A four-time winner of the year’s opening major, Woods is scheduled to tee off at 1352 local (1752 GMT) in today’s opening round at Augusta National Golf Club.

“There is a lot of excitement for the first major tournament of the year,” Woods, 33, told reporters on Tuesday.

“I feel good about my game and had good practice sessions with (swing coach) Hank Haney. I didn’t work on anything specific; just did a lot of fine-tuning.”

Woods will be competing in his first grand slam event since winning the U.S. Open in a playoff with compatriot Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines in June.

He was then sidelined for eight months while recovering from reconstructive knee surgery but has already triumphed once in just three starts since returning to the PGA Tour.

“The preparation, the feeling that I have right now, it feels the same,” said Woods, who clinched his 66th Tour title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational nine days ago.

SAME FEELINGS
“I was surprised at how fast I got the feeling back. Coming here, it feels the same, just like any other major championship.”

Twice Masters champion Phil Mickelson has been drawn with fellow American Jim Furyk and Colombian Camilo Villegas for the first two rounds. They start at 1045 (1445) today.

Fijian Vijay Singh, who won the 2000 Masters, will tee off with Australian world number four Geoff Ogilvy, and South African Ernie Els at 1023, two groups in front of Mickelson and company.

British Open champion Padraig Harrington, who will be bidding for a rare third consecutive major victory this week, has a 1034 start with 2003 Masters winner Mike Weir of Canada and Japan’s Ryuji Imada.

Spanish world number three Sergio Garcia has been grouped with Australian Stuart Appleby and Britain’s Oliver Wilson.

First off following a ceremonial tee shot by golfing great Arnold Palmer will be 1991 Masters champion Ian Woosnam and Americans Chez Reavie and Briny Baird.