Now, in 2018, a 42-year-old Tiger is making his return to golf after years of scandal and an injury so severe that it threatened to end his career. Woods made his debut as a U.S. captain at the 2019 Presidents Cup, where he also played and went 3-0-0. Woods has always been a front-runner finisher, winning 14 of his 15 majors while leading or co-leading entering the fourth round. If Woods wins three or more, then theres no need for a discussion and he would be the undisputed GOAT. 17 and Nicklaus missed out on his personal Slam by one shot. He captured 18 major titles in his career compared to Woods and his 15, up until now. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. pic.twitter.com/Qz8D6j7th0, Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 5, 2022. On the surface, it seems like an easy question. Has Tiger Woods ever missed the cut at The Masters? Thats not an indictment of Tiger. Hear what our crew of Anna Whiteley, Dam. One has 82 PGA Tour wins, the other 73. So, whose career would you rather have, Woods or Nicklaus? That always will be Nicklaus. At 42, Tiger would need to replicate Mickelsons entire major career to become the all-time leader. Some might argue that no one else took home the trophies during Tigers reign because he was winning all of them. In 1972, Player, Trevino, Crampton, and Palmer won 16 percent of PGA Tour events. Despite all the numbers, the GOAT debate might never have a conclusion. after undergoing surgery on his right ankle, withdrew during the rain-delayed third round, List of Tigers injuries through the years. Also, as noted by stats guru Justin Ray on Twitter, Jack sat six shots back of the lead after 36 holes in 86, whereas Tiger is just four back. That being said, Woods has certainly started less (86) major events than Nicklaus (164). Forbes estimates Woods net worth to be at least $1 billion, which puts him alongside NBA stars LeBron James and Michael Jordan as the worlds only billionaire athletes. Thats a 23-shot cushion in two majors. So, with the following caveats Nicklaus and Woods are 1A and 1B on the all-time list; these facts pro-Jack, not anti-Tiger; and that all of this can change over the next 15 years USA TODAY Sports presents 11 reasons why Jack Nicklaus is greater than Tiger Woods. Open Championship Victory. Life is good if youre a great golfer, thanks to Tiger Woods. Aside from Jack Nicklaus, Player, Casper, Palmer, and Trevino won nearly 18 percent of PGA Tour events. Woods holds the record for both the lowest adjusted and unadjusted scoring average . This week we dedicate to the G.O.A.T. That leaves him at T-17 for the tournament. Despite his thrilling 2019 Masters victory, Tiger's 45th trip around the sun is a reminder that he will almost certainly not reach the ever-elusive 19-major championship mark to best Jack. Winning a major is no cakewalk in golf. But back to golf. Nobody had seen players like them. And were all still asking the same question: Tiger or Jack? But lets get back to the golf and what Tiger has done on the course. Director of Professional Golf isnt a normal position at golf club, but Quail Hollow isn't a normal club. But those symmetries became more realand eerieon Saturday morning when they wrapped up the second round of play at Augusta National. Jesse Owens faced more hurdles than the 3 -foot-tall barriers on a track. Woods hasnt officially retired yet, but the chances of him winning another major are very slim. Woods made his debut as a U.S.. And I know Nicklaus had Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, and many others but Tigers time, especially over the last 10 years, has been much more competitive. Can all the kings horses and all the kings men put golfs Humpty Dumpty back together again? (Not that anyone was really paying attention to a potential NicklaSlam. Starting at the 2000 U.S. Open, Tiger locked in like nobody before or since, winning four-straight majors by 25 strokes, with a combined score of 65-under. There are arguments to be made in Woods' defense, but even he has to admit that until he gets to 19, he's just chasing down the Golden Bear. since early 2020. But you dont want to see anybody in pain. Tiger has excelled in an individual sport during a time when everything he did was examined, celebrated, and critiqued at levels that Nicklaus never even came close to having to deal with. There are more talented golfers coming from more diverse locales, but very few of Woods' contemporaries have stepped up in majors. RIDGEDALE, MISSOURI SEPTEMBER 22: Jack Nicklaus talks to Tiger Woods of the But man, tacos are freakin good, too. Woods, who has won 14 