Tiger Woods (Stats | Bio) takes this "Army of one" campaign very seriously.

The world's best golfer will undergo four days of military training at Fort Bragg, N.C., the week after the Masters Tournament. But Woods already marches to his own, solitary beat in golf.

"I'm a lot like my dad, just very independent, and I don't need any other outside forces to motivate me," Woods said. "That's never been the case."

Woods wants the challenge of his Fort Bragg experience because his father, Earl, was a Green Beret who served two tours of duty in Vietnam. It was a life path Woods believes he would have chosen for himself if he'd never been introduced to golf.

But Earl Woods did introduce Tiger to golf, and the lessons he taught his son early on stick with him today.

"My dad and I had a long talk when I was a kid," Woods said. "He said, 'You play golf for you. You don't play golf for me. You don't play golf for Mom. You don't play golf for anybody else. What you do in golf is your own.' "

Woods has built a reputation as a loner, his engagement to Elin Nordegren notwithstanding. Growing up, he ran cross country as a means to push himself beyond his physical limits. He doesn't use a sports psychologist. He acts as his own trainer. Since the middle of the 2002 season, he hasn't used longtime swing coach Butch Harmon.

Doing things his way simply suits him, he says.

"Everyone needs people around them to help them succeed," Woods said. "A lot of people helped me out a lot. Just my whole personality, I'm very individualistic. I had a tough time playing other team sports like baseball. If I played baseball, I always wanted to be the pitcher, always wanted to be in control of the game."

That solo control has led to some questions about Woods' golf game. He won eight major championships while working with Harmon, but he's 0-6 since parting ways.

He won five times last year and posted the third-lowest scoring average in history, but the air of invincibility has been stripped by a succession of poor performance in majors.

"The past year or so I haven't really played my best, but I've been battling through," he said.

So far this season, Woods started with five straight top 10s, including a second straight victory in the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play. But an erratic performance at the Bay Hill Invitational led to speculation that Woods needs help to correct his swing. He posted four straight rounds over par at Bay Hill, and added a fifth to open The Players Championship.

"Ninety percent of my shots are really good," he said. "If my other 10 percent are not playable, that's the problem."

Woods isn't biting on the notion that he should reconnect with Harmon to straighten himself out. He was even called too "nice," as if his killer instinct were waning.

"I'm trying my best," he said. "Every player has their hot streaks, has their lows. (Bay Hill) was one of those times I didn't play well. That happens. And it just happened to be at a golf course that I've had some success at, and hence, I think it was blown up because of those successes I've had."

Woods insists he's coming around. He's eager to get back to Augusta and make up for a faltering finish last year. He's eager to start winning majors again and resume his chase of Jack Nicklaus (Stats | Bio) ' records.

Golf is an individual game, and he plans to conquer it alone.

"You're out there by yourself trying to hit good shots," he said. "No one is going to bail you out. No one is going to call a quick 20 (second time out). You've got to go out and do it on your own.

"I've enjoyed always trying to push myself to the next level. I just get a big kick out of that, seeing what I can physically do, what I'm capable of. When I'm all of the sudden done with my playing career and look back, I'll say, 'Yeah, that's what I was able to do.' I don't think I've gotten there yet. I'll keep working there until hopefully I look back and say, 'I was pretty good at one time.' "

The Army of one marches on.

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.