TIGER FIRE BURNS BRIGHT AS EVER

One son, one daughter, one Swedish model wife, two good knees, 14 majors, countless millions in the bank. What more could Tiger Woods possibly want?

The answer is another Masters title next Sunday and after that, at least four more majors.

Woods's reaction to the 16-foot birdie putt which won him the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week said it all.

He is as pumped-up as ever and still hungry for the quintet of victories which will take him above Jack Nicklaus and leave nobody in any doubt about who is golf's greatest-ever player.

Now he returns to the Augusta National course where his name is already stamped into history.

Twelve years ago, aged 21, Woods competed in his first major as a professional and after going to the turn in 40 on the opening day - playing alongside defending champion Nick Faldo - he went on to become the youngest Masters champion.

Not just that, he did it with a record 18-under-par score and by a record 12-shot margin.

He has not matched either of those feats since, but he has not done badly. Further wins on the lay-out came in 2001 - he became the first player ever to hold all four majors at the same time - 2002 and 2005.

In the past three years he has come third, second and second and last April's runner-up finish to Trevor Immelman was achieved at a time when very few really knew how bad his left knee was.

Soon they did. He had an operation the following week, did not return until the US Open in June and after his staggering victory there underwent reconstructive surgery and was out of the game for eight months.

Now he is back and with a win in only the third event of his return he is back with a bang.

"You can understand when some of the older players haven't been in contention in a while and they come back and then all of a sudden they put themselves in contention and then they win," he said.

"You just remember how to do it. It hasn't been that long for me, but you just have that feel of what to do and it's a matter of getting it done.

"It feels great. As I look back at my three tournaments I've played this year, I've got better at each one and the whole idea was to keep progressing to Augusta."

Woods's rivals might like to be reminded that he has won "only" two of the last six majors he has played in.

The fact that he has finished second in three of the other four, however, tells you that whenever he is around it is hard to take your eyes off him.

That has always been the case since his golf-changing 1997 display.

Padraig Harrington remembers being interrupted in church that year by a fan wanting to discuss Woods.

And he spoke recently about how Woods's score is always hard to avoid.

"He's created that and he deserves that little advantage that he gets," said the Open and US PGA champion. "Tiger has a presence."

Sergio Garcia was asked last week about Woods's apparent ability to will a putt into the hole.

"He's able to do that when it matters the most, down the stretch, more than the rest of us - and that's why he's a little bit above us, I guess," commented the world number three.

The long injury lay-off brought Woods back to the chasing pack on the world rankings, but he did what he had to do to deny Garcia the chance to overtake him in his second event back and by winning at Bay Hill, Phil Mickelson was denied the opportunity in Houston this weekend.

Woods doing what he has to do. Nothing new there.


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McILROY WANTS NEW MASTERS MEMORIES

It is no wonder really that Rory McIlroy has wanted to play The Masters ever since he became aware of it.

The first Augusta tournament he remembers - aged six at the time he admits it is a somewhat vague memory - was the 1996 one in which Greg Norman's collapse and Nick Faldo's charge made for some of the most riveting action golf has ever produced.

Twelve months later, his interest in the game that much greater, McIlroy was simply glued to his television as his hero Tiger Woods, in the first major he played as a professional, stormed to a record 12-shot win.

For decades to come those two Masters will always be recalled - and now, at the tender age of 19, McIlroy is about to become part of the tournament's history as well.

Climbing into the world's top 50 by the end of last year to guarantee himself an invitation was a feat in itself, but it is the way he started this year that has really thrust the Northern Ireland youngster into the limelight.

Winning his first European Tour title against a star-studded field in Dubai catapulted him into the game's top 20 and it came with a comment from former Masters and Open champion Mark O'Meara that his ball-striking was ahead of Woods at the same age.

Such praise heaps expectations on McIlroy's shoulders, but he appears to have taken it in his stride and at Augusta National he knows he is in the perfect "nothing to lose, everything to gain" position.

"I'm just going to treat it as a normal event," McIlroy said, fully aware that come the week that is far easier said than done.

"I'll try not to be too overawed by the occasion or the place. If I play the way I can then hopefully I can have a good finish. I've got to go there expecting to play well."

Being paired with O'Meara in Dubai could result in a real bonus at the start of Masters week as the American told him he would try to arrange a practice round with Woods.

McIlroy, who so admires the 14-major winner for "the way he plays with no fear", has already shown that majors do not scare him.

Winning the European amateur title when he was 17 earned him a place in the 2007 Open at Carnoustie and his opening 68 not only put him in third place, but it was also the only bogey-free round of the day.

He finished 42nd and as the only amateur to survive the halfway cut collected the silver medal in a prize-giving ceremony where top of the bill, of course, was his fellow Irishman Padraig Harrington.

Despite earning his Tour card in just his second start - he was third at the Dunhill Links event - McIlroy failed to make it into any of the majors last season.

