12 Aug 2013

Tiger's major misery mounts after PGA

1:30 pm on 12 August 2013

The world golf number one Tiger Woods says he is unconcerned about another year passing without another major win.

But his bid to break Jack Nicklaus's all-time record is clearly in jeopardy, with Woods spending much of Monday's final round of the PGA Championship touring the trees and testing the thick rough at Oak Hill's 7163-yard layout on his way to a closing par-70.

Woods finished at four-over 284, tied for 40th and 14 shots behind winner Jason Dufner.

The 14-time major champion, chasing the record 18 major wins by Nicklaus, has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open, 22 majors ago.

And while Woods shared fourth at the Masters and sixth at the British Open this year, he has not broken 70 in his past 16 weekend rounds at a major.

Woods says he certainly had a chance to win the Masters and the British while he just didn't hit it good enough at the other two, and that's just the way it goes.

He says he's not concerned at his major drought and if you are going to be in three-quarters or half of them with a chance to win on the back nine, you have just got to get it done.

Contending in only two majors a year being "about right" is a far cry from the dominance Woods once showed, having won four majors in a row starting at the 2000 US Open.

Woods, who turns 38 in December, faces a crucial stretch in his pursuit of Nicklaus as he has won major titles on courses where five of the next seven majors will be held - two at Augusta National, one at next year's US PGA Championship venue Valhalla and one each at the next two British Open venues, Hoylake and St Andrews.

And his drought will have stretched to nearly six years before his next major opportunity comes again at the Masters next April.