Nicklaus says 2010 may be the year of Tiger

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Tiger Woods is four majors behind the record set by Jack Nicklaus going into a year in which three majors will be held on Woods’ favorite courses – Augusta National, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews.

“If Tiger is going to pass my record, this is a big year for him in that regard,” Nicklaus said on Friday.

But it starts with Woods playing, and not even Nicklaus knows when the world’s No. 1 player will return from an “indefinite break” while he tries to salvage his marriage from the blockbuster publicity of extramarital affairs.

Woods has never missed a Masters or a US Open since 1995.

“I don’t know the answer what he’s going to do and what he’s going to play. He’s the only one who can answer that,” Nicklaus, who won 18 majors in his career, said during a conference call ahead of his 70th birthday on Jan. 21. “Certainly, this year with where the majors are ... he basically owns all three places.

“If he doesn’t play this year, the chore will be a little tougher.”

Woods has won 14 majors, with half of them coming at those three courses. He has won the Masters four times (the most recent in 2005), the British Open twice at St. Andrews by a combined 13 shots, and the US Open at Pebble Beach by a record 15 shots.

Oddly enough, half of Nicklaus’ major victories also came on those three courses.

Woods last won a major at Torrey Pines in the 2008 US Open, ending his season a week later with reconstructive knee surgery. Despite winning six times last year, he had only one good chance at adding to his major total until he lost a two-shot lead in the final round of the US PGA Championship and finished second to Y.E. Yang.

He has not played since winning the Australian Masters on Nov. 15. Two weeks later, Woods ran his SUV into a tree outside of his Florida home in the middle of the night, and allegations of rampant affairs soon followed. Woods confessed to “infidelity” and said on Dec. 11 he would take a break from golf to focus on becoming a better husband, father and person.

Woods has not been seen in public in nearly two months. Along with speculation on when he will return is how he will play with more scrutiny of his personal life than he has ever faced.

Without alluding to Woods, Nicklaus offered some insight into the emotional state required to win majors.

The Golden Bear won majors over 25 seasons, a record in golf. It started with the 1962 US Open in a playoff over Arnold Palmer and ended with the 1986 Masters, when a 46-year-old Nicklaus shot 30 on the back nine to win his sixth Masters.                                (AP)