If Tiger Woods wants to win a fourth green jacket next year, he might consider shooting a 70 in the opening round. That's because Tiger has shot a first-round 70 at The Masters three times now and has proceeded to win each time.

Were the powers-that-be able to Tiger-proof Augusta? I don't think so. Instead, they Tiger-enhanced it.

But Tiger's final-round focus is what sets him apart. I'm absolutely fascinated with his ability to use what we would deem a negative or hindrance -- the pressure of being on center stage -- as a positive, a tool for his tournament craftsmanship.

At 26 years old, Tiger seems to welcome the pressure of a final round at a major while others try to fend it off. This was evident again Sunday at The Masters. I didn't think for one instant that Tiger would lose.

At the end of play Saturday, seven players were within six shots of Woods and Retief Goosen, who were tied at 11-under. Six of the world's top seven players were on that leaderboard (David Duval was the only one absent). It was a veritable Who's Who of the Golf World -- but because of Tiger's presence, that Who's Who became a "so what?"

You can look at Sunday's developments two ways: On the one hand, you know Tiger will take care of business. On the other hand, no one else stepped up. Ernie Els shot a triple-bogey 8 on the 13th hole. Vijay Singh shot a quadruple-bogey 9 on the 15th.

Going into The Masters, only four of 28 golf writers polled by the Augusta Chronicle picked Tiger to win. I guess they thought the course's much-publicized extra yardage would affect him. Well, Tiger shot just 12-under (as opposed to 16-under last year). Given that stat, perhaps the powers-that-be were able to Tiger-proof Augusta. But did they? I don't think so. Instead, they Tiger-enhanced it.

Longer is better for Tiger. If anything, the added length at Augusta affected his challengers. It was one more thing to think about -- as if there isn't enough already to think about at The Masters. First, they have to deal with the difficulty of the course itself, and then they have to match shot for shot with a competitor like Tiger.

That's a double-edged sword that calls for hari-kari. The red shirt Tiger wears is like a sponge in the ER, soaking up his opponents' blood. Maybe his shirt starts out white and becomes blood-red by the time he wins a tournament Sunday afternoon.

To switch metaphors, Tiger is like a true heavyweight champion, and as with fighters, we sometimes inflate the abilities of their opponents. In boxing, we might say, "This challenger has a greater reach than the champ or outweighs him or has youth on his side." Coming into The Masters this year, we said, "Vijay's won this tournament before, Goosen's won a U.S. Open (and Els has two). Olazabal has two green jackets, and Mickelson's due."

Tiger is the ultimate closer. He's 7-0 when he's in the final group at a major. If you're paired with Tiger in that final round, you're at his mercy.

But any scenario involving someone else winning at Augusta calls for Tiger to fail. And you can't factor that in any more. He seems almost incapable of making mental mistakes. In 30-plus rounds at Augusta, Tiger has shot better than the player he's been paired with all but three times. That includes '96, when he missed the cut.

The way Tiger takes advantage of his opponents is amazing. You wonder if Goosen would have been better served Sunday had he played with someone else. It's just too tough to stare Tiger down and beat him head-to-head. To beat this Tiger, maybe you need to sneak up on him ... before he devours you.

Tiger is the ultimate closer. He's 7-0 when he's in the final group at a major. When he's locked in like that, everyone else is playing for second. If you're paired with Tiger in that final round, you're at his mercy.

It's true that future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera failed to close out Game 7 of last year's World Series. Is there a similar aberration on the horizon for Tiger? I don't see it happening. At least not until someone else shows they can turn pressure into a positive and treat it as a traveling companion -- which is what Tiger does.

With Rivera, his errant throw to second base contributed to his downfall. Is it possible for Tiger to beat himself? Based on what we've seen, I'd say no.