Nicklaus says Tiger will still set Major mark

“I still think he will break my record,” Nicklaus said before the PGA Honda Classic pro-am event.

Woods has not won since a sex scandal erupted around him in November of 2009 with the 14-time Major champion admitting to affairs with multiple mistresses, costing him major financial sponsors and his marriage to Elin Nordegren.

“He got maybe off the track, but I think he’s really a principled kid,” Nicklaus said. “Are we all perfect? No.”

Woods struggled through a winless 2010 season and is working on changes to his swing with coach Sean Foley that have yet to pay off with a return to the form Woods once dominated golf with like no other player since Nicklaus.

“I’m surprised that he has not bounced back by now,” Nicklaus said. “I think he’s got a great work ethic. He’s so determined to do what he wants to do. I’m very surprised that he has not popped back.”

But Nicklaus, who has not spoken with Woods since last June, added that how Woods fares in this year’s Majors likely will play a pivotal role in deciding whether Woods can match him or not.

“You probably can ask me that same question at the end of this year and we will see what the answer is,” Nicklaus said.

“It will probably define a lot of what will be the answer.”

Woods will try to end a 34-month Major title drought, matching the longest of his career, at next month’s Masters on an Augusta National Golf Club course where he has won four green jackets.

This year also features the US Open in June at Congressional Golf Club, where Woods hosted a PGA event that he won in 2009, the British Open in July at Royal St. George’s in England and the PGA Championship in August at Atlanta Athletic Club.

Woods, 35, last won a Major title at the 2008 US Open, limping through a playoff victory over Rocco Mediate before knee surgery ended his season.

Nicklaus won two Majors at age 35 and four more after turning 36. If Woods cannot win another Major this year, he will drop back to having won the same number of Majors at the same age as Nicklaus, a pace he has exceeded since his ‘Tiger Slam’ of four Major titles in a row in 2000-2001.

“He’s not going to go anywhere,” Nicklaus said. “How does he win 14 Majors? He doesn’t get there by playing poorly. He has won a lot of tournaments hitting it all over the world, but he still figured out a way to get the ball in the hole to win that golf tournament. He’ll do it again.”

Woods is not playing this week but on Wednesday announced he would play at next week’s World Golf Championships event at nearby Doral, a tournament he won in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

This season, Woods shared 44th at Torrey Pines, 20th at Dubai and lost in the first round of last week’s World Golf Championships Match-Play event.

“You just keep working at it and you keep doing things and all of a sudden, something happens that kicks in, and I think that’s what will happen with Tiger,” Nicklaus said.

“Sometimes the little things have to happen to you, and I think that’s where you’re talking about Tiger and his problems. When you have as much talent as he has, that will happen.”