Woods seeks fast, furious start at Abu Dhabi By Associated Press Jan 2, 2012 11:54 AM ET DOHA, Qatar ?Tiger Woods has rediscovered more than just the ability to win again. Having ended 2011 with his first victory in two years, Woods says the joy of being able to play golf with a healthy body has returned as well. Woods is preparing for a tournament in Abu Dhabi, his first of the year. He tells The Associated Press by email that he has fully recovered from the leg injuries that ruined much of last season. He also hopes his recent victory at the Chevron World Challenge in California is the 뱒tart of another great run.? 밫he lowest moments (last year) came from the fact that I wasn뭪 healthy and couldn뭪 put in the time on and off the course that I wanted and needed to, and that was frustrating,?Woods said. 밒 was playing with pain and that isn뭪 fun. The last couple of months have been really fun and that is mostly because I am feeling healthy again and building week on week.? Photos: Tiger Woods 2011 season Woods will begin 2012 by taking on a world-class field in his first Abu Dhabi Championship, where the lineup includes U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, top-ranked Luke Donald and defending champion Martin Kaymer. The tournament, which starts Jan. 26, will give a first indication of whether he can keep up the level of play that earned him the Chevron title in December ?his first victory since a car crash outside his home in 2009 led to revelations of extramarital affairs that derailed his marriage and golf game. 밒 am looking to get off to a fast start in Abu Dhabi and keep building from there,?Woods said. 밡ow that I am healthy, I feel I can keep building my game and confidence week on week, much like I did at the end of (last) year ?from the Australian Open to the Presidents Cup to, finally, a win in California.? Woods finished third at the Australian Open, and then delivered the clinching point for the American team in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne. Now he뭩 eager to show some of the young players who have grabbed the spotlight during his two-year slump that he뭩 still a force to be reckoned with in the major tournaments. Donald made history this year by winning the money titles on both sides of the Atlantic, while McIlroy뭩 dominant performance at the U.S. Open drew comparisons to Woods in his prime. 밫here are so many great and talented players in the game right now ?it is exciting for golf fans and I relish the challenge of going head-to-head with any number of the leading players on a Sunday afternoon,?Woods said. 밨ory and Luke are both very talented golfers and I admire what they have achieved in the last year. I look forward to having many great battles on a Sunday afternoon with these great players in 2012.? He acknowledged, however, that getting back to the No. 1 ranking he held for so long might prove difficult. After falling out of the top 50 for a brief period last year, Woods is now ranked 23rd. "The young guys coming through are practicing harder and training harder than ever before and raising the bar," Woods said. "I think the level of consistency I had a few years ago would see me climb back up the rankings pretty quickly, but I do think there are some pretty phenomenal golfers out there that I really respect." 우즈 “부상 완쾌, 다시 골프 즐긴다” 타이거 우즈(37·미국)가 2012시즌 개막을 앞두고 몸과 마음이 모두 정상적으로 돌아왔다고 말했다. 우즈는 3일 AP통신과의 이메일 인터뷰에서 "2011년을 마치면서 부상에서 회복됐고 골프를 즐기면서 치는 능력도 다시 찾은 것 같다"고 밝혔다. 26일부터 아랍에미리트(UAE) 아부다비에서 열리는 유럽프로골프투어 아부다비 HSBC챔피언십(총상금 270만 달러) 출전으로 이번 시즌을 시작할 예정인 우즈는 "지난해 셰브론 월드 챌린지 우승이 새로운 전진을 위한 출발점이 되면 좋겠다"고 의미를 부여했다. 2009년 11월 호주 마스터스 이후 의문의 교통사고를 내고 사생활이 폭로돼 슬럼프에 빠졌던 우즈는 지난해 12월 자신이 주최한 이벤트 대회인 셰브론 월드 챌린지에서 우승하며 2년 넘게 이어진 우승 갈증을 풀었다. 우즈는 "지난해 부진했지만 몸 상태가 정상이 아니었고 코스 안팎에서 내가 원하는 것에 전념할 수 없었다"며 "아픈 몸을 이끌고 경기를 하니 재미도 없었다"고 털어놨다. 그러나 그는 "최근 몇 달 골프에 재미도 느끼고 있고 매주 조금씩 몸 상태도 좋아지고 있다"고 전했다. 아부다비 대회에서 로리 매킬로이(북아일랜드), 루크 도널드(잉글랜드), 마르틴 카이머(독일) 등 세계 톱 랭커들과 기량을 겨루게 된 우즈는 "시즌 첫 대회부터 좋은 성적을 내고 싶다. 지난해 말부터 자신감도 많이 얻었다"고 말했다. 우즈는 "재능이 뛰어난 선수들이 많이 나와 골프팬들의 볼거리도 많아질 것"이라며 "나도 그런 선수들과 대회 최종 라운드에서 우승을 겨루어 재미를 더하고 싶다"고 의욕을 내보였다.