WHATEVER about his prospects of winning next month's US Masters, which would leave him in possession of all four major championships, Tiger Woods faces a formidable challenge in attempting to rival the longevity of Jack Nicklaus. According to Johnny Miller, it will be a close call, even assuming that Woods can retain his appetite for the game.

Miller, incidentally, is counting US Amateur titles in the equation, which means that Woods now has eight "majors" compared with 20 from Nicklaus. And he claims: "It's very presumptuous to think that Tiger will improve by leaps and bounds over the next 10 years. His game from tee to green will get better, but his short game is about as good as it's going to get."

He went on: "There is a period in every pro's career where the hole looks 10 inches wide, every putt looks makable and the touch around the greens is phenomenal. That period lasts about three years, usually when a golfer's in his late 20s. For Tiger, this period has just begun and I believe he'll win an average of two majors per year through the year 2003.

"That would give him 14. More majors will trickle in after that, but on a hit-and-miss basis. A lot of good young players will come out to challenge him. And while Tiger may be only 25, competitively he's more like 29. He's been hard at it his entire life. He is dead in his prime right now."

Miller concluded: "I'm a big Tiger fan and will be rooting for him to squeak past Jack. But if he succeeds, it will be just that, a squeaker." Fascinating.