LOS ANGELES AFP Tiger Woods believes he can still catch Jack Nicklaus and his record of 18 major titles after ending a decade-long drought with a win for the ages at Augusta National.
The 43-year-old stunned the sporting world this month by completing an epic comeback from spinal fusion surgery to capture his 15th major and his first since the 2008 US Open.
A 2009 sex scandal followed by knee and back injuries that required seven operations had led to a prolonged wait to add another major title to his honours.
But his fairytale fifth green jacket has put Woods firmly back in pursuit of the all-time record of 18 major wins by Nicklaus.
“I always thought it was possible, if I had everything go my way,” Woods said in an interview with streaming service GOLFTV.
“It took him an entire career to get to 18, so now that I’ve had another extension to my career -- one that I didn’t think I had a couple of years ago --if I do things correctly and everything falls my way, yeah, it’s a possibility.
“I’m never going to say it’s not. Except for a couple of years ago when I couldn’t walk.
“Now I just need to have a lot of things go my way, and who’s to say that it will or will not happen? That’s what the future holds, I don’t know. The only thing I can promise you is this: that I will be prepared.” Woods prevailed by one stroke on a dramatic final day at Augusta, remarkably his first major victory in which he did not lead after 54 holes.
“It went from a one-horse race with all of us kind of chasing Francesco, to now Pandora’s box is now opened up playing 13, where right now there’s at least seven with a legitimate chance to win the tournament with six holes to go,” Woods recalled.
Asked whether his achievement had sunk in, he replied: “No, honestly it hasn’t. It’s hard to believe.
“Every now and again, I’ll look over there on the couch and there’s the jacket. Yeah, I did pull it off.”