WORLD NUMBER TWO Tiger Woods remains confident of matching Jack Nicklaus’ haul of 18 major championships.

For much of his glittering career, Woods appeared on course to reach and then surpass Nicklaus’ all-time mark.

But the last of his 14 major wins came at the US Open in 2008, before injury and loss of form led to a slide down the rankings.

Woods, 36, has enjoyed a return to form in 2012, winning three PGA Tour events and finishing tied for third place at the British Open last month. Tomorrow he’ll tee off in the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, the fourth and final major of the year.

Speaking to the media in the lead-up to the event near Charleston, South Carolina, Woods insisted he still has every chance of catching ‘the golden bear’.

“Well I figure that it is going to take a career, it is going to take a long time,” he said. ”Jack (Nicklaus) didn’t finish his (major wins) until he was 46.

“So if you go by that timetable I’ve got 10 more years. You know 41 Majors is a lot, so I’ve got plenty of time and with the training regimes that we have now and seeing guys playing well; I mean you can get on the right golf course and contend. We saw what happened with Tom (Watson) being at 59, Greg (Norman) almost did it at Berkdale at 55-ish, or 54.

“So, we can play late in our careers, because of our training and also just getting the right golf course, so who knows.”

Woods’ biggest obstacle appears to be the ever-increasing depth at the top of the professional game, with different players capturing each of the last 16 majors.

“There are more players with a chance now,” he said. ”The fields are so much more deep than they used to be and it was always going to get that way. There are so many guys with a chance to win … The margin is getting smaller.”

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