IN THE OLD days, the feat was considered so audacious that it was bizarrely termed, the "Impregnable Quadrilateral of Golf". As mouthfuls go, it took some beating. These days, the term used to define winning all four majors in the one season is far simpler, even if the act of achieving "The Grand Slam" - as it is now called - itself is considered virtually unassailable.

Unassailable to most mortals, that is. Tiger Woods doesn't fall into that category. Yesterday, refreshed from playing just nine holes, making it 45 holes of practice in three days, Woods didn't bat an eyelid as he repeated his belief that this could be THE year. After all, he is the only player in the modern era to hold all four majors at the one time, back in 2001, a feat known as the "Tiger Slam." In Woods's eyes, that was a Grand Slam. It irks him that it wasn't.

The technical point, though, is that it must be achieved in the same calendar year; and, as such, the US Masters is the starting point. The world's number one believes he can achieve the unassailable. His logic is clear. "The majority of my career, this is my 12th season out here, and nine of those years I've won five or more tournaments. So I just got to win the right four. That's what it boils down to."

Zach Johnson, the defending champion, is one of those players in the locker room who wouldn't bet against Woods. When he won here a year ago, the American allowed himself a tantalising glimpse of a Grand Slam. "It was in my mind briefly. But I'm pretty realistic about things . . . but the situation is entirely different with Tiger. He is a phenom and he's won every major multiple times. I think everybody would agree that his form, the middle to end of last year and certainly the beginning of this year, can be compared to 2000 and 2001, that time period that was scary. He's still as scary as ever."

Likewise, Pádraig Harrington doesn't immediately discount the possibility of Woods rewriting history this year. "I think you have to go back to the greats, to Nicklaus and Hogan, to think of somebody going to win all four majors in one year . . . and, Tiger, there's obviously no question he has moved into that category that last number of years. It is definitely possible for him, but I do think it is a difficult task . . . if he goes and does that, he really deserves a pat on the back."

Woods comes into the Masters with just one loss in his last eight tournaments, in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral last month. Otherwise, whether he has played Dubai or Tucson or Bay Hill, Woods has walked away with another "W" - win - to his name.

To start the sequence in that quest for the elusive Grand Slam, Woods must win here. "This major is so important to all of us. I've been lucky enough to have won it four times. But in order to win all four on the calendar, you have to win here. Hopefully I can get it done this year and move on."

Nobody has ever achieved the modern Grand Slam. Bobby Jones won what was then considered a Slam back in 1930, when he won the US Open, the British Open, the US Amateur and the British Amateur. But nobody has won the modern day version. Not Ben Hogan. Not Jack Nicklaus.

Why does Woods believe he can? "Because I've done it before. I've won all four in a row. I think I'm the only guy who has done that, modern configuration."

Woods knows it won't be easily achieved; just that it is possible.

"You have to have a whole lot of things come together in order to win a championship and more so a major championship. One break where you hit a tree and it goes out of play and doesn't come back or it happens to catch the right slope or catches the right gust of wind. All of these little factors that come in just one time is the difference between winning and losing."

Yet, it is an indication of how seriously Woods is taking the challenge ahead that he has talked to Nicklaus - who holds the record number of major wins in a career, at 18 to Tiger's current total of 13 - about refocusing after losing, not winning, a major. "You're frustrated that you lost and you don't ever want to lose. But, you know, once this tournament is over you start refocusing and getting your game ready for the next major. No one has been better at that than Jack in his career, 19 seconds and 18 wins. How good is that?"

Woods has talked to Nicklaus about moving on in the case of defeat; but, typically, he is covering all bases: he doesn't want to have to put it into operation. For him, the Masters is more than just another tournament.

Take it from me, he wants to win. Badly.