Eighteen-times major winner Jack Nicklaus claims he will be “surprised” if Tiger Woods is not back in golf in time for the Masters in Augusta next month.

Woods is currently on an indefinite break as he addresses marital problems but Aussie Nicklaus expects the 34-year-old to be back in the near future.

Nicklaus, 70, said: “It would it surprise me if he didn’t.

“I’ve been very non-committal because it’s none of my business. But playing golf, my guess as a golfer, he’s going to probably try to want to.”

The Golden Bear added: “I suspect he will play something before Augusta, and I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t play before Augusta.”

Meanwhile, Woods’ caddie Steve Williams insists he knew nothing of the scandal that surrounds his employer and that he would have spoken out if he had discovered the truth.

The Kiwi told 60 Minutes in New Zealand: “It’s been the most difficult time of my life…because every single person believed that I should know or did know or had something to do with it.

“I’m a straight-up sort of person. No-one that has ever watched him on a golf course would suspect anything would be going on. I’m under siege, it’s been a difficult time.

“If I had known something was going on, the whistle would have been blown.”

Paul Casey (11/4 – WGC Accenture Match Play Outright) is confident with the solid game he is currently playing as he is one of three English golfers bidding for glory at the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Tucson, Arizona.

The Englishman was runner-up in this tournament 12 months ago and qualified for the quarter-finals this year by beating Brian Gay 5&4.

Casey is now the highest-ranked golfer in the remaining field and had to come from behind in Arizona after Gay was ahead after three holes, but five birdies in six holes turned the clash around and meant the world number six has yet to play the final four holes at Dove Mountain.

He will now play Stewart Cink, the reigning Open champion and last remaining American golfer in the field, in the quarter-final but Casey had admitted his game is coming together in Arizona and could be in with a good chance of lifting the trophy (Casey 4/7, Cink 5/4 – 2 ball coupon).

“I don’t think there’s any one particular part of my game that’s jumping out that is fantastic right now. It’s just all very, very solid,” he said.

Casey is one of three English golfers left in the Accenture Match Play as he is joined in the quarter-finals by Oliver Wilson and Ian Poulter.

In the final eight, Wilson will play Sergio Garcia (Garcia 8/11, Wilson evens – 2 ball coupon)  while Poulter faces Thongchai Jaidee after he beat Jeev Milkha Singh by 5&4 in the third round (Poulter 1/2, Jaidee 7/5 – 2 ball coupon).

Tiger Woods will address the media on Friday for the first time since his off-the-course scandal erupted, with the world number one closing in on a return to action ahead of the Masters (with Phil Mickelson 9/2 fav in the winner without Woods market).

In December of last year, Woods announced he would take an “indefinite break” from golf after media reports detailing extramarital affairs.

But the 34-year-old’s agent, Mark Steinberg, says Woods will speak to selected media at the Sawgrass Clubhouse in Florida – the headquarters of the PGA Tour (with Mickelson 2/1 to top the money list without Woods).

Steinberg said: “Tiger feels as though it’s time to make amends and to publicly do that. He feels he has let down his fans. He wants to begin the process of making amends and that’s what he’s going to discuss.”

As well as reflecting on what has happen, reports claim Woods will also talk about the future and is likely to set a date for his return to competitive golf.

The first Major of the year, the Masters - which Woods has won four times, takes place from April 8-11 and the American star is expected to compete at Augusta.

Make sure you keep a check on Totesport’s golf betting markets throughout the 2010 season.

USA Ryder Cup vice-captain Davis Love III has confirmed they are hoping to beat Europe at Celtic Manor in October by not taking it too seriously.

Love is one of four vice-captains, alongside Tom Lehman, Jeff Sluman and Paul Goydos, appointed by captain Corey Pavin who insists: “I want to know what’s going on and the more sets of eyes watching, there’s more feedback and hopefully I’ll make good decisions.

“The number of four is basically because there’s four matches on Friday and Saturday. Each round I want eyes on each match.”

