AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP):

SEVEN PLAYERS stood on the first tee in the morning chill of Augusta National on Tuesday, a half-dozen more waiting on the practice green behind them.

They had about 10 minutes before the course opened for practise at 8:00 a.m.

The quiet was shattered by the crack of Tiger Woods hitting his 3-wood off the 10th tee.

He was playing alone, getting an early start before anyone in a green jacket could stop him. It was a scene that set the stage perfectly for this Masters which begins today: Tiger against the field.

Capable

Woods is a four-time Masters champion, the favourite just about every year and everywhere he plays. Part of that is a product of being the No. 1 player in the world for the better part of a decade. Part of it comes from having won eight of his past 10 tournaments.

And then, there was that declaration this year that the calendar Grand Slam was "easily within reason".

"I'd like to bet against him, like the whole field here this week," Ernie Els said. "But it's definitely in his reach. He's definitely capable. I don't think we've seen a player like him, ever. He's really one of a kind, and that's saying a lot."

Woods didn't do much on Tuesday, playing only the back nine before calling it a day.

He has spoken openly about his odds of winning the Grand Slam, even before his first tournament of the year, and he was asked if anything has happened in the last three months to change his outlook.

"No," Woods said, waiting for the snickers to fade before explaining.

"You have to understand why I said that," Woods said. "Because I've done it before. I've won all four in a row. The majority of my career - I think this is my 12th or 13th season out here - nine of those years, I've won five or more tournaments. So (I've) just got to win the right four. That's what it boils down to."

Woods is the only professional to hold all four majors at the same time, sweeping them in a span of 294 days from the 2000 US Open to the 2001 Masters.

Third straight major

And, he showed up at Augusta last year going for his third straight major.

But the modern Grand Slam, that Arnold Palmer created on his way to the 1960 British Open, means doing it in a calendar year. Except for 1971, when the US PGA Championship was held in February, that means it starts with the Masters.

If he doesn't win this Masters, the slam is over.

"This major is so important to all of us," he said. "It's a special event. You always want to win this event. I've been lucky enough to have won it four times. But in order to win all on the calendar, you have to win here, yeah. Hopefully, I can get it done this year and move on."