Woods in top gear ahead of Masters

MIAMI - He made 27 birdies on his way to a two-stroke win in the WGC-Cadillac Championship on Sunday and needed just 100 putts in 72 holes as he clinched his second victory of the young year.

Monday, March 11, 2013
Tiger Woods confirmed he is back to his best with victory at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Net photo.

LEADERBOARD-19: T Woods (US)-17: S Stricker (US)-14: A Scott (Aus), S Garcia (Spa), P Mickelson (US)-12: K Bradley (US)-10: R McIlroy (NIR), J Rose (Eng), P Hanson (Swe)    * Selected others: -8 F Jacobson (Swe) -7 B Watson (US) -5 S Jamieson (Sco) -4 L Westwood (Eng) -3 E Els (RSA), I Poulter (Eng)MIAMI - He made 27 birdies on his way to a two-stroke win in the WGC-Cadillac Championship on Sunday and needed just 100 putts in 72 holes as he clinched his second victory of the young year.Yes, it looks like Tiger Woods is well on the way back.And if there is any doubt about Woods being close to returning to the pinnacle of the game, a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in two weeks would send the 14-times major winner back to number one in the world rankings."I’m just trying to get better,” said Woods."It’s very simple. I feel like my game is becoming more efficient and more consistent day-in, day-out and I am very pleased with the progress I’ve made with (swing coach) Sean (Foley).”The debate over whether Woods is truly back to his best, to the kind of devastating form he showed in the early 2000’s, will not be over until he ends his nearly five-year wait for another major title.But his rivals see all the signs of Tiger being Tiger again."His attitude and what I saw this week and his belief in himself again, looks very similar to where he was in the early 2000’s,” said Steve Stricker, who was runner-up at Doral on Sunday, two strokes behind Woods.After his return to play following the break-up of his marriage in 2010, Woods showed flashes of his talent along with some dramatically wayward shots, particularly after he started to re-design his swing with coach Sean Foley.On Sunday, defending a four-stroke overnight lead, Woods never looked in danger and appeared totally comfortable with the job of closing out his 76th PGA Tour victory.