Woods shrugs off broken driver

2008-02-04 09:38

Dubai - As if to pile on the agony for his rivals on either side of the Atlantic, Tiger Woods let slip he achieved his seventh victory in eight outings without the aid of his favourite driver.

"I didn't tell you guys this but I broke my driver on the first tee of the pro-am on Wednesday," Woods told reporters after beating Germany's Martin Kaymer by one stroke to win the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday.

"I cracked the face so I had to use my back-up, which I didn't like too much. As soon as the wind started blowing I had a hard time controlling it because it kept spinning too much.

"I'm just happy to get a win somehow."

Despite using a substitute driver in the European Tour event held at the Emirates Golf Club, Woods produced yet another extraordinary performance as a best of the week back nine of 31 gave him a closing seven-under-par 65 and a 14-under total of 274.

One week after romping to an eight-stroke win at the Buick Invitational in California, it seemed as though the 32-year-old American may be sending a message to opponents everywhere as eyes slowly begin to focus on the first major of the year at the Masters in April.

Woods was quick to dispel that theory.

"I don't know about messages," he said. "I'm just happy about winning two tournaments."

He showed precisely how happy, pumping his fists and roaring with delight when he holed a long, snaking 30-footer for a birdie four at the 72nd hole.

Woods had been in an awkward spot for his third stroke, with his feet in a bunker at the back of the 18th green and his ball lying in thick rough.

To make matters worse he faced a downhill pitch with water lying in wait on the other side of the putting surface.

"I knew how quick that pitch shot was," said Woods. "If I land the ball on the green (too hard) it's going to go in the water.

"For the putt I kept telling myself, just roll the ball down there and don't let it roll by the hole.

"I hit it, it felt good... and it went right in the middle."

Four days after he said winning had never been his top priority, the undisputed world number one promptly went out and bagged his 82nd professional title and his second in Dubai.

Asked on Wednesday if churning out victories was the most important thing for him, family-man Woods replied: "Winning golf tournaments has never been my number one priority, no."

Once the follow-up question came with the apologetic rider of, 'sorry, after your family?', Woods replied to howls of laughter: "There you go".

Nonetheless, his rivals on each side of the Atlantic can breathe a sigh of relief in the knowledge the 13-time major champion is now taking a break to spend two weeks in the company of wife Elin and young daughter Sam.

His next golfing mission is due to be the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Tucson, Arizona starting on February 20.

- Reuters