It was as if the Player of the Century couldn't wait to pass a torch, of sorts, on the eve of the first round of the 60th Masters Tournament.

Along with fellow legend Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus played his first round with a 20-year-old phenom, on a glorious Wednesday afternoon at the Augusta National Golf Club.

Afterward, he all-but-bestowed the ``Player of the Next Century'' title upon his young, abundantly gifted practice round partner.

``Arnold and I both agree that you could take his Masters and my Masters and add them together, and this kid should win more than the both of us,'' the 56-year-old Nicklaus says of two-time U.S. Amsteur champion Eldrick ``Tiger'' Woods.

That's 10 Masters championships, if you're keeping score. Pretty lofty praise coming from, arguably, the two greatest golfers of all time.

``This kid is the most fundamentally sound golfer I've ever seen at almost any age,'' Nicklaus said of Woods, the only amateur who made the cut at the 1995 Masters, his debut at Augusta. ``And he's a nice kid. He's got great composure. He handles himself very, very well, and he hits the ball 9 million miles, without a swing that looks like he's trying to.''

That's Jack these days, settling in as one of the game's elder statesmen. Ten years ago this week, he became a Masters champion for an unprecedented sixth time. Last Friday, he became a grandfather again, when the wife of eldest son, Jackie, gave birth to a daughter, Casey.

These days, it's Jack sans the trademark visor, in favor of a trendier baseball cap, with a crest that bears his signature Golden Bear logo. ``My kids told me I needed to wear it, it's more in style than the visor,'' he said. It's Jack easing into Senior PGA Tour life, with here-and-there appearances at the majors, where he still manages to delight galleries with his legendary stature.

``I've felt that I probably have played a couple of years too long, as it relates to a major championship golf,'' he said. ``I think that I'm ready to, you know, find the Senior Tour on a more regular basis. Like today, I played with Tiger, and Freddie Couples down in Doral. I can't compete with those guys anymore. I'm just not good enough anymore. That doesn't mean I won't go back to the British Open, or a PGA Championship. But as far as playing championships in the regular rotation, it's just the time to back off.''

He comes to his 38th Masters off a dramatic come-from-behind win at The Tradition last week on the Senior Tour. But after a round with Woods, it's Nicklaus the course architect, the entrepreneur, taking pokes at himself when asked of his chances at winning a seventh Masters.

``My game felt awfully puny today,'' he jokes, seemingly in awe of the long-hitting Woods. ``No, really, my game is pretty good. I'm really pleased, I'm hitting the ball well. But I'm 56 years old, and that makes a big difference. I don't hit the ball anywhere near as far as I used to, and you have to hit the ball far to compete with the kids playing today.''

Ten years removed from his remarkable final round of the 1996 Masters, remembering fondly the last 10 holes where he was 7-under par, Nicklaus is ready to move on.

``That was probably the finest stretch of golf that I ever played when I needed to play it, and probably the most exciting and thrilling for me,'' he says.

Today, it's the Golden Olden Bear, still driven by the same old competitive fire. At the same time, he sees it is time to maybe step aside a bit and make room for the new wave.

``I was very, very impressed (with Woods), to say the least,'' he says. ``I don't know whether he's ready to win yet or not, but he will be your favorite for the next 20 years. If he isn't, there's something wrong.''