Jack Nicklaus has re-fuelled the debate on Tiger Woods’ ability to match or break his Major tally ahead of The Memorial Tournament.
The 14-time Major champion returns to Muirfield this week for the first time since 2015.
Woods’ latest return from the surgeon’s table has yielded five top-12 finishes including placing second at the Valspar Championship. That form and Woods’ history has led Nicklaus, who ended his career with 18 Majors, to believe that the 42-year-old will win again on the PGA Tour.
‘He is a tough competitor, he’s a hard worker, and he’s still driven. So that’s why I never counted him out,’ said Nicklaus, host of the 120-player invitational tournament this week.
‘I still think he’s got a shot at breaking my record. But whether he does or he doesn’t, even with 10 years passing, it doesn’t make any difference. I think he’s still, he’s still a great athlete and a great golfer.’
Woods has won Nicklaus’ tournament five times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2009 and 2012) and the host is of the opinion that not only can Woods do it again, but he can also go on to claim one of golf’s four elite tournaments.
‘I think that he’ll win when he believes it himself between his ears.
‘When he really starts to believe that – and maybe winning here would be one thing that would [help that]… I think he’ll win and do I think he’ll win majors again? Yeah, I think he’ll win majors again.’
Nicklaus did, however, point out that Woods will have to do it the hard way following the emergence of a number of young players ready to add ‘superstar’ to their title.
‘While he was away from the game, all these young kids have come along and learned how to play and learned how to win,’ Nicklaus said.
‘So he doesn’t have the fear factor that he had when he was playing.’
