Woods set to dominate until he retires, says Casey

Rory McIlroy could be forced to wait more than a decade before he can take over from Tiger Woods as world No 1.

That’s the view of English ace Paul Casey, who has admitted that he’s “jealous” of Ireland’s talented Tiger cub.

While Woods has eyes for nothing but victory as he makes his first strokeplay start since his US Open win nine months ago in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral’s Blue Monster, Casey is convinced that the American idol will remain at the top of the game until he retires.

He said: “Rory's got it all. But time will tell if he can get to number one in the world. He swings it beautifully. He's got the temperament, he's got the work ethic. It is all there.

“But there are a lot of guys you need to go through to get to that spot and while Tiger's around that's a very difficult task.

“Tiger's not going anywhere until he gets his 18 majors or more - 20, 21, who knows where he's going to end up.

“Only Tiger knows how long he's going to be around for, he's 33 and he's so fit he could play until he is in his 50s or 60s.

“In ten years' time Rory will be in his prime. Who will take over? I don't know, I'm stalling.”

Woods is the man to beat at Doral, where he has won three times and never finished outside the top ten in six starts.

And he’s determined to bounce back from his second round exit in the Accenture Match Play on his return from injury two weeks ago with a victory this week.

Woods said: “I'm ready to win, yeah.  That's why I'm here. I've only played two tournaments in ten months, not a whole lot of golf.

“So for me, I just need rounds under my belt, and this week will obviously be a very positive week for me:  Four rounds and no cut, to get four more rounds competitively, which is exactly what I need.

“As far as this week being a success, well, the whole idea is to come out and win an event.  I didn't win the Match Play, and hopefully I can win this week.”

Reflecting on the state of his left knee, Woods was pleased with his performance in Tucson, where he lost to Tim Clark in the second round.

He said: “Everything was better than I thought. It was a big shot of confidence for me to get out there and play again and feel physically sound.

"I thought I would be a little more sore but recovery from day to day has been great. It couldn't have been more positive, except for getting beat in the second round. But from a physical standpoint, it was better than I thought.”

Asked how ready he felt to contend at Doral, he said: “Well, I don't know. I haven't played a strokeplay event yet so it's kind of hard for me to give you a number on that. Physically, I feel good.

“But getting into a strokeplay event and where you're not playing an opponent and you're playing the golf course again; I'll have a better idea when the tournament is done.”