PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Sergio Garcia won a career-high four times in 2001 (twice each on the PGA Tour and European Tour), although this is considered his best season ever. The best evidence comes from the world ranking, and not just because the Spaniard is now No. 2.

Garcia earned 400.62 points in 2008, second only to Tiger Woods.

His only PGA Tour victory came at The Players Championship, but he also won the Castello Masters on his home course in Spain and the HSBC Champions against a strong field in China. He finished at No. 4 on the PGA Tour money list and No. 9 on the Order of Merit in Europe, and he won the Vardon Trophy for lowest adjusted scoring average.

But his best golf came in the last three months.

Starting with the PGA Championship, where he tied for second at Oakland Hills, Garcia played eight times and finished out of the top five only once, a tie for 20th at the BMW Championship in St. Louis. He lost in a playoff at The Barclays and at the Tour Championship.

The question now is whether he can resume his pace early this year, starting in Abu Dhabi, and catch the idle Woods at No. 1. Garcia currently has a 7.99 average and is 3.67 points behind Woods -- about the same gap between Garcia and No. 12 in the ranking.

Woods probably won't return from his knee surgery before Mar. 1, at which point he will be at 9.38.

"It's possible, mainly because he's been injured," Garcia said after winning in China. "But we know that as soon as he comes out, he's going to play well and he's going to become quite tough, and he seems to get away from us a little bit. But I've never been this close to No. 1, and it's exciting to be there."

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