By Mark Garrod, PA Sport Golf Correspondent

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Nick Faldo believes Tiger Woods has the drive and ambition to go on dominating golf for another decade and more.

Faldo, himself delighted with a fifth-place finish at the US Open that was his best performance in a Major for six years, is full of admiration for the 26-year-old American.

"The inner strength he has is just incredible," said Faldo, whose six Majors are now two less than Woods, 18 years his junior.

"The other guys can't beat that. That's the toughest thing they have to face.

"It's just a question of when Tiger has had enough, when he's decided he has made the records he wants to make. But I have a sneaking feeling he's going to keep that inner strength for 10 more years at least.

"I'm sure Jack Nicklaus' 18 Majors is his goal. That's the fairest way to measure who's the greatest ever and in terms of how many he's won at his age Tiger is slightly ahead."

More than slightly, in fact. Nicklaus' eighth Major was the 1970 Open at St Andrews. He was 30 by then.

Faldo is relishing the thought of taking on Woods again at Muirfield in a month's time.

This is the current world number one stepping into the former world number one's backyard, so to speak. Muirfield is where Faldo won his first Major in 1987 and his fifth in 1992.

"One of the great compliments I heard is that Tiger watched tapes of me playing at St Andrews to go and win there.

"I bet he'll be watching tapes of me winning at Muirfield as well. We'll see if he has worked out the secret.

"I know what it is, but I'm not going to tell him!"

Asked how he thought the set-up would suit Woods, Faldo, who will be 45 the day the Open starts on July 18, joked: "Lousy. He'll struggle all the way."

As for his own hopes he added, more seriously: "This has given me a real boost.

"I'll work hard for the next month and when I get there you never know.

"Obviously I love the place and if I can play the wind shots the way I want to I might have a helluva week.

"It's kind of nice at my age. I didn't think this was the course for me when I got here, but then I thought that everybody else screaming at it could help me.

"I had a good mental mindset and I felt I had nothing to lose. All in all it was a great week."

Faldo received a special invitation for what was his 60th successive Major - right back to his first Muirfield victory in 1987 - but he won't need one next year. The top 15 are all exempt.