In his quest to become the greatest player ever, Tiger Woods is barely out of the starting blocks.
But he's off to a record-setting pace.
By winning the World Cup on Sunday in Malaysia at a record-setting 21 under par, Woods stamped an exclamation mark on one of the most dominating seasons in the history of golf.
It was his 10th victory worldwide this year.
Jack Nicklaus is regarded as the best who ever played, and it's no secret Woods grew up with Nicklaus' records tacked on his bedroom wall. Any pursuit of the Golden Bear is a marathon, but if you compare their starts, Woods is more than keeping pace.
In his first 70 PGA Tour starts, Woods has 15 victories. Nicklaus had 11.
Woods' eight PGA Tour victories in a season this year impressed even Nicklaus.
``I never did that," Nicklaus said.
The standard Woods will ultimately be measured against is major championship victories. Nicklaus' 20 (18 professional, two amateur) towers at the top of the list with Bobby Jones second at 13. By 23, Nicklaus had five majors (three professional, two amateur). So does Woods (two professional, three amateur).
``Is it a possibility?" Woods said of breaking Nicklaus' record. ``Well, yeah. How realistic is it? I don't know."
But, he's driven to make history. Nicklaus knows Woods has the talent to challenge his record, but the Golden Bear knows it takes more than talent to become the best ever.
``You don't know how people will do over a period of time, how they will respond over time," Nicklaus said. ``I went through phases where I got down, where I had to kick myself in the rear end and get going again.
``Talent-wise, there isn't anybody who has come onto the scene in a long time, maybe ever, that has had as much talent as he has."
Woods won't turn 24 until Dec. 30, but he already has equaled the career PGA Tour victories of Tom Weiskopf and Tommy Bolt. He has surpassed Fred Couples (14), Ken Venturi (14), Davis Love III (13), Al Geiberger (11) and Dave Stockton (11).
With four more victories, Woods will tie Ben Crenshaw, 47, as the active leader in PGA Tour victories.
The next milestone Woods is focusing on is the career grand slam. He needs to win the U.S. Open and British Open to claim all four majors.
``Jack had the career Grand Slam by 26," Woods said. ``Hopefully, I can do the same."
It isn't that Woods is winning so much that impresses his peers. It's how he's improving. He faced criticism when he re-tooled his swing with instructor Butch Harmon last year. Though he won the '96 Masters by a record-breaking 12 shots, he saw long-term weaknesses. He worked to shorten and tighten his long and powerful swing. It didn't come easy. He won just once on Tour in '98, and he faced harsh criticism.
It paid royal dividends.
Woods won his first Vardon Trophy this year for compiling the lowest adjusted scoring average on tour at 68.43, nearly a full shot better than last year. He led the tour in greens in regulation (74.1 percent, up from 67.6 in '98) and in birdies per round (4.46). He improved his accuracy off the tee, jumping from 114th on Tour in '98 to 49th this year. He did this while only losing 3.2 yards per drive, and that was more a result of clubbing down than losing length.
What tour players also have noticed is that Woods' physique is changing. He's gaining weight and strength on a weight-training and conditioning program.
It's early, but Woods is showing his peers he's more than a match for them. He's a match for history.
``I don't think it's going to be a problem," Davis Love III said of Woods' ability to stay motivated through his career. ``He's very, very confident and very, very sure of himself. He has everything around him he wants. I think he knows what he has to do, and he's going to do it. There is no question in his mind. I don't see him easing off."
Randall Mell can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.