• The Open

Tiger eyes 'hot week' to end four-year major drought

Tiger Woods believes the level of competition at majors has rocketed in recent years and the days of one player dominating the sport are over.

Woods, who returns to Royal Lytham for a third time as he bids to win a fourth Open crown, insists he feels no frustration at a four-year major drought.

Woods won seven titles inside three years between the 1999 US PGA Championship and the 2001 US Open, but with 17 different winners in as many majors, the former world No. 1 admits it now takes a slice of luck to win the big titles.

"I think the fields are deeper, there's no doubt," Woods said. "And we're having to shoot some pretty low scores in general. But I think that it's you need to have a hot week at the right time.

"I think that there are more guys now have a chance to win major championships than ever before, and I think that will just continue to be that way. What do we have, 15 in a row I think it is now. And it just goes to show you the depth of the field.

"And the cut is no longer 13, 14 shots. It's sometimes under 10 shots between guys making the cut and the leader. So that goes to show you the depth of the field that everything is getting a little bit closer."

Woods, who last landed a major title at the 2008 US Open, insists he is neither anxious nor impatient to secure his 15th major.

"First of all, I had to go through that whole process of just getting healthy again," Woods said. "Being banged up and missing major championships because of it in a couple year stretch there wasn't a whole lot of fun. I think I missed four majors there just because I was injured.

"I figure if I'm healthy, then I can prepare properly for major championships and I can get myself there. I think that if I continue putting myself there enough times then I'll win major championships."

Woods is relishing the challenge posed by Royal Lytham, and believes the course will reward the best players.

"This is one of their more difficult ones that we play," he said. "It's more confined, but I think that as far as shot making it tests us, it tests us a lot, because as I said, we have to shape the golf ball both ways. Here you have a lot of different angles. And it really tests your ability to hit shots and hit them the proper distances more so than most links courses."

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