Golf: Woods not worried by death threats

Tiger Woods confirmed yesterday that he had received several death threats since his astonishing rise to prominence in the sport.

"Unfortunately, I've had my share of threats since I was 16," said Woods, who turns 22 next month. "That's just the way life is when you're playing a sport that traditionally hasn't been a minority sport."

Woods became the first non-white player to win one of the four major championships with his 12-stroke victory in the Masters at Augusta National in April. He also clinched the PGA Tour money title on Sunday.

Woods played 21 tour events this season, plus the Ryder Cup, a tournament in Thailand and one in Australia. He said he would probably play slightly less frequently next year.

"A lot of times you get a little pressure from tournaments, from the commissioner, to play some of the weaker tournaments. Hence you play a couple more events per year that you normally wouldn't play," he said.