Tiger Express pulls in: Woods still talking up hopes of a Grand Slam

Early this year, in an uncharacteristically brazen declaration, he went public with his immediate ambition, declaring in words that have been analysed, interpreted and argued over, that the Grand Slam was 'easily within reason'.

Throwing down the gauntlet: Woods tosses a ball to practice partner Bubba Watson

Since when — and it is not as if anyone needed any encouragement — talk of him converting his Tiger Slam of 1999-2000 into the one and only, and so far never, calendar slam has been riding an all-night, everynight train to Georgia.

That express is now pulling into the station and it will only pull out again, still on track, whistle blowing, if Woods adds a fifth Green Jacket to his wardrobe.

The surprise was not that arguably the greatest ever golfer was contemplating the greatest feat. Jack Nicklaus used to allow himself such thoughts of world domination. 'Every time I started preparing in January for the Masters, that's what I looked at,' Nicklaus admitted.

The surprise was that Woods, reared by a loving but demanding father who insisted that his son let his clubs do the talking, actually articulated his professional desire, creating precisely the hostage to fortune he would usually avoid like a three-putt.

Yesterday, as he all but completed his preparations for his 13th Masters, came an explanation for a statement that in others would be mocked as crass arrogance.

'Because I've done it before,' Woods declared. 'I've won all four in a row. I think I am the only guy who has done that, modern configuration.'

That, of course, represented a suitably deferential reference to the old Grand Slam which the legendary Bobby Jones achieved in 1930 prior to creating the Masters and before the U.S. PGA had been designated a major. In those days, the deal was to win both the Open and amateur championships of Great Britain and America.

'You have to understand why I said that,' Woods added. 'This is my 13th season and in nine of these, I think, I've won four or five (or more) tournaments. So, I have just got to win the right four.'

There is an ocean of difference between winning four tournaments in a year and winning the four majors in the same period. Even for someone like Woods.

If anyone can cross that stormtossed sea, Woods is the man. Nicklaus thinks so. 'It's a pretty lofty goal,' he said. 'But for a guy like Tiger, I wouldn't put it past him.'

Nicklaus himself could not get past the 1972 Open Championship at Muirfield where, having won the Masters and U.S. Open that year, he was denied by Lee Trevino chipping into the 71st hole.

Nicklaus was an avowed fan even before the 21-year-old Woods became the youngest Masters champion with what remains a record score of 18 under par 270.

Famously, and at the time outrageously, following a practice round involving Woods the amateur and Arnold Palmer, Nicklaus stated that Woods would win 10 Green Jackets, enough to stock the most select bespoke outfitters in the world.

'Well, I felt he was a little out there by saying that. I hadn't made a cut at the time,' Woods quipped. 'To have four at this age, it's a dream come true. You didn't want to envisage winning this many so soon. It takes so much experience and so much knowledge of how to play this golf course. And then obviously to play well at the same time. But I got lucky and I played a lot of practice rounds with some past champions and the knowledge they shared with me was invaluable.'

What with all this talk of Grand Slams you might imagine that unique goal to be something of a driving force for Woods. Perhaps the pursuit of perfection or even just a love of the game? None of the above, it seems.

'I love winning,' Woods answered with an intensity not matched by any of his other answers yesterday. 'I just love getting out there and mixing it up with the guys and they are trying to beat me and I am trying to beat them. That's fun.'

Not for the players he keeps beating up, week in, year out.

The point about the calendar Slam — as opposed to the Tiger Slam which began with the 1999 U.S. PGA Championship and ended with the Open Championship in 2000 — is that it begins, and potentially ends, this week. Always.

'You have to win here, yeah,' Woods said. 'Hopefully, I can get it done this year and move on.' What could be a historic beginning reduced to 11 surprisingly simple words.