Sports Watch

By Bill Kwon

Thursday, January 6, 2000

Collision unavoidable
in Mercedes

KAPALUA, Maui -- Not only has Tiger Woods raised the bar, he has also kicked in the door. And everyone, including his immediate challenger, David Duval, has to work hard to keep up.

For Woods, this is where he hopes his record-shattering 1999 season will continue. For Duval, he's back to where his jackrabbit-start last year all began.

The world's two best golfers are definitely on a collision course as the PGA Tour begins its 2000 season today with the first round of the Mercedes Championships at the Kapalua's Plantation Course.

Never mind that there are 28 other tournament winners in the elite, champions-only field. The attention is riveted on Woods, the 1999 player of the year, and Duval, who has taken a backseat to Tiger despite a sensational year of his own.

They're both motivated to surpass their unprecedented successes of last year, which is bad news for the rest of their peers.

This is a leaner, maybe even meaner Duval, disappointed by his performance during the second half of last year after winning four of his first eight tournaments, including a nine-stroke win here last January.

Duval felt he lost strength in his muscle. It didn't affect his golf, he said. "It just bruised my ego."

Thanks to a new regimen, the resculpted Duval now feels a lot better. No secrets how he got it done, he says. Just a matter of working harder -- lifting weights and running -- and eating well.

Duval doesn't know if it'll translate to better golf. "(But) it makes me know that I am as fit and as athletic as anybody playing right now."

ALTHOUGH, his work regimen hadn't been specifically motivated by trying to keep up with Woods, Duval admits Woods is the main reason why everyone has the incentive to work harder.

"Hey, if you want to beat him, you have to play better, you have to get better," Duval said. "I want to become a better player, and I want to improve. If it's to beat Tiger, then so be it. If it's to beat somebody else, then so be it."

Trouble is, Tiger keeps raising the bar.

"Whether I raised the bar too high, I don't know," said Woods, who shattered the PGA Tour's single-season money record with $6.2 million last year, extending his current streak of 38 tournaments in the money.

Still, Woods insists he can crank up his game yet a few more notches.

His game came together, piece by piece, at the end of last year. But the learning process is neverending, said Woods.

"You know, I've always been a big believer that you never arrive, but it's a wonderful journey. I will continue to work and try and get better. Even the greatest player that ever played the game, (Jack) Nicklaus says he's working on something new.

"Knowing that you never arrive is a wonderful thing because you never say, 'This is my limit.' You never put a limitation on our abilities. 'This is as good as I can play.' I hear that all the time. If you put a limitation, then you can't get any better."

For Tiger, you might say, the possibilities are limitless.

Asked if Byron Nelson's record 11 straight wins is unattainable, Woods feels it can be done, though it would require a lot of luck.

Ever dream of a round of 54, birdie on every hole?

"Could be better than that," Woods said with a big smile.

A 50?

"Could be better than that, too. You never know."

After the Year of the Tiger in 1999, nothing seems impossible anymore.

Talk about raising the bar.