No one came close to matching Tiger Woods on the U.S. PGA Tour, which is becoming as predictable as Woods being voted the U.S. PGA Tour player of the year.

With seven victories and another major championship, Woods won the award on Tuesday for the third straight season and the ninth time in his 11 years since he turned pro. The only questions now are whether he's playing his best golf, and how much better he can get.

Woods however rated his 2007 season almost on a par with his annus mirabilis in 2000 which is widely regarded as one of the best years in golfing history.

In 2000, Woods won the last three majors of the season along with eight other tournaments worldwide.

"I think this year was very close to doing that," Woods said. "I was just four shots away.

"I had a great chance to win three of the four majors this year. I finished second in two of them and was just a few shots away from basically doing what I did in 2000."

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily December 13, 2007)