Woods says getting back to No. 1 will take time

On the two-year anniversary of losing his No. 1 ranking, Tiger Woods said on Thursday that winning was the best way for him to get back to the top.And that could take some time.Four players have been No. 1 over the last two years. The top ranking belongs to Rory McIlroy, who has widened his lead by winning the U.S. PGA Championship and consecutive tournaments during the FedEx Cup playoffs. McIlroy was runner-up last week against a strong field in Shanghai.Rory is playing a lot of events, and so am I, toward the beginning of the year, Woods said in Singapore, where he staged a youth clinic on putting. Its about winning golf tournaments. Thats how I got to No. 1, thats how Rory got to No. 1.Youve got to win golf tournaments, and when you dont, youve got to be consistent and finish high. Im looking forward to that.Woods won three times this year on the U.S. tour, though it took time for his trademark consistency to develop. He did not have back-to-back finishes in the top 10 until the British Open (tie for third) and the Bridgestone Invitational (tie for eighth).He hasnt finished out of the top 10 since The Barclays in August, a streak of four tournaments. Woods ends his 2012 season at his World Challenge in California in the last week of November.Things are progressing nicely, Woods said. Last year I was 127th on the money list, this year I was second. So I think thats pretty good improvement in a year. And given that Im healthy, Im really looking forward to next year.He decided not to play the HSBC Champions this week in China, saying he was too tired to prepare properly. Woods will have played 24 tournaments this year, his most since 2005, which includes an unofficial event in Turkey and the Ryder Cup.Woods confirmed he will not play in January at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, where he last competed in 2005.That will give him six full weeks off after his World Challenge.Doing these things are easy, Woods said of the clinic at Marina Bay Sands. Competing and getting ready for another golf tournament ... I just didnt want to do that. Ive got four more rounds, which is my tournament in LA, and Im done untilAbu Dhabi next year, so Im looking forward to having this extended break. This is like my offseason now, and Im really looking forward to just getting away from it.