The Golf Expert is here with answers to your questions. Since slow play is not encouraged, let's quickly move to the first tee, er, question and get started.

Q: What's the biggest reason for Tiger Woods' return to the victory stand in the past few months?
— Dave from Muncie, Ind.
A: Some would say it's the power of a stunning blonde beauty, others would chalk it up to better success with the driver.

Me? First, I would start with the law of averages because when you're talking about the best pure golfer in the world — and yes, I know the world rankings say otherwise — it was only a matter of time before he put together some wins in stroke-play events. He is rather good at this silly game.

OK, the titles at the end of 2004 were against either weak or small fields, but it was impressive that he won the Buick Invitational against a group of names such as Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, and Phil Mickelson — especially with his play so erratic at times.

My hunch is, Woods is finally comfortable with the new swing, that he feels like he can go out there and hit quality shots and he's not afraid to trust it. Of course, he's driving it better than he has since 2002 and that takes a lot of pressure off, especially since he's still the best scrambler and grind-it-out guy on the PGA Tour.

Case in point: The 2-iron he attempted to hit into the 18th at Torrey Pines in the final round of the Buick. With the pin front left, Woods played for a high fade that would land on the back right portion of the green; a safe call, but not an easy shot, and when Woods hit the shot badly, he fanned it well right and was very lucky he didn't go in the water and make a bogey or worse. It was worth noting, however, that he had the confidence to attempt such a shot and that he called upon his unmatched nerve to shake off the miscue with a gutsy birdie that sealed his win.

Bottom line: For all his great success, Woods struggled with confidence during his swing change and even though he was committed to what he was doing, he knew it would take time. The time, it appears, is now.

Q: Does Vijay Singh have a shot at being the best over-40 player ever?
— Rob from Tallahassee, Fla.
A: It's a great observation, Rob, and one you wouldn't have thought could be taken serious a few years ago. After all, Sam Snead won 17 times after the age of 40 and who among us thought that that mark would ever be threatened? But Singh won three times in 2003 after turning 40, added nine more titles a year ago, and has one thus far in 2005. That's 13 and it's not hard to envision him catching and surpassing Snead's total. Would that make him the greatest over-40 player ever? Surely, my vote would be with him.

Q: Who are the rookies to watch on the PGA Tour this year?
— Ed Hopkins from Indianapolis
A: This is always a tough one, Ed, but since you asked I'll go out on the limb and say that you should keep your eyes on Brendan Jones.

He finished sixth on the Nationwide Tour money list to earn his PGA Tour card, but what is appealing about him is his background — from 2001-04 he was on the Japanese PGA Tour. A three-time winner over there, Jones might just draw confidence from a similar route taken by last year's British Open champ, Todd Hamilton. He'll be 30 in March, but it's a very fresh and very energetic 30.

Others to watch? Jimmy Walker moves up from the Nationwide Tour with a lot of advance billing, but I also like James Driscoll's chances to do well. The 2000 US Amateur runner-up has the length and the short game to hang in there, plus he's as focused a young man as you'll find. By the end of the year, I expect Billy Haas to be out there, because he's got far too much talent to be kept down.

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