The future, according to golf's chosen one, is for more of the same. That is, gathering majors, making history. On Sunday evening, as Tiger Woods rolled in a par putt on the 72nd hole of the 89th US PGA Championship at Southern Hills to win his 13th major, he took another step in the relentless and obsessive chase of Jack Nicklaus's record haul of 18. Only Woods, so far, has reached each milestone quicker. It seems only a question of when, not if, he overtakes the Golden Bear.

Woods won his 13th title in his 44th appearance in a major. By comparison, Nicklaus won his 11th in the same number of appearances. And, from the time that he was a child prodigy, the pursuit of Nicklaus's magic number was mostly what drove Woods on, to change his swing gurus and undergo a physical training regime unknown to golfers of past generations.

"When you first start your career, (reaching) 18 is just a long way away," said Woods, who secured his latest major with a finishing round 69 for 272, eight under par, which gave him a two-stroke win over Woody Austin with Ernie Els a shot further back in third.

"And even though I'm at 13, it is still a long way away. You can't get it done in one year, it's going to take time, as I've said before in the past. It took Jack 20 plus years to get it done, so it is one of those things that's going to take some time.

"And, hopefully, health permitting and everything goes right and I keep improving, I'll one day surpass that . . . any time you're in conversations with Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Walter Hagen, it makes you understand you've had a nice run in your career.

"If you had asked me that 12 years into my career would I have had this many wins and this many majors, there's no way. I've exceeded my own expectations and certainly I am not against that."

Keep improving? That, for others with their eyes on major wins, is a worrying thought. In staving off a drought in majors this year by winning the US PGA for a fourth time, Woods, it should be noted, has won three of the last six majors he has played and finished second twice.

His win in the PGA - which, he claimed, turned a good year into "a great year" - followed up on his other performances this year that saw him finish runner-up at the US Masters, runner-up at the US Open, and tied-12th in the British Open.

In fact, Woods is of the belief that he is better now than back in his stellar year in 2000, when he won three majors. Why?

"Just experience, understanding how to handle it and how to manage my game around the golf course," he explains.

"I have more shots than I did then, just because I've had many more years to learn them. I know how to make adjustments on the fly; that just comes with experience. And I'll say the same thing seven years from now. It certainly helps having that experience . . . it makes things a little bit more easy coming down the stretch."

Apart from the work that he does with his swing coach Hank Haney, Woods attributed his ability to stave off the 100-degrees-plus temperatures in Tulsa to the fitness regime that has been as integral a part of his development.

"When you play any sport, and you have heat and anything that wears you down physically and mentally, the more in shape you are the better. I felt when I walked up that 18th hole that I felt the same way as I did going off the first tee. I felt great. All the miles I log on the roads, that's what you do. You pay the price. You go outwork everybody . . . you should always train hard and bust your butt. That's what sport is, is to do that."

Of his improvement, and that of other players, Woods observed, "Everyone's not going to stay stagnant. Everyone is going to try and improve and they all have (improved). Everyone's worked hard to improve their game through technology, through fitness.

"Look back, when I first came out on tour, how many guys had personal trainers? I don't think any of them had. Now, going to the fitness van, everyone has a trainer there.

"And guys are shooting a lot better scores, and it has become harder to win tournaments. That's the fun of it. That's the challenge."

As far as his pursuit of the majors is concerned, next year couldn't be set up better for Tiger. His next major will be the US Masters at Augusta, a tournament he has won four times, while the US Open will be staged at Torrey Pines in San Diego, a course where Woods has won the Buick five times in the past nine years. The British Open will be staged at Birkdale and the US PGA at Oakland Hills.