now than I did last week.

"It's been nice anyway to take some time off and not worry about packing a suitcase, catching a flight or staying in a hotel.

"I've had time off where I did nothing at all, so I feel refreshed, especially not having a break over Christmas and New Year.

"This is the start of the business end of the year in Europe and you only have to look around to see Westwood, Clarke and Monty are back, so it's time to get into top gear," Campbell said.

"It's time, too, to start improving on my Order of Merit standing in Europe after spending a few weeks in the States.

"I'm fourth at present but I have a good chance to win the Order of Merit this year, so I have to keep plugging away at that."

Joining Campbell in the field are Elliot Boult and Stephen Scahill.

The New Zealand duo were last week re-ranked at No 4 and No 5 respectively, following the French Open, of those 35 golfers who qualified for the Tour through last November's qualifying school.

Their high rankings mean they will gain entry into the lucrative European Tour events over the next month.

- NZPA