Tiger Woods believes a fast start will be crucial against Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano at the World Match Play Championships on Wednesday.
Woods will take on the world number 48 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Arizona, a year after he lost his first-round match-up against Thomas Bjorn.
Bjorn's victory 12 months ago was set up over the first three holes.
"It's hard to make up ground when you're only playing 18 holes," Woods said on Tuesday.
The three-time World Match Play champion seemed untroubled by Fernandez-Castano's comments in the lead up to the Arizona-based tournament, with the Spaniard having declared Woods as 'beatable'.
"I think he's beatable," Woods said with a grin.
The 36-year-old refuses to get annoyed by criticism from his rivals.
"As I've matured, the way I look at it is that it's just an opinion," Woods said. "It's their prerogative."
"When I'm retired, I think I will have mastered a pretty good record."
Reigning champion Luke Donald, whose victory at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club sparked his run to the number one spot in the world, knows there are high expectations on him.
"The reality is it's always tough to follow a great year, tough to follow a great round with another great round," Donald said.
"That's just the way it is."
The Englishman will take on Ernie Els on Wednesday.