Jan 25 Tigeroffagain

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The Buick Invitational starts later today and it will be Tiger Woods’ first event of the year.

But Woods carries over from last year a PGA Tour winning streak that dates to July. He is going for his seventh in a row on the PGA Tour, and odds are in his favor as the two-time defending champion.

“It is meaningful because it’s not easy to do,” Woods said, and he should know because he won six straight PGA Tour events at the end of 1999 and beginning of 2000, the second-longest streak behind Byron Nelson’s 11 in a row in 1945. But he also doesn’t consider it a real streak.

That ended at five in October when he lost in the first round of the HSBC World Match Play Championship in England. Throw out match play, and Woods was runner-up consecutive weeks in Asia.

“It’s a PGA Tour streak,” Woods said. “It’s not really a win streak because obviously, I lost at Match Play, I lost at the Ryder Cup, I finished second in China, I finished second in Japan. I was on a losing streak for a bit.”

“I’m looking forward to the year and what’s going to transpire,” Woods said. “Last year, I was not looking forward to the year and what was going to transpire. One is just praying and hoping, and the other is pure excitement and enjoyment. So it’s two totally opposite ends.”

Woods began his PGA Tour streak by winning the British Open. His streak included two Majors, two World Golf Championships and separation of 20 strokes in combined margin of victory.

“I would love to be the one to beat him so he wouldn’t be able to make it seven in a row,” said John Daly, the last player besides Woods to win the Buick Invitational. “I don’t think it’s stale. It’s good for the tour. It gets stale for us because he’s winning every week. That’s what kind of (stinks) a little bit.”

Who can stop him?

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