Woods the one to beat - Nicklaus

Woods' win at Doral provided evidence of his return to form

Six-time Masters winner Jack Nicklaus believes Tiger Woods remains the player to beat when the Augusta tournament gets going on Thursday.

Nicklaus, who is playing in his 45th Masters, said Woods, 29, had not "played his best in the last year".

But the 65-year-old American added: "He's still the dominant player. He's got so much talent.

"Tiger doesn't have to play his best to win. But when he plays his best he's going to probably win."

Woods, who won seven majors out of 11 between August 1999 and June 2002, has spent much of the last year revamping his swing.

But he has not won a major since lifting the 2002 US Open.

I want to get to a better level, a higher level and be more consistent day in and day out Tiger Woods

Despite that, Nicklaus said: "The other guys have all had to bring their game up, but Tiger may have another stretch like he had. He may have a couple more.

"He's certainly blessed with a wealth of talent and he's got a fantastic work ethic and a great desire to win.

"You're going to go through waves, I don't care who you are. One thing you want to do is try to control those waves."

Woods himself believes he can exceed his previous heights in the game in the coming years.

The former world number one said: "Everybody is always saying: 'Can you get back to 2000?'.

Tiger's too inconsistent off the tee at the moment. There are other "better players" around right now From Miles Have your say on golf

"But I don't want to get back to 2000. I want to become better than that. That is the idea of change - to improve."

He also said there are signs his game is finally coming together again.

He has won twice and tied for third in his five PGA Tour starts this season, and his one-stroke victory over Phil Mickelson in last month's Ford Championship at Doral provided a memorable display of shot-making.

Feature: The race for number one

That result saw him temporarily return to the world number one spot, which he had held for a record 264 straight weeks before losing the honour to Vijay Singh last September.

"Last year, I was just getting started with the changes. This year, I'm just putting the finishing touches to the changes," he said.

"At Doral, I hit the ball well but I didn't hit it the way that I know I can.

"I've got to continue down the path and continue working hard. I want to get to a better level, a higher level and be more consistent day in and day out. It's as simple as that."