The Associated Press

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Tiger Woods was on the first tee before sunrise Wednesday, a 6:20 start to his final practice round for The Players Championship without knowing how long it would last.

"I'm going to play nine holes and then evaluate," he said as he walked to the sixth tee.

What's to evaluate?

Woods not only has won three of the four PGA Tour events he has played this year, he's winning with ease.

He won the Bay Hill Invitational by 11 strokes despite a nasty case of food poisoning. That sent a resounding message that could not be ignored by the world-class field gathered this week at Sawgrass.

"Very ominous last week," Colin Montgomerie said. "Very ominous."

Everything is geared toward Augusta National in two weeks, when Woods will try to become the first player to win the Masters three years in a row.

Woods won the green jacket last year by building a lead and letting everyone else make mistakes down the stretch.

Not much has changed this year.

"I can't imagine him playing much better than he is right now, but we say that every year, don't we?" Scott Hoch said. "Guys who get in contention with him feel they have to do something extra, instead of playing their game."

The Players Championship is the next best thing to a major, and despite the absence of Ernie Els (injured wrist) and Phil Mickelson (birth of child), it might be more difficult to win.

Sawgrass doesn't favor any particular player. The Players Championship has been won in recent years by the power of David Duval, the accuracy of Hal Sutton, the streak putting of Justin Leonard and the all-around game of Woods.

It even found room for a good story line last year when Craig Perks, No. 203 in the world ranking, chipped in twice on the last three holes in an eagle-birdie-par finish.

The course figures to play a little longer that usual, at least at the start of the tournament, because of 13 inches of rain during the last month.

No matter the condition of the course, the focus is squarely on Woods.

"Guys talk about it, because it's pretty amazing what he can do," David Toms said.

Toms was among his victims this year. He overcame a bout with food poisoning at the Match Play Championship to reach the finals, and nearly overcame a five-hole deficit before Woods put him away on the 35th hole. One thing Toms noticed about that final match was the mental side of Woods' game.

"I've never seen him where I didn't think he was prepared for the shot he was about to hit," Toms said. "If you play with other guys, there's indecision. You can just see it.

"... It seems like he has a plan. He probably does that better than most players. Plus, he thinks he's supposed to win. He does it all the time, so it's second nature to him."

Heading into the first big stretch of the year, there is a feeling Woods is on the verge of another great season. In 2000, he won nine times, including three straight majors, and shattered the scoring average.

Montgomerie caused a stir at The Players Championship that year by saying that whenever Woods got off to a good start, everyone knew they were playing for second. The Scot didn't go that far Wednesday, although he recognizes that Woods is a world apart from everyone else.

"He's by far the best player that we've ever played against, and by far the best player, in my view, that's ever played the game," Montgomerie said.

Not everyone was willing to dream up more descriptions.

"He's very motivated each and every tournament he plays, and he's not afraid to lay the hammer down when he gets ahead," Mike Weir said. "From my perspective, it's not alarming. It's a great challenge. I look forward to that type of challenge."

AUGUSTA CHANGES: The deep fairway bunkers that have been extended 80 yards toward the fifth green aren't the only change at Augusta National.

The ninth green has been slightly altered to accommodate a new hole location, and players can thank Woods for that. Woods said he had a "great conversation" with Masters chairman Hootie Johnson about the ninth green.

"The top shelf was getting to be too small," Woods said. "I said, `You could make a great hole location by flattening it out.' He left me a voice message to say he had done that."

STAT OF THE WEEK: Fulton Allem has not qualified for a major championship since the 1995 U.S. Open. He is in The Players Championship through a 10-year exemption from winning the 1993 World Series of Golf.