This year will be different. He should be in all four.

Only in The Masters will he still be a teenager, but amazingly he is only the third-youngest player in the field.

New Zealander Danny Lee, 18, qualified as the youngest-ever US Amateur champion, while 17-year-old Ryo Ishikawa, Japan's new star, received a special invitation and becomes the second-youngest participant in Masters history.


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WESTWOOD TAMES TEXAS COURSE

Lee Westwood got off to a hot start in Texas on Thursday before howling winds brought the Shell Houston Open to halt for the day with only half the field having started.

Play was halted in bright sunshine at 12.50pm local time at Redstone Golf Club as winds of up to 45 miles per hour caused havoc on the closely-shaved fast greens and the Tournament Course was deemed unplayable by PGA Tour officials.

At 4pm they then officially postponed for the day after a wind advisory was issued for the area until 7pm local time in Houston.

During play earlier in the day, golfers had seen their golf balls blown from their position on the greens.

"We just couldn't conduct the competition so we had to call it," PGA Tour vice president of rules Mark Russell said.

The first round was not set to resume until Friday morning with 72 players still to tee off in an event many are using as a final tune-up before next week's Masters tournament.

England's Westwood will begin the day with a two-shot lead over the field at a par-72, 7,457-yard course that has been set up to imitate conditions at Augusta National.

Redstone, though, had the added challenge of high winds and exposed greens but Westwood was more than a match for the task as he went into the early lead at four under after nine holes of his opening round.

"It's a bit early in the tournament to be doing interviews," Westwood told the PGA Tour Network , "but I'll take it anytime, leading the tournament.

"It's just unfortunate we've had to stop playing today because it's such beautiful weather."

The Ryder Cup star birdied the first, second and seventh holes before sinking a 45-foot putt for a birdie two at the ninth.

He added: "I hit lots of good shots over the nine holes. Four under and it could probably have been a couple better than that but I'm please to be four under par, especially in those conditions and I'm looking forward to just hopefully carrying it on for the rest of the week."

Westwood was about to putt for birdie from 17 feet at the par-four 10th when the hooter sounded to halt play.

"We were given the option of putting out while it was unplayable or coming back in the morning when maybe the wind will have dropped and the greens have been cut.

"Even I'm clever enough to go with the second option."

Westwood's birdie on the ninth gave him a two-stroke lead over eight players at two under including including Americans JB Holmes and Justin Leonard and Korea's Charlie Wi.

Fellow Englishman Greg Owen had been among that group before a bogey five at the 11th sent him a further shot back alongside six players including veteran American and University of Houston graduate Fred Couples, the 49-year-old US 2009 Presidents Cup captain having played seven holes starting on the back nine.

Australia's Greg Norman, Couples' rival captain for this year's matches against the Rest of the World at Harding Park in San Francisco this autumn, was level par after eight holes as he prepares for his first Masters tournament since 2002.

At even par after seven holes was Ireland's Padraig Harrington, who had birdied his second and third holes having started at the 10th tee, only to bogey his sixth and seventh.

Sweden's Daniel Chopra was also at even after six, while Alex Cejka of Germany was one over after nine with Luke Donald of England and Fredrik Jacobsen of Sweden both two over having played 10 and 11 holes respectively.

Also struggling in the windy conditions was world number two Phil Mickelson, playing for the first time since winning the WGC-CA Championship at Doral two weeks ago. The left-handed American was three over after eight holes alongside fellow major winner Angel Cabrera of Argentina.

Spain's Alvaro Quiros was having a terrible time as he sunk to nine over par after 12 holes thanks to two double-bogeys and five bogeys.

His compatriot Sergio Garcia was among the players who will have to wait until Friday to get their tournament under way following a day that had already been delayed more than two hours due to heavy rain.

Northern Ireland teenager Rory McIlory, his compatriot Darren Clarke, Colombia's Camilo Villegas, Swedish duo Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson and England's Paul Casey and Justin Rose were also among those who failed to get going.


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HARRINGTON: AUGUSTA THE TOUGHEST

Padraig Harrington goes for an incredible third major in a row next week rating Augusta National as the ultimate test for a golfer.

"I rate it incredibly highly," said the Open and USPGA champion.

"The Open is very close to my heart, but, in terms of sternness of test and ability to play golf, if you can win The Masters you can really play this game.

"Whenever I'm practising I'm always thinking 'Is this up to the standard that will get me around Augusta?'

"If it is that means it would cover any golf course. If you can play Augusta you can play anywhere.

"You're not going to win by luck. You're going to be on top of your game and you're going to have the ability to play golf in all departments of your game.

"You're not going to get away with just being a good putter or a good chipper or a good driver. You have to have all departments that week.

"You've got to be in top form with your putter to be in contention because you're going to get some difficult putts.

