Golf US Tour: Jack Nicklaus has no immediate plans to stop playing competitive golf but has made it clear that he is scaling down his commitments.

Nicklaus (64), fed speculation that he was about to retire when he gave what he later called a flippant answer 10 days ago to a question about his future during last week's PGA Seniors in Louisville.

But Nicklaus, who has won 18 majors, said yesterday that although he still enjoyed playing competitively he did not like the preparation that accompanied it.

"I won't play much, I'll play an odd tournament here and there. I'm done preparing for golf," Nicklaus said after his practice round for the Memorial Tournament, which starts today.

"Do I love to play competitive golf? Sure, there's nothing I like doing better, nothing I like more. But I don't think I'm competitive anymore. I said I'd play as long as I'm competitive and as long as I enjoy it and I think they sort of go hand in hand.

"I don't enjoy preparing for a golf tournament," added Nicklaus, who last won a tournament in 1996.

"I don't enjoy preparing my game and concentrating on doing that."

Nicklaus wants to continue playing in the Memorial, the tournament he founded, as long as he can contribute to the event. "I may play here one more year or 10 more years . . . If I'm going to play someplace, this is where I'll play," said Nicklaus.

Meanwhile, World number one Tiger Woods is confident he can shake a slump in form.

Woods, who has failed in his last seven attempts to win a major, has only one win this year - at the WGC-Matchplay in February, while his last stroke play victory was last October at the WGC-American Express.

"It's golf," said Woods yesterday. "Golf is not easy. If you look at any other player who has ever played the game, they'll tell you it's tough."

While he has not been winning, Woods said he has felt since his tied-22nd place at the Masters that he is close to getting his game back and at the Memorial tournament, he has as a good opportunity as ever to turn things around.

Woods has won three times in seven visits and finished tied for fourth last year after a final round 65.

"You can see signs of it, piece by piece," Woods said of his recent improvement. "You have to be out there watching me day after day in order to see the steady progress."