/world sport
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- World number one Tiger Woods is targeting a grand slam of majors in 2008 but admits that even he will require a slice of good fortune to achieve an elusive feat.
Woods plays an iron shot during Wednesday's pro-am tournament in Dubai.
The 32-year-old began the season with a stunning eight-stroke victory in the Buick International to spark new predictions of a grand slam sweep, but Woods knows the pitfalls.
"It is about playing well at the right times and getting lucky and having everything going your way," said Woods ahead of this week's Dubai Desert Classic, where he will look to repeat his play-off-off victory over Ernie Els in 2006.
"You can play well and not have it happen. The one thing I can control is my own play and hopefully I can peak at the right times this year and hopefully it will be good enough."
Woods is the star attraction at the Emirates Golf Club where he finished joint third last year behind winner Henrik Stenson of Sweden.
He is confident of building on his big win at Torrey Pines in the European Tour event. "The greens are always smooth out here, which is a bonus, and I am really looking forward to teeing up in the tournament," he said.
"The greens are a little slower than they have been, the rough is up a touch and they have narrowed a couple of the fairways. It is playing a touch longer, the balls are not really rolling as much but if the wind doesn't blow like it did today the guys are going to shoot low."
Woods is paired with eight-time Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie and Sweden's Niclas Fasth in Thursday's first round.
In-form duo Lee Westwood and Stenson and world number five Ernie Els, a three-time Dubai Desert Classic champion, will also look to stop the American, while Adam Scott of Australia showed he is in good form with a win in last week's Qatar Masters. E-mail to a friend 
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