competition the Golden Bear says as good as any

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Jack Nicklaus remains confident Tiger Woods will surpass his mark of 18 major titles despite facing a level of competition the Golden Bear says as good as any thats ever been in golf. Nicklaus was in Charleston for the opening of a pizza restaurant, in which he and son Gary are investors. Nicklaus said hes never wavered from believing the 37-year-old Woods will eventually pull out of his majors drought -- he hasnt won one since the 2008 U.S. Open -- and win the five titles necessary to move past Nicklaus These days, Woods "has as many good players as weve ever had in the game," Nicklaus said. With recent major champions like Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson playing top-level golf, the chances of one player dominating several majors in a short time as Woods did at times in achieving his 14 titles becomes less likely, Nicklaus said. Still, Nicklaus doesnt waste much time worrying about holding on to his achievement. "If you look at it realistically, Tigers probably got another 10 years of top golf," Nicklaus said. "Thats 40 majors. Can he win five of them? I think he probably will." Nicklaus went through several major droughts in his career. He didnt win for more than three years between the 1967 U.S. Open and his next title at the 1970 British Open. He went through a similar stretch after his win at the 1975 PGA Championship, not winning major No. 15 until the 1978 British Open. Of course, Nicklaus longest major-less run was a nearly six-year period until his dramatic final title at the 1986 Masters when he was 46 years old. Nicklaus said one major difference between his run and Woods chase is the national attention. Nicklaus didnt even consider the historic context of his run until 1970 when a golf writer mentioned he had just won No. 10 -- and the fourth of his six green jackets -- at the 1972 Masters and trailed then-leader Bobby Jones by three. "I never worried about it," Nicklaus said. "I wasnt thinking about records at the time." Woods goal was crystal clear from the time he began and has been a focus of media and fans. His drought is one of golfs most captivating stories and something he wont escape until he breaks through again, Nicklaus said. "Each time you dont win, obviously, makes it harder," Nicklaus said. These days, the 73-year-old Nicklaus spends most of his recreation time on the tennis court instead of the golf course. He said tennis is everything that golf is not for the casual player -- quick, inexpensive and easy to learn. Nicklaus said golf is losing patrons because it takes too long to play, is difficult to pick up and can be costly. "Were losing people and need to find a way to stop that," he said. Besides, Nicklaus needs the free time to keep up with his 22 grandchildren, who seem to have an athletic event for him to attend nearly every day. His grandson, Nick OLeary, is tight end for No. 8 Florida State tight and he caught three touchdowns in the Seminoles season-opening, 41-13, victory at Pittsburgh earlier this month. Nicklaus said he attends all the Florida State games and expects to be back in South Carolina next month then the Seminoles play at No. 3 Clemson on Oct. 19. Nicklaus said on his last visit to his college Ohio State, he spoke with Buckeyes football coach Urban Meyer and told him hed already gotten tickets to the BCS title game in Pasadena, Calif., next January. When Meyer protested about jinxing Ohio States title run, Nicklaus joked, "Urban, I bought the tickets for Florida State. I hope you get there," he said. "He got a big kick out of that." Should the Seminoles and Buckeyes meet in the Rose Bowl, there wont be any split loyalties. "Ill root for my grandson," Nicklaus said. Jachai Polite Jersey . 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Harrington, who tied for first in 2003 and won in 2004, became the first three-time champion of the event.Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Derrick Favors had 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Utah Jazz defeated the Orlando Magic 101-94 on Friday night. Gordon Hayward posted 20 points and six assists, while Enes Kanter added 11 points and seven rebounds for Utah, which has won two straight on the heels of a 1-12 stretch. Tobias Harris netted 24 points and Evan Fournier provided 21 for the Magic, who have dropped five of their last six games. Final Score: Charlotte 109, Philadelphia 91 Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Kemba Walker scored 30 points and the Charlotte Hornets rolled to a 109-91 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday to snap a four-game losing streak. Al Jefferson added 20 points and 12 rebounds in the win as the Hornets led for the final 41 1/2 minutes of the game. The earned just their third win in the last 17 games, shaking off Wednesdays loss to Phoenix, when they blew a 17-point lead. The loss dropped the Sixers to 0-14 at home this season. They are five losses from matching the 1993-94 Dallas Mavericks (0-19) for the worst home start in NBA history, but they wont be getting closer to the mark any time soon. Final Score: Boston 114, Minnesota 98 Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Boston Celtics began life without Rajon Rondo on a high note. Kelly Olynyk scored 21 points off the