• US Open

Tiger faces big year - Nicklaus

Tiger Woods has not looked in control of his game this year © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Nicklaus backs Tiger to break his record
  
• Profile: Tiger Woods
ESPN.com's Championship Central page

Jack Nicklaus believes that Tiger Woods needs to win a major this year if he is to overhaul his own record of 18 major titles.

Aside from a solid showing at the Masters, Woods' form has been disappointing since he returned to the course following a five-month spell on the sidelines. He has split from his coach; is nursing a neck injury as well as having to battle issues in his private life, and Nicklaus is not sure if the world No. 1 is in the right mental and physical shape to compete.

But two of the three remaining majors this year are on courses he historically plays well on, Pebble Beach and St Andrews, and Nicklaus believes the green shoots of recovery need to be on show at the US Open next month.

"He plays very well at Pebble and St Andrews [the venue of the next two majors]," Nicklaus told the Daily Telegraph. "St Andrews will be a lot easier for him than Pebble Beach because if he hits an errant drive at St Andrews he will find it. You can aim at the middle of the course there and still get around very well. He always plays well there.

"This year has a lot to do with him beating the record. He's in his prime. If he doesn't play well on three golf courses that he owns - Augusta, Pebble and St Andrews - if he doesn't win on one of those, he might not break it. I suspect he will win one of the next two and I suspect he'll pass my record in the next couple of years."

But Nicklaus is aware there are nagging doubts as to Woods' capacity to compete at present. "We have no idea what his neck issue is," he said. "We have no idea if his knee is bothering him. We have no idea whether he's got his head screwed on properly because of his private affairs."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.