Unlike the R&A who used various reasons – but mainly that old chestnut about the green-keeping staff at Muirfield needing the time to prepare the venerable links – to prevent Tiger Woods’ early-morning practice rounds during the recent British Open, there were no such restrictions on the world number one at Oak Hill Country Club yesterday. He was up bright and early, his work done, rather comfortably, before midday. Teeing off shortly after 6am will see to that.

In more ways than one, the old Tiger Woods is back. Calling the shots. Doing it his way.

For much of his career, those dawn raids on one course or another were an integral part of his annexation of Major titles. The early bird and all that . . .

So far, he has amassed 14 Majors, four shy of the record 18 held by Jack Nicklaus, but – following on from his success in Sunday’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, his fifth win of the season – the failure to convert his form from regular events into the Major championships has become an ever-increasing source of wonderment.

Yesterday, ahead of the 95th US PGA Championship, confirmed what everyone already knew (that the 15th Major had proved to be the toughest of all for him to win) yet seemed to take a step back from a long-held view that it is all about the Majors.

On many occasions, Woods has repeatedly claimed that a season could only be great if it included a Major win. As recently as last November, he remarked: “I have had some really good years, but winning a Major championship just takes it to a whole new level.”

With no Major in the bag since his US Open win of 2008, perhaps – just maybe – Woods has started to re-evaluate such a standard. Maybe. He offered this explanation yesterday: “I think winning one Major championship automatically means you’ve had a great year. Even if you miss the cut in every (other) tournament you play in, you win one (Major), you’re part of history. This year, for me, I think it’s been a great year so far, winning five times, and you look at the quality of tournaments I’ve won, a Players and two World Golf Championships in there; that’s pretty good.”

Later, his assertion that it would still be a great year without a Major title was again put to him.

“Having gone five-plus years without a Major, have you adjusted your standards at all in what clarifies a great year?” he was asked.

His reply was succinct.

One word. “No.”

And, yet, he reaffirmed the view that a player winning one Major – such as Shaun Micheel’s win here in 2003, the only tournament he has won as a pro – constituted a “great” career. As he put it, “it’s the biggest event and he’s won it. He’s going to go down in history as a Major championship winner. That just puts you automatically into another category. These are the biggest events with the most pressure, the best fields on the most difficult golf courses. On top of that, hell, he hit one of the greatest shots you’ve ever seen on 18 to finish it off.”

On one other aspect, Woods was, however, in agreement: the 15th Major has proven to be the toughest for him to annex. “It kind of seems that way. It’s probably the longest spell that I’ve had since I hadn’t won a Major championship. I came out here (on tour) very early and got my first one back in ’ 97,” said Woods.

Indeed, Woods’s haul of Majors ran smoothly from that breakthrough green jacket with only a slight blip from his 2002 US Open win until returning to winning Major ways in the 2005 Masters. In contrast to what he achieved before, the winless spell since his 2008 US Open to now – even allowing for the time away he missed through injury – has definitely turned into a drought.

This year, he has twice gotten into the mix in the Majors. In the US Masters, and in the British Open. “The frustrating part is I’ve been there and didn’t win two of the tournaments that I was right there in. (In) one, I hit a flagstick (at Augusta) and I was leading the tournament and ended up getting obviously a penalty there and that was a tough (third) round on Saturday but I got it around and shot under par and put myself there with a chance to win on Sunday and didn’t get it done. Same thing at the (British) Open.”

Patience, it would seem, is a virtue. “I’ve had, certainly, my share of chances to win. I’ve had my opportunities there on the back nine on probably half of those Sundays for the last five years where I’ve had a chance, and just haven’t won it. But the key is to keep giving myself chances, and eventually I’ll start getting them.”