"Strategy is probably the biggest play at Augusta, certainly the biggest difference in Augusta from all other golf courses.

"You see courses where every player will hit the same club off each tee and every player will hit to the same pins and whatever. Augusta it all changes.

"When to go at a pin, when not to, where is the place to play safe, it gives you so many options that you've got to be right on top of your mental game that week.

"I think the two things are to putt well and to make the right decisions. If I do those two things I know I'll have a good week."

Even if his build-up form has not been stellar, Harrington has to draw huge strength from what happened at Birkdale and Oakland Hills last summer.

"It's nice that I am going for three in a row. It means I did something right in the last two majors.

"But I'm not going to this major and thinking it has to happen. I'm working on the principle that there are a number of major championships ahead of me.

"If I can win some of them that's fair enough. If you said to me I was going to miss the cut at this Masters and win the Masters next year I'd be very happy with that.

"If it happens it will be a bonus, but I'm not going to put any pressure on my ability to win this one. A lot of my rhetoric and talk is about trying to manage this as a stand-alone event."

When he became the first European since Tommy Armour in 1931 to win back-to-back majors Harrington had centre stage to himself.

Things have changed in the run-up to Augusta - and Harrington could not be more pleased about that.

"Tiger is back playing, Phil (Mickelson) is obviously playing great golf, you've got Rory McIlroy taking a lot of the attention at home in Ireland and in Britain, you've got Retief Goosen back in form, you've got Greg Norman sentimentally coming back.

"All of this is helping take a little bit of the attention away from me. It means that I can get back to doing my thing and get back to a little bit of normality in my preparation."

And that preparation includes playing the traditional par-three competition next Wednesday - with his five-year-old son Patrick as caddie - and trying to win it for a third time.

No par-three winner has ever gone on to win the tournament proper four days later, but Harrington's intention is to do just that.

"I'm starting a campaign to end superstitions forever," he stated.


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ROSE HOPES FOR A HAPPY RETURN

Justin Rose could almost write a book on what it is like to lead The Masters.

But there would be no chapter on what it is like to win it. Not yet at least.

In 2004 Rose's second appearance at Augusta saw him two in front after both an opening 67 and a second round 71, but he then crashed to an 81 and finished 22nd.

It took him until 2007 to return, but when he did he shared the first day pace with American Brett Wetterich after a 69 which was the only round of the day not to contain a bogey.

With two holes to play on the final day Rose was only one behind, but a double-bogey six on the 17th crushed his hopes.

Last April he was there again. Only Trevor Immelman could match his opening 68, but while the South African went on to capture his first major Rose was kept waiting for his. He finished 36th.

"Augusta is a magical place and the experiences I've had here have been powerful experiences," he said.

"I've had good ones and bad ones and you learn from both.

"I think the biggest thing about winning a major is believing you can and what's happened to me here has been key for me in terms of making that step.

"You certainly never get tired of seeing your name up there, for sure. That's exciting."

It remains the case, however, that Rose's best major finish was his fourth place in the 1998 Open at Birkdale when he was a 17-year-old.

He explained: "The thing I did so well there was that I was blissfully unaware of the level I was actually playing at.

"I think if you can sort of kid yourself into being in that mindset again, just letting your natural abilities take over and not tend to worry too much about 'this is The Masters' or things like that, then you have a good chance.

"Sometimes you learn more from situations that go badly than when things go well.

"You've got to really pace yourself during the week and obviously when your tee times are quite late you've got to try to find ways to fill your day up until your tee time to occupy yourself."

That 81 five years ago was his worst score in a major until an 82 in the third round of The Open back at Birkdale last summer.

It left him "shell-shocked", but it has not affected how he feels about Augusta National.

"The magic about this place is that you never tire of it and it can be your 20th year and you drive up Magnolia Lane as if it's your first time.

"You still get that special feeling and obviously that helps to get you really fired up to play some good golf."

If learning how to handle pressure is part of the process towards winning a major then last September's Ryder Cup should certainly be of assistance.

Valhalla was Rose's debut and he won three of his four games, two of them with close friend Ian Poulter and then his singles against Phil Mickelson no less.

Rose won that three and two, but just like his last three visits to Augusta the week did not have the ending he hoped for.

Maybe it will be different this time.


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HOWELL AIMS TO KEEP REBUILDING

From beating Tiger Woods to watching his comeback in an Arizona television studio less than 3 1/2 years later is not quite what David Howell had planned for his career.

But when you fall from ninth in the world to outside the top 200 that is what can happen.

At the Portuguese Open starting today, however, Howell hopes to feed off some happy memories and point himself towards a brighter future.

Twice a Ryder Cup winner, the 33-year-old from Swindon failed to register a single top 20 finish during an injury-hit 2007, but at Oitavos Dunes last April shot a closing 64 and was in a play-off for the title with France's Gregory Bourdy and Scot Alastair Forsyth.

