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Woods: five wins in 2009
Tiger Woods will regard 2009 as a successful year, even if he fails to add to his 14 majors at this week's USPGA Championship.
If he fails to win at Hazeltine - and the bookies make him a red hot favourite - Woods will finish the year without a major title for the first time since 2004.
His last major victory came in the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines where he beat fellow American Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole play-off before spending the next eight months on the sidelines recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.
Since his return he has won five times, including last week's Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone.
"Just being able to come back and play and be successful again has been a tremendous step in the right direction," he said.
"If you would have asked me at the beginning of the year before I even played whether I'd have five wins by now, I couldn't see it, because walking 18 holes was going to be a task. No, it's been a success to come back and play again."
Nevertheless, the world number one obviously fancies his chances of claiming a fifth USPGA title.
"It's going to be a quick turnaround," he said after winning at Firestone. "I'll be out there tomorrow so I'll celebrate (this) quickly."
Refining
Asked if there was any particular aspect of his game that need refining before the USPGA, Woods replied: "I'm just going to keep working on things I'm working on. I think they're doing all right," he added with a smile.
Hazeltine last staged the USPGA Championship in 2002 when American Rich Beem held off a charging Woods by one shot to win his only major title.
The par-72 course has been lengthened by more than 300 years since then.
American world number two Phil Mickelson, the 2005 winner at Baltusrol, visited the course two weeks ago.
"It's a tough test," the three-times major champion said. "It's a tough test even with soft conditions, because the golf course is so long.
"But I thought it's going to be a great PGA that looked to be set up very fairly for a difficult major championship."
