Now that Tiger Woods has won his thirteenth major championship, a betting man would surely wager that Woods will equal and then exceed Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 majors.

Everything about Woods suggests that he will match the record of the greatest golfer of the 20th century within a few years and surpass it shortly after that. Woods is ahead of Nicklaus’s strike rate in the game’s four biggest events.

Nicklaus won his thirteenth major at the 1975 Masters, his 53rd major as a professional. He was 35 at the time. Woods’s victory in the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills, in Oklahoma, on Sunday came in his 44th major as a professional, at the age of 31.

Nicklaus won his eighteenth major at 46. If Nicklaus’s longevity is applied to Woods, then the world No 1 has another 15 years of top-class golf.

What is it about Woods that enables him to win so often? First, it is his desire, which exceeds anyone else’s, as does his workrate. On the morning of Woods’s second round in Tulsa, despite the energy-sapping heat that he was set to face, he worked out as usual, lifting weights, doing exercises, running faster than six-minute miles.

Then there is his ability to close out events. He has been in the lead jointly or solely after 54 holes of every major championship that he has won. No one, not even Nicklaus, matches that rate. A telling moment happened late on Sunday afternoon. Woods, whose lead had been three strokes at the start of the round and five after eight holes, found it down to four after ten holes and one after 14. How did Woods respond? He gave himself a serious talking to as he walked to the 15th tee. “I’ve still got the lead,” he told himself repeatedly. “They’re making runs at me, but I’ve still got the lead.”

With that, he hit a four-iron to the perfect position on the fairway of the 15th, a seven-iron to within 15 feet of the flagstick and sank the putt for a birdie that doubled his lead to two strokes. It was a textbook response at the moment of his greatest need.

Padraig Harrington was asked why Woods is so good? “Because he believes,” the Open champion said. “Believes that he can do it. Believes that he is better, stronger physically and mentally. He believes.”

And yet, I am not prepared to stake a penny on Woods. I am closer today to conceding that Woods will eclipse Nicklaus than I was last Tuesday, but I am not there yet. It looks likely, probable even, but it is not yet a certainty.

Woods might fall ill. He does put his body under considerable stress with the force with which he swings the club. He may injure himself, as he has done in the past, or he even may be hurt as he was by an autograph-seeker in a throng of spectators at a tournament six years ago. That injury was small. An injury inflicted by someone else might, God forbid, be serious.

Err on the side of caution, I say. Even with someone as talented as Woods.

The lucky 13

1997: Masters: Sets record of 18 under par

1999: US PGA Championship: Wins by one stroke from Sergio GarcÍa

2000: US Open: Equals record score of 272 Open Championship: Achieves career grand slam US PGA: Three majors in a row

2001: Masters: Holds all four major trophies

2002: Masters: First successful defence US Open: Seventh win in 11 majors

2005: Masters: Starts badly but recovers Open: Pips Colin Montgomerie

2006: Open: Successful defence US PGA: Wins from front

2007: US PGA: Another masterclass