STEWART Cink has claimed that Tiger Woods is playing the best golf of his career after his fellow American struck 14 birdies in 29 holes to win the Accenture World Match Play Championship on Sunday.
Woods posted the largest margin of victory in the event's championship match, an eight-and-seven hammering of Cink at Dove Mountain.
He now has seven victories in his past eight official starts – he tied for second in the other – and Woods confirm
ed his intent to win every tournament he plays this year.
Woods worked on his short game during the off season and Cink admitted he was all but reduced to the role of admiring fan during the US$8million event.
"He's just always in control – he gets mad, but he never loses his composure," Cink said.
"Tiger always stays very poised and he doesn't often throw away a shot. He's a lot better now than he has ever been at that.
"He has really learned how to stay within himself. He regulates his heartbeat. I think we ought to slice him open and see what's inside; maybe nuts and bolts."
Woods won nine times on the US PGA Tour in 2000, including a 15-stroke victory at the US Open and an eight-stroke canter at the Open at St Andrews, but Cink claimed his current form is as good as, if not better than, during that halcyon year.
"It's hard to say that right now is not as good as that was," Cink added. "You just don't see very much sloppiness out there. Just about any stat you pull up says that he's the best that ever played."
Woods, 32, should be entering the prime of his career, and has won 13 majors and 63 US PGA Tour events to leave him fourth on the all-time list behind Sam Snead (82), Jack Nicklaus (73) and Ben Hogan (64).
Those 63 victories include 15 World Golf Championships titles in 26 starts, including the Match Play event in 2003 and 2004, and Woods has made no secret that he is after the Grand Slam of all four majors this year.
He already knows he is capable of winning four majors in a row, having won the US Open, Open and US PGA in 2000 followed by the Masters in 2001.
"This is certainly the best stretch I think I've ever played," Woods said. "I just have a better understanding of how to play the game, how to fix my game, and have a lot more shots than I've ever had.
"I worked on my short game pretty hard this winter. I didn't like what I was feeling at the end of last year, even though I was winning tournaments. You can always get better."
Meanwhile, Scotland's Colin Montgomerie still has to climb four more places in the world rankings to qualify for the Masters at Augusta on 10-13 April.
Knocked out by eventual runner-up Cink in the third round of the World Match Play Championship last week, Montgomerie moved up from 62nd to 54th. The eight-time European No1 needs to be in the top 50 the week before the first major of the year.
He is playing in the Johnnie Walker Classic in India this week, then the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea and the CA World Championship in Florida before the cut-off date at the end of this month.
The full article contains 581 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