And Love has now revealed the approach that the USA (6/4 Outright) will take when the going gets tough in Newport, south Wales in the autumn.

He added: “What we’re looking for is guys who will be having so much fun playing a match that they’re not worried about ‘I have to win this point’ or ‘I have to make the putt’ or ‘this is for the Ryder Cup and we’re in Wales’.”

Lee Westwood insists that there is still a long way to go after taking an early advantage in the Race to Dubai in the first round of the Dubai World Championship.

The 36-year-old carded an opening, six-under-par 66 to lie one shot off the lead and he is now the 10/3 favourite in the tournament outright betting.

Money list leader Rory McIlroy (13/2 to win) lies two shots adrift of Westwood after a first-round 68 and if the tournament was to end as it stands, it would be the latter who would finish as Europe’s best.

However, Westwood is not looking too far ahead and insists that there will be plenty of twists and turns to come.

“It’s all about jockeying for position over these first three rounds and then going for the kill on Sunday,” Westwood said.

“There’s a lot of water still to go under the bridge until Sunday and the idea is to win this tournament so that everything else falls into place.”

Robert Allenby (11/1) carded a fine 65 to hold the first-round lead at -7, with Camilo Villegas (11/1) and Chris Wood (20/1) alongside Westwood in a share of second, while Padraig Harrington (10/1) is in a group two shots further back after an opening 68.

Meanwhile, McIlory is looking forward to not being in the same pairing as Westwood on the second day.

“It will be nice not to play with him [on Friday], just to concentrate fully on my own score and on my own game,” the 20-year-old said.

“I think it will be good for both of us not to play together. It almost felt like a last group final round sort of thing. We’re the top two in the Race to Dubai and it’s hard to get away from that.”

McIlory will be partnering Sweden’s Johan Edfors on Friday and the Northern Ireland youngster is the 4/9 favourite in the 2 ball betting, with his opponent available at 9/4 and the tie at 8/1.

Rory McIlroy is now the odds-on favourite with Totesport (4/5) to win the Race to Dubai, having gone to the top of the standings with just one tournament remaining.

The 20-year-old, who would become the second youngest player to top the European money list, will take a lead of over £110,000 on second-placed Lee Westwood (5/2 to top the European money list) going into the Dubai World Championship.

McIlroy fired a final round 64 to finish on -17 and take second spot in the Hong Kong Open, two shots behind the winner Gregory Bourdy of France.

The Northern Irishman had mixed feelings on Sunday after a thrilling final day, saying: “I am a bit disappointed at the moment but I have the consolation of going back to the top of the Race to Dubai.”

Meanwhile, victory for Bourdy – his third win on the European Tour – has ensured himself a place in the field in Dubai.

Rory McIlroy has decided to accept the option to take up a PGA Tour card but despite planning to play more golf in America, he says he remains committed to the European Tour.

The world number 17 (13/8 with Totesport to be the European Tour top golfer in 2009) is still firmly in the running to top Europe’s money list this season, going into the last two tournaments in second place in the ‘Race To Dubai’ standings.

But McIlroy (20/1 to win at Augusta in 2010) already has one eye on next season as he goes in search of his first Major title, which he thinks will be aided by spending more time across the Atlantic.

The 20-year-old is keen to point out though that his schedule for 2010 will not affect his commitment to the European Tour, which he will still remain a big part of.

The Northern Irishman said: “I want to become a better player and the best way to develop my game is to be playing more in the States, and playing a worldwide schedule.”

Make sure you check out all of Totesport’s golf betting markets before you make all of your selections.

Thomas Levet (11/2 to lift the title at Totesport golf coupon) believes his time could have come as he bids to win the Barclays Singapore Open.

The French golfer currently sits top of the leader board alongside Ian Poulter and Kodai Ichihara (7/1 to win on coupon) on eight under as the third rounds have been interrupted by the latest thunderstorm to hit Sentosa Golf Club.

Levet has benefitted as Ian Poulter (9/4 favourite for the title on golf coupon) has had a nightmare start to his third round which has seen him blow a five-shot halfway lead.