times in the Majors, has been struggling with form and fitness recently, but Nicklaus believes that the world number one still has enough time to set a new record. Jack: Won the Masters at age 46, making him the third-oldest major winner ever. On the other hand, Jack Nicklaus amassed 164 starts in major championships throughout his career. However, the 82-time PGA Tour winner is not ready to give up just yet. Nicklaus did still own the advantage in major titles, 18-16, after all. He may yetsilence all critics (myself included) who rank him a slim tissuethickness behind Jack with the work he does over the next decade. On the other hand, Jack Nicklaus amassed 164 starts in major championships throughout his career. While Woods' win at the 2019 Masters finally ended a decade-plus drought in the game's biggest events, it's this lesser-known record that has come into focus since Major No. During Tiger Woods' career, his main competitors in majors have been Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh, and Jim Furyk. RELATED: Catch up on every important shot from Saturday at Augusta with our minute-by-minute live updates. Jack has 18 majors and Tiger has 14 majors, therefore Jack is the greatest of all time. Tiger won eight of hisfirst 22 majors; Jack won seven of his first 22. The No. During the best part of Jack Nicklaus career, his main competitors were Tom Watson, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Billy Casper. Who won the U.S. Open? Tiger Woods also has more major championship wins than Jack Nicklaus, with 15 to his name. Whether he makes the cut or not, he adds to the tournament in so many ways. Let's review Jack's stats in 1968 compared to Tiger's today: This gives us some idea about the performance of each golfer and how they ranked against the field. Period. Woods stands at 15, and his last major title being the 2019 Masters. Apart from that, both legends have also inspired generations to take up the game. Tigers biggest rival is Phil Mickelson, a guy best known for his collapses who not only failed to outduel Tiger on a Sunday, he failed to even duel him. Sign up for the For The Win newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. His consistency in PGA Tour events is something to be admired. Republic World for around two years now. To be honest, there is really no one particular aspect that can crown a golfer as the GOAT. There are always different sets of statistics to look into. This is an astonishing success rate! Even so, he has won 15, while Nicklaus has won 18. So that will only add more hope for those rooting for Tiger to earn a 16th major title with a win this week. ORLANDO, FLORIDA DECEMBER 20: Tiger Woods of the United States hits his tee shot on the 15th hole during the final round of the PNC Championship at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club on December 20, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. See trending; Company. Who would go down as the best in history? He was compared to Mozart. Who has won the most tournaments all-time? For some people, its as simple as this. The numbers favor Jack, at least in terms of majors. I also have to go with pizza. When push comes to shove (which never really happens in an argument about the great game of golf, though the chances go up the longer you stay at the 19th hole), I easily have to go with Tiger. But, what the casual golf fan does not know is that during Nicklauss playing career, after Palmer, Player, Casper, Trevino, Watson, and a few others, the competition drops off like the continental shelf. 1959 Colonial National Invitational (46) arnold palmer. Many casual golf fans immediately think that Nicklaus played during golfs golden age and was faced with more competition from greater players. But then again, I have no way of knowing whether Nicklaus toughest competitors were indeed better than Woods toughest competitors, or whether Woods is that much better than Nicklaus that he has been able to distance himself from players that are equally as good as Nicklaus competitors were. Hes a very motivated and dedicated young man to continue to play the game of golf., Nicklaus added of the 47-year-old golfer, whose body has been through the ringer: The dedicated young doesnt last very long.. At the British Open in the summer of 72, Jack struggled in the first three rounds but shot a 66 on the final day (a course record) to get to the top of the leaderboard. Both legends have worked hard for decades, revolutionizing golf in their own way. Nicklaus had 48 top-three finishes at Slams, twice as many as Woods. Because of injury Tiger has missed six majors spanning from the 1997 Mastersto the 2014 U.S. Open, which means Tiger and Jack would've gone head tohead 64 times in the game's four biggest championships. So while both golfers have had incredible careers, it does appear that Tiger Woods has had a slightly more successful run. On the other hand, Nicklaus won 54 tournaments in his first 300 starts. Tigers run through the 2000s was must-see TV and man did he know how to put on a show and rise to the occasion often in dramatic fashion when the whole world was watching. From 1963 to 1979, Nicklaus played in 17 Masters, won five titles and had 14 top-10 finishes. 