It was his lowest round for over two years and although Bourdy won in sudden death - Howell has lost all four he has been involved in - it did not put all his troubles behind him.

"A bit like a new manager coming into a Premier League side and winning his first match," he said. "You hope it's going to kick start things, but it doesn't always work out like that."

Finishing seventh in The Open and third at the Johnnie Walker Championship helped him improve from 142nd to 45th on the Order of Merit, but in seven starts so far this year he has yet to finish in the top 30 and is down at 147th in the Race To Dubai.

And that is why he was able to say 'Yes' when Sky Sports asked him if he wanted to join their commentary team at the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Tucson five weeks ago.

"It was strange being around a tournament and not playing in it - I didn't enjoy that side of it - and there were a couple of American players who hadn't really taken note of the fact I wasn't in the field.

"It gave me a bit of a kick up the arse and I want it to be a long time before I even start thinking about doing that full-time."

This time last year he had just started working on his game with Jamie Gough, brother of former Scotland soccer star Richard.

At Christmas Howell went back to former coach Clive Tucker, but now he and Gough are linking up again.

"You've just got to keep searching," he added. "Things I was working on were not taking shape, but I've enjoyed my golf more lately and I'm looking forward to the Portuguese."


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SPOTLIGHT AWAITS WIE AGAIN

A player who has not won a single tournament for six years and has never won a 72-hole event will again be a centre of attention at the first of the women's majors this week.

The player is, of course, multi-millionairess Michelle Wie - still only 19, but at the point now where people in and around the sport are making up their minds whether she deserves all the publicity and money that continues to come her way.

Wie plays the Kraft Nabisco Championship in California for the first time since she finished joint third in 2006, missing an eagle chip on the last that would have made her the youngest-ever major champion at 16 and then missing the putt which would have put her into a play-off with eventual winner Karrie Webb and current world No 1 Lorena Ochoa.

"I guess it wasn't meant to be," she said.

The feeling then - of just about everybody, not only herself - was that such a prodigious talent would not have long to wait to confirm herself as the biggest star of the women's game.

During that year she was named in a "Time" magazine article as "one of 100 people who shape our world."

There was no need to ridicule that assessment when she was fifth and third in the next two majors, but this is her record in the last eight: did not play, 84th, withdrew, missed the cut, did not play, did not play, missed the cut, did not play.

To say her career went off the rails would be putting it kindly.

Her attempts to take on the men became something of an embarrassment, setting back women's golf rather than advancing their cause.

A wrist injury did not help, of course, but there was controversy along the way as well.

At an event hosted by Annika Sorenstam she withdrew at 14 over after 16 holes, thus avoiding the possibility of a ban imposed on anybody scoring 88 or worse.

When Wie was then seen practising two days later Sorenstam - now retired and expecting her first child - accused the youngster of "a little bit of lack of respect and class."

Despite her game going downhill fast in December 2007 Wie was placed fourth in the Forbes Top 20 Earners Under-25 with an annual earnings of well over Ј10million.

She was not even a member of the women's tour at that stage, but she is now after coming through their qualifying school at the end of last year and her second place in Hawaii in early February has put her back in the majors.

Not without another incident to add to the long list, though.

Although Wie finished well down the field in last week's tournament in Phoenix, her comment beforehand that she "got here Saturday afternoon, so I just played nine holes" raised a lot of eyebrows.

The rule had been that Tour members were not allowed to practice on the course until 5pm Sunday if they had skipped the previous week's event.

As questions were asked about whether she would be fined it came to light that in the rules regulations for the season it stated Friday 5pm rather than Sunday.

That was a mistake, though, and LPGA senior vice-president of competitions Jane Geddes stated: "It's a huge error and I feel terrible. Michelle happened to read the rules."

It was being changed back to Sunday, however, and presumably Wie was being alerted to that.

Or at least her new handlers - the giant International Management Group whose clients include Tiger Woods - were.

That is another story that has put Wie in the news. On turning professional just before her 16th birthday she joined the William Morris agency, but two weeks ago the switch was announced.

"I'm very excited about this season which represents a fresh new start for me," she said. "There is such great talent and competition on the LPGA Tour and my focus is on building the foundation for a long and successful career - and of course, getting that first tournament win."

Last week, though, it was reported that William Morris had "booted" her out after the discovery that her family were working on their own deal with a sports-drink company.

While others much higher up the world rankings - she is not in the top 80 - have a much lower profile, Wie's every move is still followed.

And not just by the media. On Friday she had around 500 watching her and a police officer was assigned to her group, with more on mountain bikes among the crowd.

This week will be a real test - a major test indeed - of where she is at. On a course and in a championship where she finished ninth aged 13, fourth a year later and third three years ago can she deliver again?

Her fans will be hoping she can and so, of course, will her sponsors.


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