Tiger Woods trying to keep winning streak alive in Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill

From WorldGolf.com News Services

Since no single player has been able to beat Tiger Woods this year, it might just take a golf course to finally undo the world No. 1-ranked golfer.

Woods, who is making his first start since winning the Accenture Match Play Championship, will be trying for his fourth consecutive PGA Tour victory and sixth overall win in a row at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week. That includes his own Target World Challenge in December and the European PGA Tour's Dubai Desert Classic early last month.

However, after sweeping four straight Bay Hill Invitational titles from 2000-2003 — winning by a tournament-record 11 strokes in 2003 — Woods has struggled in Arnold Palmer's tournament. In his past four starts in the Orlando, Fla., event, Woods has tied for 20th, 23rd, 46th and 22nd.

"I just haven't played well, simple as that," Woods told reporters Wednesday. "No ifs, ands or buts about it. I just have to play better and I just haven't done that the last few years."

Asked about Woods' relative lack of recent success in his tournament, Palmer said no moves have been made to Tiger-proof the 7,157-yard, par-70 layout at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

"What we're doing with this golf course and what we will do in the future is only to make it better for the PGA Tour and for our interests with MasterCard and the future of this tournament," Palmer said Wednesday in a press conference. "I don't know how many years I will be around here doing this, but I hope that when I'm not here any longer, it will continue to be a great tournament, and I'm just trying to get everybody educated to that effect."

Woods, who also won a U.S. Junior event at Bay Hill in 1991, said the course has always fit his eye.

"I just haven't played well and this golf course, you have to play well on it in order to win the tournament," Woods said. "You can't go out there and slap it around and try and shoot something in the mid 60s here."

One factor that could even the playing field is the condition of the greens, which suffered damage due to an infestation of small worms. Tournament officials have worked to alleviate the problem, but Woods said the putting conditions remain less than ideal.

"It's going to be an interesting week on them," Woods said of the greens. "You're going to see a lot of guys hit good putts and they are going to go weird ways, unfortunately.

"But, hey, we've all got to deal with it. We've all got to putt on them and you just have to accept hitting good putts and they may not go in."

Not that it will affect Woods' confidence in his ability to win the tournament. Woods always expects to win, he said.

"That's the way I've always played," Woods said. "You don't play to finish with top-10s or make cuts. You play to win. If you are entered into field, I don't understand why you would ever think any other way."

Arnold Palmer Invitational

SCHEDULE: Thursday-Sunday
SITE: Orlando, Fla.
COURSE: Bay Hill Club and Lodge (7,157 yards, par 70).
PURSE: $5.8 million (winner's share: $1,044,000).
FEDEX CUP POINTS: 25,000 (winner's share: 4,500).
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m. EST) and NBC (Saturday-Sunday, 2:30-6 p.m. EST).

March 13, 2008