The Englishman had a clear buffer ahead of the pack after he completed his weather-affected second round, but three-putted the first hole before hitting the water on the fourth and eventually ending with a double bogey.

His five-shot lead at the halfway point had disappeared by the time the weather took a turn for the worse and his round was halted after six holes.

Levet is looking to win his second title this year and he registered three top-ten finishes after lifting the trophy at the Open de Espana in May, however his form has since dropped and he has been struggling with his game.

“I just kept telling myself to wait for it to come and wait for it to happen and it looks like it’s happening,” said Levet.

“I am very happy with the way that I am playing at the moment and I am looking forward to tomorrow because I love the battle.”

Three-time major winner Ernie Els (12/1 for the victory on golf coupon) currently sits three shots off the top after playing eight holes of his third round.

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Padraig Harrington feels he still has a chance of claiming top spot in the European Tour money list this season, despite slipping to 16th in the standings.

The two-time Open champion is over €1million behind leader Lee Westwood with just three tournaments left, but Harrington feels he is playing well enough to make a late burst.

The Irishman, 8/1 second favourite with totesport for this week’s Singapore Open, would need to win at least two of the remaining events and although that appears unlikely, Harrington has not given up.

The world number six admitted: “It’s mathematically possible I can make number one. It is possible but it’s a very long shot. I may as well try and win all three.”

Harrington will partner American Anthony Kang and Wen-chong Liang of China in the opening two rounds in Singapore.

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Following quick on the heels of last weeks WGC event at Firestone, the USPGA Championship takes this place at Hazeltine in Minnesota. Tiger Woods has been installed as favourite unsurprisingly after adding to his amazing record at the Bridgestone last week and he’ll be keen to get at least one major on the board this season here.

Woods is a 6/4 shot with totesport, who are incidentally going 6 places for this tournament this week. We tipped Woods up last week and he didn’t disappoint and has some course form going close here back in 2002 when it was last played on this course. He’ll obviously take all the beating again here.

We put up Phil Mickelson as well last week and he played pretty solid golf all things considered. His odds once again bely his talent and any amount of under practice shouldn’t excuse the very chunky looking 18/1 available with totesport. Mickelson went very close at Bethpage in the US Open with very little golf under his belt and I expect him to do the same here, but at almost double the odds you’d usually get on Lefty if he was playing regularly.

Value is very much the theme of my selections this week as with Tiger heading the betting and it being a big field, there’s plenty of value to snap up with totesport.

Sergio Garcia finished second to Padraig Harrington in last years USPGA and despite question marks over his putting, he comes here striking the ball as well as ever. Of course the putting worries shouldn’t be ignored but Garcia is a massive 40/1 here and that looks like some cracking value. If it’s just a case of his putting clicking back in to gear then Garcia will be a force to be reckoned with.

Robert Allenby would be an unfashionable pick but he’s a real ’steady Eddie’ who could snatch some of that each-way six places on offer at totesport. The Australian has been playing some good golf and was one of the tournament low scorers here back in 2002 when he shot a 66. At 66/1 he’s worth an each-way squeak to celebrate today’s Australia Day.

Another player with course form and worth an each-way bet is Englishman Luke Donald, an 80/1 shot with totesport. Donald won a College event here back in 1999 and has been playing some good consistent golf, including a Sunday afternoon charge up the leader board at the British Open last month netting him a top ten finish. Donald has the best putting stats on the US Tour and is definitely worth a shout to finish in the top six here.

Finally, in honour of the likes of Angel Cabrera, Luke Glover and Stewart Cink, the three major winners so far in 2009, I’ve picked out three contenders at equally big odds to round of this year on the major circuit. Graeme McDowell (175/1), Stuart Appleby (200/1) and KJ Choi (200/1) are all bang out of form at the moment, hence prices that are at least double what you’d have got about this time last year. maybe one of these could spring a surprise here.

For all your golf betting this week visit totesport.