Meek Tiger Woods won't realise Major dream, says Faldo

Off the pace: Tiger Woods goes into this week's Masters out of form and with a warning from Sir Nick Faldo
David Smith13 April 2012

Tiegr Woods will not beat Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 Major titles because the disgraced former world No1 has lost the aura that intimidated so many of his rivals, says Sir Nick Faldo.

The 53-year-old has spoken out on the eve of the Masters, which he has won three times with his triumph in 1996 being the last by a British golfer at Augusta.

Woods is still coming to terms with the turmoil in his private life caused by a lurid sex scandal and arrives at the tournament having slumped to seventh in the world rankings. He won the last of his 14 Major titles at the US Open in 2008 and Faldo believes time is no longer on Woods's side.

Asked if he believed the American can achieve his dream of 19 majors, Faldo replied: "I'm actually leaning towards 'no'. And especially after what he's gone through. I'm not trying to beat on the guy or anything but that's five Majors, and he's 35."

A defiant Woods yesterday insisted that Nicklaus's record remained his primary target as he said: "I absolutely want to do it. That's the benchmark and the gold standard in this sport."
Woods also claimed the world had yet to see the best of him.

"I believe in myself," he stressed. "There's nothing wrong with believing in myself."

Yet just a month ago Rory McIlroy described Woods as "playing like an ordinary golfer".

Now McIlroy's Ryder Cup team-mate, Ian Poulter, has added his view that Woods is unlikely to finish in the top five. The world No16 based his assessment on last month's WGC-Cadillac Championship where the four-time Masters winner finished 10th.

Poulter said: "The shots he was hitting at Doral were very inconsistent. You can't afford to hit shots like that round Augusta and get away with it."

Faldo feels Woods's malaise runs deeper than that. He said: "In the past he had such an aura about him that guys were using up energy watching the leaderboard. They'd see Tiger's name, they'd see him leading, and go 'oh boy'.

"But they don't have to worry about Tiger now. They know Tiger has got enough to worry about looking after Tiger. I personally think guys can use that 10 or 20 per cent thinking of him, consciously or subconsciously, and use it on themselves now. And they're all doing that."

Faldo believes there could be a surprise winner just as there has been in recent Majors with Lucas Glover taking the US Open and Y E Yang the US PGA Championship in 2009 and Louis Oosthuizen being crowned Open champion last year.

He said: "I honestly think, looking at the list, there are 40 guys who could win the Masters. Look what's been happening in the last two years. You've had Glover, Yang and even Oosthuizen - guys who you'd never really pick - coming out and winning.

"If a guy gets everything right on this particular week, mentally and game-wise, he can win. And they've all gone shooting past Tiger."

Woods has been drawn with Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, the reigning US Open champion, and Australia's Robert Allenby in the first and second rounds tomorrow and Friday.

England's Lee Westwood, runner-up to American Phil Mickelson at Augusta last April, goes out with world No1 Martin Kaymer of Germany and Matt Kuchar of the United States.

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