At the end of the day, Tiger Woods stood alone, a champion.

In his first start of the 2006 PGA Tour season, the best golfer in the world showed exactly why he is just that, the very best.

This was Woods’ debut this season, his first victory since turning 30 last month.

With the tour off to a sluggish start with so few stars teeing it up in the first month, Woods’ winning the Buick Invitational is like a cannon shot announcing golf’s arrival.

It couldn’t come at a better time with the NFL taking a weekend off before next Sunday’s NFL Super Bowl at Detroit, Michigan.

The story here was how Woods almost never gives as good as he gets. It’s how Woods almost never gives away a tournament when he has a chance to win it. While Woods is capable of spectacular shot making, it isn’t his ability to consistently hit winning shots that makes him such a formidable champion. It’s how he consistently avoids hitting shots that lose tournaments.