Capelle On Golf

Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have ridiculously stringent criteria on what makes a successful season. One major title or more makes a great year. No majors and the season is a disaster.

During his prime from 1962 through 1980 Nicklaus had 12 great years and seven disasters. To date, Woods has chalked up nine great years and has suffered through three disastrous campaigns.

Woods has performed admirably after his surgery with two ties for sixth in the first two majors, but all this means to him is that the count is oh and two. Two more strikes and the year is a failure.

Knowing how much they hate to go winless in the majors puts extra pressure on Nicklaus and Woods as they go into the second half of the year with two goose eggs. Nicklaus responded to the challenge by winning the 1970 British Open, the 1973 PGA, and the 1978 British Open. On three occasions he finished a stroke back at the PGA in his effort to avoid being shutout.

Woods has likewise met the avoid-the-zero  challenge in the last two majors with wins at the1999 PGA, the 2006 BO (and PGA), the 2007 PGA, and 2008 US Open which, win or lose, was going to be his last major.

Now he’s got two strikes left. He’s never played Turnberry, so there is no book on how it matches up with his game. He did finish second at the PGA in 2002 when it was held at Hazeltine, so his affinity for that layout should work in his favor.

Should Woods fail to win a major this year, his next chance will come in April, 22 months after his victory at Torrey Pines.

Besides his desire to bag #15 and inch closer to Nicklaus’ record, Tiger also has a super important winning streak on the line. There are three players in the Modern Era (1958+) who have won at least one major in four straight seasons. They include Nicklaus (1970-1973), Tom Watson (1980-1983), and Woods (1999-2002 and 2005-2008). If he can win one of the last two, he can stretch his streak to five, and possibly higher.

If Woods fails, he would have to start a new streak at age 34 and win one a year through age 38. So, realistically speaking, this is probably his last shot at doing something Nicklaus (or Watson) never could.