The question now is whether he can resume his pace early next year, starting in Abu Dhabi, and catch the idle Woods at No. 1. Garcia currently has an 8.59 average and is 5.2 points behind - the same gap between Garcia and No. 24 in the ranking.
Woods probably won't return from his knee surgery before March 1, at which point he will be at 9.38.
``It's possible, mainly because he's been injured,'' Garcia said after winning in China. ``But we know that as soon as he comes out, he's going to play well and he's going to become quite tough, and he seems to get away from us a little bit. But I've never been this close to No. 1, and it's exciting to be there.''
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DRIVE FOR SHOW: In another example that most players will take a good week of putting over hitting it prodigious lengths, PGA Tour information whiz Dave Lancer came up with the following statistic.
He compiled winners of tournaments on the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour and found that they led the field in putting 16 times. The winner led the field in driving distance only twice.
Meanwhile, 13 players averaged more than 300 yards in driving distance this year, the lowest number since nine players averaged more than 300 yards in 2003. Three years ago, 26 players averaged more than 300 yards off the tee.
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TOO GOOD TO MISS: Kevin Sutherland finished a career-best 18th on the PGA Tour money list, the first time he has been in the top 50 since his lone tour victory in 2002 at the Accenture Match Play Championship.
That makes him eligible for another World Golf Championship, and a trip to a course he hasn't seen his rookie season.
What now is called the CA Championship was played in Ireland the last time Sutherland was eligible. It since has moved to the Blue Monster at Doral. Sutherland rarely plays in Florida, but he's not about to pass up an $8.5 million purse.
Sutherland missed the cut in 1996 after rounds of 71-74 on a Blue Monster that measured 6,939 yards. Since then, it has gone through a redesign to enhance the bunkers, another redesign after the changes were criticized, and it now is 7,266 yards.
``I played it before the changes,'' Sutherland recalls. ``Then they did that first redesign, and I remember everyone didn't like it. I didn't like it before the changes, so I didn't see any reason to go back.''
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DIVOTS: Bob Tway led the PGA Tour in putts per greens in regulation with a 1.718 average. At age 49, he became the oldest players to lead the tour in any statistical category. ... Oskar Henningsson won the final stage of European tour qualifying on Tuesday as 32 players earned their tour cards for 2009. Among those earning a card was former Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart. ... Of the rookies who finished among the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list, four came from Q-school and four came from the Nationwide Tour.
STAT OF THE WEEK: The Masters was the only major that did not finish in the top 10 toughest courses on the PGA Tour this year.
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FINAL WORD: ``The only person he has ever been unkind to is himself.'' - David Feherty, speaking about John Daly.
