Golf: All signs point to Tiger at Medinah

If form and momentum guaranteed golfing success, there would be no need to engrave any other name than Tiger Woods on the Wanamaker Trophy for next week's PGA Championship at Medinah.

The world No 1 has triumphed in his last two events and, according to his New Zealand caddie Steve Williams, has never swung the club better.

American Woods clinched his 11th major title with a two-shot victory in last month's British Open at Hoylake, producing what he described as one of the best ball-striking weeks of his career.

In his next outing at last week's Buick Open, he strung together four consecutive rounds of 66 to complete his 50th victory on the PGA Tour on Monday (NZ time).

He racked up a career-high 28 birdies over the four days, largely because his putting and distance control with irons were in impeccable order.

Perhaps of even more significance, his driving accuracy was an impressive 66.1 per cent during the week, and this is the one department of his game which has so often been his achilles' heel.

He has now secured victory in more than 25 per cent of his professional starts on the PGA Tour, with 50 titles in 196 appearances.

If these statistics are not enough to induce a cold sweat in his rivals at Medinah, they can also ponder the fact that Woods won the PGA Championship the last time it was staged there in 1999.

Hardly surprisingly, the game's leading player is in upbeat mood as he prepares for the final major of the year.

"It sure does give you a big boost of confidence that the things you're working on are positive," Woods, 30, said after his Buick Open victory at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club.

"I was able to control my ball there and I was able to control my ball here, and more importantly, I was able to putt well.

"I really controlled my pace on the greens, and that's what you have to do to win tournaments."

Woods leads the PGA Tour scoring averages with 68.99 and the greens in regulation charts with 73 per cent.

At Warwick Hills, his greens in regulation percentage was a remarkable 81.9 and his driving accuracy a respectable 66.1 per cent.

On top of that, he has claimed five titles in 12 worldwide starts this year, an astonishing win ratio given that he took a nine-week break after the Masters in April to deal with the illness and death of his father Earl.

Yet Woods, with typical determination, wants to get even better.

"You never get there," he said.

"It's a lifelong ambition to get better, and as an athlete, you're always trying to get better, no matter what."

However incomplete Woods may feel about his game, he will be the red hot favourite in the eyes of the bookmakers and the fans when he launches his title bid at Medinah next Friday.

He will also be player to beat as far as his rivals are concerned.

"He has a knack of being able to finish off golf tournaments," fellow American Jim Furyk said after having to settle for second place behind Woods on Monday.

"He puts himself in position a lot, and when he gets there, more often than not, he ends up winning the golf tournament.

"It's difficult to do. We haven't seen an equal of that in the last, I don't know how many years. Definitely my era hasn't seen it.

"He's a tough guy. He's the guy to go out there and beat and it's exciting for me to go out or for the other players to go out and try to apply some pressure. You want to be trying to beat the best, and it's just very difficult."

- REUTERS