Players Championship: As everyone knows, Tiger Woods generally likes to do his groundwork before the early bird has even contemplated digging his beak into a wiggly worm. He's a morning person.

Yesterday at the TPC at Sawgrass was no different, except that the former world number one - he lost that mantle to old foe Vijay Singh last weekend after regaining the distinction for a mere fortnight - was more like an errant schoolboy playing truant, skipping holes to beat an incoming storm front.

So, shortly after 10am, he and Charles Howell III, his regular dawn companion on days when Mark O'Meara isn't around, finished their morning's work having played the entire front nine but just the 16th, 17th and 18th holes on the back. Just in time, too. As the pair made the walk through the makeshift tunnel under the grandstand by the 18th green, the weather siren sounded an eerie warning of a thunderstorm working its way into the Ponte Vedra area.

Woods, though, remained unflustered; convinced of his invincibility, even from the elements. The statistics might say that Singh, undeniably in most eyes, is the world number one. But not everyone agrees. "Tiger, the world rankings aside, who is the best player in the world right now?" came the question from the gaggle of pressmen huddled behind the grandstand.

A four-word response. "I like my chances," he replied, indicating that we should read what we like into his answer.

The battle for the official world number one will continue, probably for the rest of the season. It could change again at this week's Players Championship. Woods has been number one more than anyone - 336 weeks - since the rankings began in 1986, and he can reclaim it here again at Sawgrass. So can Ernie Els who hasn't been number one since 1998.

As was evident from Singh's reaction at Bay Hill on Sunday when he regained the number one spot while hitting a seven-iron approach into the water on the 72nd hole, winning titles is more important. And that's what Woods is about this week, on a course that has inflicted pain and gain in equal measures on him.

"If you're not playing well (here), it seems like you keep catching the wrong side of the slopes (on the greens)," said Woods. "It's a course where you have to be consistent tee to green, you can't get away with poor ball-striking.

"If you miss the fairways it puts a challenge on trying to get the ball on the green. If you put the ball in the rough, more than likely it's going to find the wrong spot if you find the green, and you're going to have the daunting task of trying to two-putt. You have to putt well. But it's a lot easier to putt well from the correct section of the green than it is to have to lag it up over mounds and elephant burial grounds."

Woods's nine previous performances in the Players have been a mixed bag. He won in 2001 (but hasn't managed a top-10 finish since) and was second in 2000, but he has only one other top-10 finish (in 1999).

"I think I've done pretty good over the years," he claimed. "The year that I lost to Hal (Sutton) was disappointing because I played so well, and Hal just played a little bit better. I've kind of played well here over the years, had a nice run."

Indeed, it would seem Woods has his competitive juices flowing. "I hate to say it, but it (the season) starts on the Florida Swing. The West Coast is one thing, but when we get on good greens again and start building up to Augusta, that's when a lot of guys from Europe start coming over and playing and that's when the fields get deeper. This is a great event, a great field. It's a very special event considering the field you have to try and beat."

We can take it that Woods is well and truly ready for the challenge ahead.