Tiger Woods eyes Masters win, Jack Nicklaus’ majors mark

Tiger Woods may be making his long-awaited official return to the PGA Tour this week at Torrey Pines but the 14-time major winner, as is his habit, has Augusta on his mind.

Woods, who will jet to the Middle East for next week’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic after the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey, also says he can still overtake Jack Nicklaus’ all-time majors record of 18.

“I do,” Woods told Gulf News on Monday about whether he believed he could earn five more majors before he hangs up his spikes.

“Jack had an absolutely amazing career,” Woods, 41, said, “but it took him an entire career to get to 18 majors. Hopefully I have a lot of good years ahead of me.”

The next chance Woods will have to win his first major since he prevailed at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey will be at Augusta in April. Though he has not officially committed to the first major of the season, Tiger will be making his 21st Masters start on April 6 barring health or other unforeseen issues.

And, as always, Tiger’s goal will be to add another green jacket to his wardrobe.

“I would love to play [Augusta],” Woods said on Monday from Riviera Country Club where he will host and play in next month’s Genesis Open. “I’d love to win. I’ve won it four times and hopefully I can add a fifth.”

Woods made his first competitive start since Aug. 2015 at the limited-field Hero World Championship in December and finished 15th out of 18 players. On Thursday, he will tee it up at the Farmers on a San Diego course where he has won eight times.

Beyond Torrey, Dubai, and Riviera, Woods has the Honda Classic at the end of February on his schedule. Though he was on an extended layoff after undergoing multiple back surgeries, Magnolia Lane was never far from his thoughts.

“Once the season ends, typically, in the fall, I start thinking about what I need to do for Augusta,” Woods said. “I’ve done it for 20 years.”

All of this depends, of course, on how well his back can withstand the rigors of competition. To that end, Woods has been playing some four or fives times a week and he’s impatient to get back in the mix.

Playing four out of five weeks, combined with the travel, is of concern to Woods but he’s more than ready to put his body to the test.

“I’ve sat out long enough here. I’ve got my body in a pretty good state where I feel I can handle that workload,” Woods said. “But I’ve still got to go out there and do it.”