bench to lead six Celtics in double figures in a 114-98 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Rondo was traded to Dallas along with Dwight Powell on Thursday night in exchange for guard Jameer Nelson, forwards Jae Crowder and Brandan Wright, two draft picks and cash considerations. Jeff Green supplied 18 points and seven rebounds, while Jared Sullinger, Tyler Zeller and Avery Bradley each scored 14 points in the Celtics third straight win. Sullinger pulled down 10 rebounds and Evan Turner contributed 10 points starting in place of Rondo, the All-Star point guard who ranks fourth on the Celtics all-time assists list. Shabazz Muhammad led all scorers with 26 points in the loss. The Timberwolves lost a fourth consecutive game overall and have now lost nine straight in Boston. Minnesota was also without one of its key players after Corey Brewer was traded to Houston in a three-team deal Friday. Final Score: Cleveland 95, Brooklyn 91 Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Miller scored a season-high 21 points in a rare start and the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from their worst loss of the season with a 95-91 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Miller hit 7-of-8 from behind the arc in his first start of the season and LeBron James scored 22 points with nine assists for Cleveland, which was coming off a 29-point home loss to Atlanta on Wednesday. Miller, who hadnt played since Dec. 4, had just 19 points in 13 games all season before Friday. Kyrie Irving chipped in 16 while Kevin Love had his worst shooting performance in a Cavs uniform, going 1-for-10 for six points. Love, however, finished with a game-high 14 rebounds. Joe Johnson led five Nets players in double figures with 26 points. Final Score: Toronto 110, Detroit 100 Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Toronto used a strong third quarter to overcome a slow start and beat Detroit, 110-100, Friday. Jonas Valanciunass led the Raptors with 17 points to go along with seven rebounds in their fifth straight win.dddddddddddd Kyle Lowry and Lou Williams each netted 15 points, and James Johnson added 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench for Toronto, which did not lead at all in the first half. In their third straight loss, the Pistons were led by Brandon Jennings 22 points and eight assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipped in 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. Final Score: Washington 105, Miami 103 Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - John Wall and the Washington Wizards added to the Miami Heats early season misery at home. Wall had 20 points and 10 assists as the Wizards defeated the Heat 105-103 on Friday night. Dwyane Wade knocked down a straightaway 3-pointer off an inbounds pass with 16.7 seconds left to claw Miami within 101-100. Bradley Beal sunk a pair of free throws at the other end and then came up with the game-clinching steal. The Wizards double-teamed Wade right as he crossed the halfcourt line and Beal came up with the swipe before hitting two more free throws to seal the outcome with 3.8 ticks left. The Heat lost their fifth straight at home for the first time since March of 2008 and have dropped eight of their last nine in South Beach overall. Final Score: Chicago 103, Memphis 97 Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Jimmy Butlers first double-double of the season helped the Chicago Bulls to a 103-97 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. A night after he went for a career-high 35 points in a win over the New York Knicks, Butler netted 31 points with 10 rebounds as the Bulls stopped Memphis six-game winning streak. The Grizzlies were coming off a tough, three-overtime victory over San Antonio their last time out. Nikola Mirotic proved to be a spark off the bench for Chicago, scoring a career- high 27 points on 6-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. The Bulls, who have won two straight and five of their last six, were without Derrick Rose (illness) and Taj Gibson (ankle) for a second straight game. Mike Conley deposited 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting and Beno Udrih posted 15 points in the setback. Grizzlies forward Marc Gasol contributed 13 points with 10 rebounds, while his brother, Pau, was held to six points to go along with 11 rebounds for Chicago. Final Score: Portland 129, San Antonio 119 (3-OT) San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The Portland Trail Blazers became the second team this week to beat the San Antonio Spurs in triple-overtime. Damian Lillard had 43 points, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 32 and the Blazers pulled away in the third overtime to top the Spurs 129-119 on Friday night. Lillard hit game-tying 3-pointers in regulation and the first overtime and scored nine of Portlands 17 points in the third overtime as the Blazers wrapped up their fourth consecutive win. Cory Joseph hit a tying shot in the second OT for San Antonio, which became the first NBA team in 63 years to play in consecutive three-overtime games. The Spurs fell to Memphis 117-116 in Wednesdays thriller, two days after the Blazers beat them in Portland. So the reigning NBA champions have dropped three in a row, their longest losing streak since a three-game slide Jan. 26-29. ' ' '