Golf:

Apparently the world’s No. 1 golfer is not excused from diaper duty or middle-of-the-night feedings.

Tiger Woods looked exhausted Monday, when he appeared via video from his Florida home to promote his upcoming Chevron World Challenge.

Heavy eyes and a fatigued voice, the part-time Corona del Mar resident looked like he would have gladly traded the $10 million he had won the day before at the PGA Tour’s Fed Ex Cup for a full night’s rest.

“Yeah, I am a little bit tired, there’s no doubt,” Woods said. “I am running on a little bit of fumes. I didn’t sleep very well last night. Got up early this morning, that’s what happens when you have a crying baby, I guess.”

Charlie Axel is not the only reason for Woods’ fatigue. On the course events, have equally tired out Woods.

“It has been a long year, absolutely it’s been a long year, because I’ve had to train harder than normal just to come back to playing, and then a lot of golf at the end of the season,” Woods said. “There was seven out of nine weeks I believe it was I played.”

It has been a season of significant moments both on and off the course for Woods, who along with wife, Elin, not only welcomed his second child, but returned to competition after major knee surgery.

Woods won six times this season and though he didn’t win a major championship, placed in the top 10 in three of them, missing the cut at the British Open.

Many critics have claimed this is not a successful year. If Woods doesn’t win a major championship, his year is not a success. I would disagree. He came back from surgery and still won six of his 19 events and finished in the top 10 in all but three events.

“Absolutely, it’s a successful year,” Woods said. “To have gone through what I went through for eight months being away from the game and then coming back and being as consistent as I’ve been this year, this is, I believe, my third lowest stroke average I’ve ever had on the tour. So that’s something I’m very proud of.

“Unfortunately this year I didn’t win a major championship. I was close in three of them, missed the cut in the other. But the year as a whole, it’s been a huge success to come back and play as well as I have and as consistently as I have.”

It was definitely a year of uncertainty for Woods. When he came back after surgery on his knee he really didn’t know what to expect.

“It was a complete unknown,” Woods said. “I didn’t know how this leg was going to respond. But once the season started getting rolling after a few months of playing, I started feeling a lot better. My leg started becoming more explosive again.”

The regular season is over, but Woods still has several events left to play this year. He plays next week in the President’s Cup in San Francisco, then two overseas events in November, one in Shanghai and the other in Australia. He finishes the year with the Chevron World Challenge the first week of December.

Though these events are not PGA Tour events, Woods wants to continue the momentum he built this season.

“The year as a whole, it’s been a huge success to come back and play as well as I have and as consistently as I have,” Woods said. “I’m really looking forward to the prospects of ending this year and then playing again next year.”

JOHN REGER’S golf column appears Thursdays. He may be reached by e-mail at nolimepublishing@aol.com.