A Major twist in absent Tiger’s tail

AS he sat in self-imposed exile over the weekend, Tiger Woods would have cast a jaundiced eye over the advice flowing in his direction.

He hardly needed Jack Nicklaus to remind him that three of this year’s major championship venues were tailor-made for his game. He has captured half of his 14 majors at Augusta National, the annual home of the Masters (four); Pebble Beach, where he won the US Open by a record 15 shots in 2000 and the British Open at St Andrews, where he has been twice successful by a combined 13 shots.

Oddly enough, half of Nicklaus’ 18 major victories also came on those same venues. Woods last won a major at Torrey Pines in the 2008 US Open, ending his season a week later with reconstructive knee surgery. Despite winning six times last year, he had only one good chance at adding to his major total but lost a two-shot lead in the final round of the PGA Championship and finished second behind YE Yang.