By Mark Soltau
SportsLine Senior Writer

David Duval is the man to beat at Augusta National, which is just fine with Tiger Woods. For a change, the bulk of the pressure and media attention falls on Duval, whose win last week at The Players Championship bumped Woods to second in the World Rankings.

"I'm not against that," Woods said.

Woods is still a threat, but now is No. 2. (Allsport)

No, Woods isn't doing his impression of a Cheshire cat, laying in the weeds for an unsuspecting rodent. With 10 victories in the last 18 months, Duval deserves to be No. 1. Considering he still lacks a major title, you can bet that will be the hot topic heading into the Masters.

Woods has been there, done that, and will take all the privacy he can get.

Should he play well, which he firmly expects to do, there will be no avoiding the press room or television cameras. He hasn't exactly embarrassed himself this year, recording six top-10 finishes in eight events, including a win, a second, a third and two fifths. Anyone who takes him lightly is making a big mistake.

Woods tuned up for Augusta by working with swing coach Butch Harmon in Florida. If his irons start responding, always a key at Augusta, look out. Woods is pleased with his driving and putting and has been pointing toward the tournament for several weeks.

Asked how close his game was from being sharp, he said, "Not very far."

With the exception of Pebble Beach and Bay Hill, Woods has been a contender in every event. He could have won at Phoenix and Los Angeles, won in San Diego, and has seldom strayed off the front page of the leaderboard.

Plus, he had excuses at Pebble Beach and Bay Hill. In the former, he played with actor Kevin Costner in the pro-am, creating the usual media frenzy. In the latter, he was coming off a long layoff and used new caddie Steve Williams for the first time.

Woods and Williams have now worked together twice and will get the ultimate baptism at the Masters. However, it's not like Woods needs hand-holding. Not only did he win a green jacket in 1997, he tied for eighth last year and knows his way around. Should he struggle, some will blame it on the absence of ex-looper Mike "Fluff" Cowan.

"Steve's been great," said Woods, who tied for 10th at The Players Championship. "We have a lot of fun out there. It took us a few days to get oriented with distances. It's only going to get better."

Woods relieved some pressure in February by winning the Buick Invitational, his first victory on American soil since the BellSouth Classic last May. He won the Buick in style, edging Billy Ray Brown with a last-hole eagle.

Prior to that, some insisted Woods' confidence was shaken. Publicly, he denied the accusations, saying it was only a matter of time and a little luck before he won again.

As it turned out, he was right.

At 23, Woods is still a pup. After a record-setting amateur career and two years of college at Stanford, many expected him to steam-roll the PGA Tour. Not surprisingly, that hasn't happened, although eight wins in less than three years as a pro hardly constitute failure.

Don't forget, the 27-year-old Duval, a four-time All-American at Georgia Tech, didn't win his first PGA Tour event until his third full-time season, and he still lacks a major. Many think his time has come, and they might be right. But he isn't out of the Woods.

Editor's note: CBS SportsLine senior editor Mark Soltau is a regular contributor to GolfWeb.