Healthy Woods expected to get back on Nicklaus’s major trail

Since Tiger Woods won his third Claret Jug at Hoylake in 2006 the greatest player of his generation has either been an also-ran or a non-runner as the event approached its climax.

At Carnoustie he never recovered from hitting the opening shot of his second round out of bounds.

Padraig Harrington won there and while he was retaining his title at Birkdale 12 months later Woods was recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.

At Turnberry he missed the cut as speculation mounted about his off-course life, while in 2010 at St Andrews – post sex scandal – he was eight behind at halfway and 13 behind by the end.

Finally, post divorce, he was once more an absentee from Sandwich last summer after another injury setback to his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’s record 18 majors.

Whether you love him for what he has achieved as a golfer or hate him for his fall from grace, there is no doubt that with Woods involved in the title shoot-out there is an extra buzz in the crowd and massively larger viewing figures around the world.

He was on course to have surpassed Nicklaus’s record by now, but has been stuck on 14 for more than four years now.

After four tournament wins in the last eight months, however, Woods has climbed back from 58th in the world to fourth – and could be No 1 again on Sunday night.

Is he surprised about the speed of that recovery? “No,” he said.

Although he was only 40th at the Masters and 21st the US Open – both immediately after wins –three majors in a row without him at least being in the frame seems unlikely.

“I had to go through the process of getting healthy again. Being banged up and missing majors because I was injured wasn’t a whole lot of fun,” he said.

“If I’m healthy I can prepare properly for majors and get myself there.”

England’s Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are still chasing their first major and success for either would make it 16 different winners of the last 16 majors.