Tiger Woods will be looking to reproduce the kind of performance that helped end his longest drought since turning professional when he begins his defense of the Dunlop Phoenix title on Thursday.
Woods' eight-shot victory at last year's tournament, his first in Japan, halted a run of 20 straight stroke-play events without a win and put him back on track to return to the top of the world.
The 29-year-old world No. 1 reclaimed top spot in the money rankings by beating Phil Mickelson at the Ford Championship at Doral in March and has captured six titles this year, including two majors -- the Masters and the British Open.
After second-place finishes in his last two events at the Tour Championship and last week's HSBC Champions in Shanghai, Woods was confident he could win at Phoenix Country Club in the southern Japanese resort of Miyazaki.