IN 1986, when Tiger Woods was ten years old, the American magazine Golf Digest published a list of Jack Nicklaus' achievements and the ages at which he accomplished them.
The spellbound youngster cut out the article and stuck it up on his bedroom wall. His late father, Earl, confided: "That was his guide and his goals were set by that."
In a book about Tiger's early years, John Strege recounts how Woods would tick
off various feats which either matched or surpassed events in the career of the game's greatest player. Nicklaus was nine, for example when he first broke 50 for nine holes. Woods was three. As Strege observed: "Tiger perceived his victories over lesser opponents in minor tournaments as small, necessary steps on a long journey that, by design, would only end when he conquered Nicklaus."
The enduring challenge of Woods' career is to surpass Nicklaus' haul of 18 majors. According to the Golden Bear himself, it's not a question of if Tiger will pull off this extraordinary success but when. From Tiger's perspective, after winning Nicklaus' Memorial tournament thanks to a flawless display off the tee, it's a goal he might have been forced to surrender but for the success of the knee surgery he underwent last year.
With 14 major titles already under his belt at 33, Woods was asked if he can go on to break the most prized record in golf. "I'm hoping to," Tiger replied. "It's five to pass him, four to tie him. That's a lot. Most of the guys in my generation haven't won more than three. So it's quite a challenge. There's no doubt about it.
"I probably wouldn't have had as good a chance to put myself in position to tie or pass, whatever it may be, if I hadn't had the surgery. My leg was deteriorating the past couple of years. I'm healthy enough where I think I can give it a go."
Although it's not exactly a foregone conclusion, the fact Woods found 14 out of 14 fairways at Muirfield Village on Sunday means the defending champion will start as a prohibitively short price favourite to collect his 15th major in golf's pre-eminent test of straight driving next week when he tees up at Bethpage in the US Open.
Woods played the Black course in the company of his coach Hank Haney at Bethpage on Monday, using a local caddie before cutting out in the middle of the 18th fairway to avoid the spectators and media waiting behind the final green. The experience confirmed what he already knew – namely that in order to mount a successful defence of the title he won at Torrey Pines then he needs to keep the ball out of the rough.
If there's a chink in Tiger's armoury, most critics would point to a wayward driver as a weak point in the majors. Little wonder then that even Nicklaus believes should Woods continue to strike the ball purely then his rivals are going to have to come up with something special to stop him at Bethpage.
"I suspect that (major] number 15 will come to Tiger Woods in about two weeks," he predicted. "If Tiger drives the ball this way, I'm sure it will. If not, it would surprise me greatly."
Bearing in mind the seriousness of Woods' knee injury and the length of time, eight months, he was on the sidelines, some of the complaints about Tiger's form on his return to competition were absurdly judgemental.
In the six stroke play events he's entered since March, Woods has finished ninth, first, sixth, fourth, eighth and first. He's won over $2.1 million during that spell and has a stroke average of 69.7. His driving accuracy statistic at the Memorial of 87.5 per cent was the best of his career.
If the world No 1 had a point to prove before the Memorial, Jim Furyk was irked the critics had got the back up of such a consistent champion."I wish you'd all quit (hacking] him off," quipped the world No 10.
"That's about all I have to say about that. Wish you'd just quit chapping him so much and make him come back and keep proving stuff…"
