The Golf Blog: Johnny Miller says Jack Nicklaus’s 18 major record is pretty safe if Tiger Woods doesn’t win a major in 2012
The Golf Blog says: Johnny Miller thinks Tiger Woods will have a big year this year, with several victories. But he cautioned that, if Tiger fails to win a major this year, Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 majors will be “pretty safe.” Not impossible to surpass, but a lot more difficult.
We disagree. Tiger is still even with Jack Nikclaus’s pace and has a lot of room to play with. We’ve already broken down the numbers–click here. We think, even with a conservative estimate that Tiger won’t win a major beyond age 41, Tiger has 5 more years left to win 5 majors, even if he fails to win one in 2012. And, if Tiger wins 2 majors in one year, which does not seem unrealistic, then he will gain some cushion to have an 0-fer year. Of course, Tiger’s recent major drought, injuries, and personal scandal have all slowed what looked like would be inevitable. But, if Tiger catches fire again, he has ample time to reach 19 majors.
It may not be realistic to think he will shatter Jack’s record, though. We used to think Tiger would easily reach 20 plus majors, given that he was a few years ahead of Jack’s pace. That no longer seems a safe bet. Tiger is just about even with Jack. Whatever happens, this year will be fun to watch!
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