Woods likes his chances

US Open:Tiger Woods defends his US Open title this week with a sharpened appetite for further Major success, having missed the final two grand slam events of last year while recovering from knee surgery. The greatest player of his generation is the overwhelming favourite at Bethpage State Park's Black Course where he clinched the title when it was staged here for the first time in 2002.

Ominously for the competition, he today declared himself excited, fit and confident ahead of teeing the ball up alongside 2007 winner Angel Cabrera and Ireland’s British Open champion Pádraig Harrington on Thursday, when he will be bidding for his fourth US Open crown.

"I'm excited to be here," the 33-year-old Said today. "Obviously this golf course brings back some great memories for me.

"It's good to be back and I've enjoyed playing out here. The practice rounds have all been good and I'm really looking forward to Thursday. I like my chances in any major."

Asked who he regarded as the best golfer of all time, Woods replied without hesitation: "Jack. He's got 18. I'm at 14."

He has always relished the challenge of competing in the toughest of the four major championships and he arrives at Bethpage fresh from his 67th PGA Tour victory at the Memorial tournament two weeks ago.

"It's always nice to play well going into a major championship.

"To get a win always adds to the confidence, no matter how you win, and especially going into a US Open. Generally this is the hardest major we face, year-in and year-out. It has the narrowest fairways, the highest rough.

"You have to be patient and you have to drive the ball well. And this US Open, being this wet and this long, the rough is so thick," he added, referring to the rain-softened Bethpage Black layout. "You have to get the ball in play."

Woods, who defied stabbing pain in his left knee and a double stress fracture of his tibia to win last year in a gripping 19-hole play-off with compatriot Rocco Mediate, was delighted with his fitness.

"I feel great," he said. "It's fun because before, no matter what I did, I kept getting worse. No matter how hard I trained, the leg was deteriorating. I kept doing more damage to the thing. Now it's the exact opposite."