Healthy Tiger ready for the hunt

It took an unbelievably long period of 749 days and 26 official events before golfing great Tiger Woods got back to winning ways when he birdied the final two holes to overtake Zach Johnson and win the Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in California early last month. Having tasted blood again, Woods, who had previously won the Australian Masters on November 15, 2009, is now looking to start off the New Year with a bang in Abu Dhabi. In an exclusive interview to Gulf News, Woods, winner of 14 Majors and 71 PGA Tour titles, said: "I am looking to have a great start in Abu Dhabi to continue where I left off in California and to set the tone for 2012." Having earlier confirmed his entry in this year's $2.7 million (Dh9.9 million) Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, to be held from January 26-29, the former world No 1 will take on a line-up which includes current No 1 Luke Donald and the three current Major holders — Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlory and Darren Clarke — Martin Kaymer, the three-time Abu Dhabi winner and the reigning champion, and Paul Casey, a two-time winner in Abu Dhabi. Speaking about that long-awaited win, Woods said: "It is nice to finally get a ‘W' again. I didn't doubt I would win again but I was glad to do it before Christmas and it will certainly make the break sweeter. It is a culmination of all the work I have been able to put in off the course now that I am healthy again and it makes me very excited about 2012." The good news for his fans is that Woods is very keen to consolidate on the success at Chevron and bring in more consistency. "Hopefully the win at Sherwood is an indicator of things to come and I will keep building from here — it felt great to be able to hold off a top player like Zach all the way to the wire with my health and game well able to stand the pressure of the situation," he said. "I really enjoyed Sunday afternoon and being in contention again and believe I am pretty close to delivering my best, week in week out," Woods stated. Holding the record for most consecutive number of weeks as the world's top-ranked player, Woods said among his aims was to improve his swing and stay healthy. "I will keep working on the swing changes I've made over the past year but mostly, I want to stay healthy and keep being able to put in the work on and off course to be able to play consistently," Woods said. When asked to pick a few names on who would perhaps reign for some time at the top, Woods said: "There are a lot of golfers who have had a great couple of years and many young guys who will be looking to keep us older guys at bay. "Luke Donald has been fantastically consistent and obviously Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood will be looking to build on all they've achieved. Ryo Ishikawa is another young player I like a lot." Commenting on the changes in recent times in the game, Woods feels the players are more committed to fitness. "There are a lot of new, talented players out on the Tour whom I am enjoying getting to know but I wouldn't say the actual game has changed that much although no doubt everyone is practicing harder and smarter," Woods said. Fitness consciousness "A commitment to fitness has also increased. The golf landscape has definitely changed in that golf has certainly become more and more global in recent years," he stated. Woods, who has taken part in the Dubai Desert Classic, will be making his Abu Dhabi debut and said he was expecting a challenging course. "I have heard a lot about the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and I have been looking to include it in my schedule. I have been told to expect a challenging course in great condition at the National with greens as good as any we'll see during the year," he said. "I have enjoyed all the HSBC tournaments I have played and I am sure this one will be no different. Plus I am really looking forward to visiting a new place as this will be my first time visiting Abu Dhabi," Woods said.