Tiger Woods rated his 2006 season as superior to his brilliant 2000 campaign after clinching his 11th title of the year at the Target World Challenge on Sunday.

The telling difference for the world No 1 was that he had to deal with the illness and subsequent death of his beloved father Earl on May 3 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

"If you compare the two years, I think this year would have to be better because of things l've been dealing with off the golf course," Woods told reporters after charging to a four-stroke victory at Sherwood Country Club.

"In 2000 I didn't have to deal with that. I won my first two events of the year, got off to a quick start. But hey, life is full of mysteries and you've got to deal with things as they come."

"Who's to know that if Dad didn't struggle and end up passing that I wouldn't have played that well in the summer?"

In 2000, Woods won 11 individual titles worldwide, including the last three majors of the year. He and David Duval also triumphed at the WGC-World Cup.

This year, Woods's haul of eight PGA Tour wins included major victories at the British Open and the PGA Championship.

Virtually unstoppable

However, he has been virtually unstoppable since the US Open at Winged Foot in June, when he missed the cut for the first time in a major as a professional.

After carding an indifferent opening 72 in his next start at the Western Open in early July, his game clicked into place during a practice session and he has not looked back.

"I had played three consecutive poor rounds, two in the US Open and one at the Western before that practice session," Woods, a 12-times major winner, recalled.

"No other practice session was more important than that one. I hit balls for about three hours out there and I had about an hour when I really hit it good."

"I had every shape shot, height, spin - what ever you wanted. That's what you are always looking for. Then I built upon that for the rest of the year."

Since the US Open, his first tournament after the death of his father, Woods has not finished worse than second in 11 strokeplay events around the world, eight times winning the title.

"Golf-wise, this year was pretty good," he added. "Overall, I'm very pleased with the progress I've made working with (swing coach) Hank (Haney), and things started solidifying this summer."

"It was nice to put a lot of the pieces together and just go out there and play. To win as many tournaments as I did from mid-summer until now was an awful lot of fun."

Having fun

"It was fun to go out there today, make a few birdies early and put some heat on the guys behind me."

Woods is uncertain when he will launch his 2007 campaign.

The world No 1 usually kicks off at the Tour's season-opening Mercedes Championships in Hawaii. For the moment, though, he is leaving his options wide open.

"I'm going to sit back next week and start playing out my entire schedule for next year," he said.

"I wanted to get this tournament over and done with, get on a vacation and enjoy some skiing."

The Mercedes Championships, to be played next year from Jan. 4-7, brings together all the winners from the previous PGA Tour season.

Twice champion Woods has until the week before the 2007 event to confirm his place in the field.

(China Daily December 19, 2006)