The American Ryder Cup star revealed that he has gained up to 50 yards in length off the tee using the controversial new Titleist Pro V1 ball.
"That astounding increase in length can be attributed to 21st century science that has produced a ball with a large solid core and what Titleist choose to call "multi-component and high-performance urethane elastomer technologies". These new balls produced by companies like Titleist, Callaway, Spalding and Nike, who supply Woods, are far removed from the common Balata-covered ball with its rubber bands wound around a rubber core.
Wound balls traditionally have a softer feel, but they don't travel as far as the solid-core balls. It was only recently, however, that golf ball engineers managed to come up with a solid-core ball that satisfied the demands of the playing elite to combine extra distance with control and spin around and on the putting surface.
Phil Mickelson, one of the favourites to win on Sunday, believes the Pro V1 has made a huge impact on the game. Justin Leonard, Open champion at Royal Troon in 1997, explained: "In essence, the ball makes a 430-yard hole play like a 400-yard hole."
Woods added: "Instead of playing four and five irons into pins, guys are playing sevens and sixes. That's a tremendous difference."
That confirmation of the performance of the new balls dismays not only Nicklaus but senior administrators such as Peter Dawson, secretary of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club who are guardians of golf 's rich heritage.
Lytham, at 6,905 yards is the shortest on the Open rota, and Dawson said: "The concern is that some of our great traditional courses are threatened and the sport is becoming a drive and wedge game."
Nicklaus, winner of a record 18 Majors, said: "When I won two Opens at St Andrews, I promise that every bunker (there are 112) was in play. That's the whole essence of that golf course."
He is now lobbying for new rules to be formulated that will not only apply a brake to golf ball development but actually reduce their performance.
Nicklaus admitted: "If every manufacturer brings back the ball by 10 per cent, then all of a sudden you make golf courses in play again."
However, the reality confronting the traditionalists is that if technology cannot break down the barrier presented by Lytham, a golf course since 1886 and an Open venue since 1926, it will simply skirt around it and move on to exploit other venues.
