Less than 48 hours before the 2009 Masters Tournament begins, a rested, intense and sometimes emotional Tiger Woods said he was eager to begin the quest for his fifth Masters title.

“If I hit it like I did at Doral and putt like I did at Bay Hill, I’m right there,” said Woods who is playing in his first major championship – and only his fourth event - following reconstructive knee surgery eight months ago.

“My form is good. It came back to me really quick at the (World) Match Play. After walking off those tee boxes, I didn’t have any ill effects.”

What Woods has suffered through at Augusta National is an extended Masters drought.

It has been four years since his playoff victory over Chris DiMarco, his longest winless streak of his 15-year Masters career.

“I expect to win,” he said in response to a reporters’ question about 2009.

Since his dramatic victory in 2005, highlighted by a seemingly impossible chip-in from behind the par 3 16th green, Woods has finished T3, T2 and second respectively. That’s a career for most people, but not what Woods expects.

“I never would have foreseen myself winning this many championships (14) this soon,” he said of his overall career, “but I’m not going to say that’s a bad thing.”

Woods is four major championships behind six-time Masters Champion Jack Nicklaus, a record he could potentially tie this year, beginning at the 2009 Masters.

Woods has won four consecutive major championships in 2000-2001, but is still seeking to do it all in the same calendar year.

“Well, I know I can it, because I’ve done it,” he said of the feat which overlapped two seasons, but did not take place in one calendar year. “It’s hard for me to sit here and tell you that it can’t be done, because I’ve done it before. It’s just a matter of winning the right four at the right time. So hopefully, it will start this week for me.”

Because of the adverse weather conditions - rain early Monday with cold and heavy wind on Tuesday - Woods has curtailed his on-course practice, spending most of his time on the range and putting green.

He played late Monday afternoon, starting on the 10th hole, played until No. 14 and then skipped over to the par-4 18th, where he joined Australia’s Greg Norman and Adam Scott.

Tuesday, he decided not to play the course at all because of the wind and cold could provide a false sense of the conditions.

He will play nine holes on Wednesday and then get some rest, skipping the Par 3 Contest as he usually does.

“Just touch on my game, makes sure my skills are good and get some rest,” Woods said of his game plan.

Woods holds many Masters’ records, including largest margin of victory, 12 shots and lowest total score (270), both in his 1997 victory.

“If you look at the landscape of the Tour in 1996 when I came out here vs. 2009, there are a lot more guys with a chance to win each and every week,” said Woods. “The fields are getting deeper, the game is getting closer, and that makes it harder to win.”

Woods, however, still finds his way to the top of the winners list with astounding regularity.

The latest example was on display two weeks at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Golf Club in Orlando.

He rallied from five shots back in the fourth round, birdieing the final hole to capture his 66th PGA Tour win.

“I really wanted to get into contention and feel that rush again on the back nine. That’s something I have been missing,” Woods said.

Unlike the past three Masters, Woods hopes for more consistent putting this week on the quick, undulating Augusta National greens.

“I get on rolls where I make everything and I get on rolls where I don’t make anything,” he said of his inconsistencies the last three Masters. “Consequently, I don’t win the Tournament. You have to be very consistent around this golf course.”