FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The PGA Tour's 2008 season officially opens with Thursday's start of the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii.

The buzz there, however, won't compare to Jan. 24, which is expected to be opening day for the Tiger Tour.

Tiger Woods will likely make his first start of the season in three weeks at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif. Anticipation's high, because all signs point to Woods' game rising toward another unprecedented peak in a year where the majors are aligned favorably for him to make a run at winning the Grand Slam.

Woods celebrated his 32nd birthday on Dec. 30, and it's reasonable to wonder if he's even reached his prime yet.

Ben Hogan was 34 when he won the first of his nine major championships. Jack Nicklaus won nine of his record 18 majors after he turned 32.

Woods will enter April's Masters looking to claim his 14th major.

Anticipation of Woods' first start is heightened by the fact that Phil Mickelson will likely tee it up at Torrey Pines, too.

Woods has never looked more comfortable with the swing changes he sculpted with Hank Haney's help. He won the Target World Challenge two weeks ago by seven shots. He's looking ahead to a year when the majors go from Augusta National for The Masters, to Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open, to Royal Birkdale for the British Open and then Oakland Hills outside Detroit for the PGA Championship.

Woods has won four of his majors at Augusta National. He has five victories in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, including the last three he has played there. He tied for third the last time the British Open was played at Royal Birkdale (1998) but had mixed results when the Ryder Cup was played at Oakland Hills.