The man who is king

Could we call it the Year of Tiger Woods? In golf, what else is there? Search the game's modern lexicon, ask the golfers, writers, sponsors, promoters and agents.

The answer is always the same. From the time, he decided he no longer wanted to play for silverware, but contend for cash, he has been in a league of his own.

Since 2000, the year he virtually killed all competition with nine titles including three Majors, he has probably been the most dominant sportsperson in the sport of their choice.

Yet, this may have been the most indifferent year of all the years that Woods has been around.

This year, a year of relative failure, when he failed to win any Major and did not even manage to keep the Money List title, he showed what we all thought did not even exist "" the human side of Tiger Woods.

He failed now and then, even finished as low as tied 39th in the PGA Championships "" his lowest ever in a Major since he turned pro "" underwent a knee surgery that kept him away from golf for five weeks at the start of the year and changed equipment as he had problems with it.

And what's more, he finally admitted that he does feel nervous sometimes.

But nervousness did not overpower him while standing over a 20-ft putt with a double-break between the ball and the cup; instead it struck him when he tried to muster up courage to say the four words, he had been rehearsing for a long, long time "" "Will you marry me?" that he asked of his Swedish girlfriend, Elin Nordegren. The answer was yes. Sure, Woods gets what he wants. Always.

He has more golf records against his name than a music shop. And he keeps breaking them with greater regularity than a cranked-up dishwasher.

Since 1996, when he turned professional he has clocked 39 PGA Tour victories, putting him ninth on the all-time list, has won eight Majors and at least one each year from 1997 to 2002; won the Money List each time since 1998.

But when the year neared the end, Woods was still the Player of the Year for everybody "" his colleagues on the PGA Tour, the PGA of America and the Golf Writers Association.

He was the PGA Tour's Player of the Year for the fifth time running and sixth time in seven year. And he has been a pro only for eight "" in his first year, the year he played only 11 events, he was the Rookie of the Year.

In the 21-month period that ended with his 2001 Masters victory, Woods won an outstanding 17 out of 34 events he played in. Winning 50 per cent of his PGA Tour events during that time is simply amazing and is never likely to be surpassed. Everything else in comparison looks a "slump".

The media description for Woods' performance through the year "" "slump" "" in retrospect almost looks ridiculous. Woods himself did not like it. He got annoyed with the word.

In 18 starts, he had five wins "" which was more than anyone else. He had extended his streak of consecutive cuts to 114; once again had the year's adjusted stroke average and was only beaten to the Money List title by a man, who had played 27 to his 18 "" that is 50 per cent more.

In a year, when he by his lofty standards was "off-colour" he was still streets ahead of the rest. His mediocre year was better than the "best" year of everybody else.

He concedes that 2003 was somewhat disappointing, mainly because he failed to win a Major "" something that he cherishes more than anything else in golf.

Woods has said that each year on January 1 he sets a goal to be a better player by December 31 and so far he has always managed it.

This year, he will have one more goal added to his list "" to make his commitment to Nordegren work. He took the first step towards marital commitment by getting engaged to her and should soon walk up to the altar and in time start a family.

That brings up the question: will his golf take a hit with this latest commitment? Jack Nicklaus, who married at 20, and had three children by 27, the age Woods is at right now, once admitted that he may have played even better if he had been single. But he neither regretted his marriage, nor would he change the way life had panned out for him.

Woods, whose time management is the envy of the world's top managers, will probably face his biggest test when he tries to balance his personal and professional life. Thus far, the single biggest focus had been golf, now Nordegren figures prominently in the list.

In the past many a top golfer has had to endure tough times, often leading to break-ups because of their commitment to golf. Woods knows it is a tough ask, but many before have done it "" though none were as successful as him. But that is something he probably sees as a new goal for himself.

Golfers typically peak around 30, but he could well be an exception, who has peaked earlier and can carry it on for a little longer than anyone else. Woods has contended that he is now better and more consistent, even though 2000 was his best year. And that's the year everybody compares with.

It is almost as if his best rival is himself. But that's something all other legends have had to face "" comparisons with themselves.

With some new additions to his agenda, will a 28-year-old and probably married Woods be stretched a little more next year? Only time will tell.

For now, Vijay Singh is 41 and has just had his best year; Ernie Els emerged as the European Money List winner and won six titles worldwide; Davis Love III won four and Kenny Perry had one of the most amazing streaks in his life and at one stage won three of the four events played in a row "" his worst being a tied third at the British Open.