Sky Sports.com

Woods: 12/1 for the Slam

To win all four with Birkdale in the mix? That might prove the stick in the mud for him in a way - if the wind really blows. If there's any slight weakness to Tiger's game and a chink in the armour it is in very, very strong winds.

Mark Roe
Quotes of the week

"The one thing I can control is my own play. Hopefully I can peak at the right times this year - four times - and hopefully it will be enough. It's possible and I've done four in a row before, so I don't know why people are so surprised at me saying that." - Tiger Woods

The first major of the year is still more than two months away, but he is already talking of the elusive Grand Slam.

Tiger Woods has one has started the year with three straight wins, has won nine of his last 10 tournaments and already has one eye on the biggest prize of all.

It's never been done before of course and Woods himself has come the closest, holding the US Masters, US Open, USPGA Championship and The Open at the same time.

But even he has never won them all in the same golfing year.

And, according to the Golf Night team of Mark Roe and special guest Paul Lawrie, he won't do it in 2008.

And it is not just the paltry odds of 12/1, that was putting them off. For Roe, Royal Birkdale and The Open will be where he comes unstuck.

"There's no course that doesn't suit him the way he plays the game," he said.

"The greatest example was at Dubai where he was clearly more off his game than he had been for the last 10 or 15 weeks.

"He played really poorly yet still managed to find a 65 on the last day and win by a shot. He has this unbelievable, almost super-human ability not to lose.

"But to win all four with Birkdale in the mix? That might prove the stick in the mud for him in a way - if the wind really blows.

"If there's any slight weakness to his game and a chink in the armour it is in very, very strong winds."

Lawrie, an Open champion himself, disagreed. He believes that Woods - who is already red-hot favourite for each of the majors - can cope in any conditions.

But even then the Scot says golf's Holy Grail is beyond the greatest player on the planet.

"I think the scary thing is if anyone's going to do it, he's going to do it," he said. "The way he's playing he's on one helluva run. He's a great player but to win them all seems impossible. For me it's a no.

"I would go with two - that's more than likely. I would be amazed if he didn't win one major.

"Obviously he's head and shoulders above everyone else at the minute and the gap between one and two is bigger than the gap between anyone else on the rankings system at the moment."