Jack Nicklaus: Tiger Woods Has to Learn How to Win Again

Hall of Fame golfer Jack Nicklaus said Tuesday that Tiger Woods must overcome the "barrier" of not having won a PGA Tour event since 2013. 

Bob Harig of ESPN.com passed along comments Nicklaus, who serves as the host of this week's Memorial Tournament, made about Woods' uptick in form so far this season.

"He has got to get through the barrier of not having done it for a while," he said. "When you haven't won that always happens, and that's human nature. But when you got a guy that's as good as he is and as competitive as he is, he'll break through that barrier. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see Tiger win this week, not at all."

Tiger's pursuit of Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships has stalled out since he won the U.S. Open in 2008.

Persistent back problems that limited his schedule and prevented him from winning over the last four years made it appear the Golden Bear's record might be safe. But Woods has steady healthy and showcased a vastly improved level of play in 2018.

He finished second in the Valspar Championship and fifth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in back-to-back March events. The 42-year-old California native looked like his old self during a weekend charge at the Players Championship earlier this month en route to an 11th-place finish.

Nicklaus said Tuesday he still believes there's a chance Woods can eclipse his major mark, per Harig.

"I've said if Tiger comes back and plays, I still think he's got a shot at breaking my record," he said. "But whether he does or he doesn't, even with 10 years passing (since Woods last won a major), it doesn't make any difference. I think he's still a great athlete and a great golfer."

Getting back in the win column in a smaller event would be a significant step forward before trying to capture one of the sport's biggest events.

For Woods, the Memorial at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio represents another golden opportunity to end a drought that extends to the Bridgestone Invitational in August 2013.

He's won the event five times, most recently in 2012, and should be in a good frame of mind after his strong finish at the players.

"I think he'll win when he believes it himself between his ears," Nicklaus said.