Tiger Woods: 3 Reasons Why He Will Surpass Jack Nicklaus' Record for Most Majors

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It's popular these days to declare Tiger Woods championship-winning career dead and buried.

And with good reason—what happened at the Players Championship was really embarrassing and discouraging. And who knows what to make of the durability of his lower body.

But that's not nearly enough to suggest—to me anyhow—that he will fail in his ultimate quest, passing Jack Nicklaus' 18 career majors.

In fact, I think he'll blow right past the Golden Bear and set a standard for major championship excellence that lasts for decades.

Here's why.

No. 3: Tiger Has Been Here Before

No. 3: Tiger Has Been Here Before

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Tiger may be in the middle of the worst slump of his career.

But it wasn't that long ago that he changed his swing coach, changed his swing, and was considered "past his prime."

In 2004, after going nearly two years without a major title, he parted with Butch Harmon, then spent another season without collecting his ninth major title.

Then, starting with the miraculous win at Augusta National in 2005, he started another "Tiger streak," winning six majors in the span of four seasons.

Granted, he's older, he's been through some terribly public personal problems, and that knee isn't getting any better.

But Tiger has shown bounce-back resilience before.

No. 2: Golf Is Unique

No. 2: Golf Is Unique

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You don't need me to tell you that golf isn't the NHL, NFL, NBA, or Major League Baseball. You already know that, and you already know that. Comparing an individual sport like golf to those team, contact/impact sports, is apples to oranges.

But there are two additional contrasts between the game worth noting.

Unlike football or basketball or baseball or hockey, where turning 40 usually means retirement, in golf that milestone sometimes brings out the best in players.

Vijay Singh is the most often pointed to example, but don't forget that Jack Nicklaus won three majors after 40, so did Ben Hogan. Gary Player, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Raymond Floyd and Lee Trevino each won majors after turning 40; Julius Boros even won twice.

So even if Tiger Woods sat out the next four years while nursing his ailing knee and working on swing changes, he'd still have probably 40 (four per season) good shots at winning major titles. Since he only needs four more to pass Nickalus, I like those odds.

And that's another reason why golf affords Tiger a great shot at passing up Nicklaus. In the NBA, Kobe Bryant only gets one shot per year at passing Michael Jordan for career championships; In the NFL Tom Brady only gets one shot per year at Joe Montana for Super Bowl rings. In the world of golf, those opportunities quadruple: Tiger gets four shots a year to pass up Nicklaus.

Again, you've got to like those odds.

No. 1: Augusta National

NO. 1: Augusta National

No. 1: Augusta National

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Although there are four majors per season and that's a huge advantage for Tiger in his chase of Nicklaus' record, you could almost forget about the final three.

Even if Tiger were to never win another US Open, British Open, or PGA, you'd have to figure that he'll still play in another 20 or so Masters....and with the lifelong exemption for past winners, if he stays healthy, that number could end up being 30.

Since he only has to win four more majors to pass up Nicklaus, that's not quite the tall order it seems. And here's why.

Tiger's game is just naturally suited to Augusta National. He can continue to spray drives off the tee and not be terribly punished. Furthermore, he knows the greens as well as anyone—even if that wasn't quite evident the last two times he played the course.

Look how he performed at the 2010 Masters, when he had played zero tournaments for the previous four months or so: he finished in the top-10 after each round and posted a tie for fourth at the end of 72 holes. And in this April's edition, despite all the problems with his swing and putting, he was tied for the lead at one point on Sunday afternoon.

It's clear that he knows the course as well as anyone, and for whatever reason it brings out the best in his game. Since turning pro, he's played in the Masters 15 times: he's won four times, finished in second or third three times, and finished in the top eight 80% of the time.

If Nicklaus can win there at age 46, and 60-year-old Tom Watson can shoot an opening round 67 (only one stroke behind the leader, 52-year-old Fred Couples) at the Masters, Tiger should have plenty more opportunities to gain or maintain the lead on Sunday at Augusta over the next two decades.

source: Bleacher report