1, 2 and 3-ranked players in the world share the lead after 36 holes, which is the first time the top three ranked players in the world are tied at the top of any major ever. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, The oldest player to win a major:. THE MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED, TRANSMITTED, CACHED OR OTHERWISE USED, EXCEPT WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF DISCOVERY GOLF, INC. 2023 DISCOVERY GOLF, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Masters 2020: The parallel stats between Jack Nicklaus in 1986 and Tiger Woods in 2020 are nothing short of eerie, How to watch the Masters on TV and streaming online, Ranking every golfer in the Masters field, 50 defining moments in Masters history, ranked, Never say neverAn oral history of Tiger's dramatic 2019 Masters victory, How Tiger Woods plays every hole at Augusta National, 9 things Augusta National doesnt want to talk about, The most memorable rules issues in Masters history, A completely unscientific ranking of 10 Masters traditions, The 13 best B characters in Masters history. Tiger won his first major as a pro, the 1997 Masters, at age 21, destroying the rest of the field by a record 12 shots. Woods won 27 tournaments from 1999-2002 and added 25 tournament trophies to his collection from 2005-2008. Sit around any 19th hole for way too long and you might hear this question pop up: who is the greatest golfer of all-time, Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus? Devika Pawar is a Golf and NBA writer at Essentially Sports. Tiger Woods has had to compete against the likes of Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, and many other perennial PGA Tour winners. Result: Tiger by 37. Granted, Woods is too young and too busy to have such a global golf footprint, but it feels safe to say that 20 years from now we'll still be debating who was the greater golfer, but there won't be an argument about golf's best ambassador. The Golden Bear won 18 of them and finished as the runner-up 19 times! Those were stunning achievements that set the standard until Tiger arrived and did it even better. The exception is 1971, when the PGA Championship was played in February in Florida and was that years first major, not its fourth. Rather, it felt like a matter of "when." Following Woods' 2008 win over . There are any number of ways to compare Woods and Nicklaus. RELATED: Kirk Herbstreit said no to THREE separate Augusta National invites from a legendary college hoops coach. 2020 on the Paynes Valley course at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri. Tiger Woods has 7 major runners-up finishes and 33 major Top-5 finishes. Nicklaus played against four of the greatest golfers ever and not only won 18 majors but had 19 second-place finishes, proving there was plenty for everyone. In the end, major titles arent given more weight because of their timing. Even with those impressive numbers, he still cant compete with Nicklaus. (Tiger became the third.). How much money has Tiger Woods won in his career? To call most of them journeymen would be too kind. The man with the most major championships is the greatest golfer in history. Both are legends of the game, but who deserves the greatest title? When Nicklaus was in his prime, golf was dominated by Americans. TOP 10 WINS ROUNDS MONEY; Tiger Woods: 1025: 198: 82: 1,375: $120,954,766: Explore. Tiger had 14. - Nicklaus got the better of Woods on five of the 22 occasions, most notably his T6 to Tiger's T8 in the 1998 Masters when Nicklaus was 58 years old. Jack finished higher 38 times to Tiger's 22, with the twogreats tying four times. Woods might be a few majors short, but he still has time to catch Nicklaus (though the chances of that have greatly decreased since his single-car accident in 2021). Jack Nicklaus, whose record of 18 majors is looking more safe with every passing day and every injury Woods sustains, prefaced his comments about Woods during a press conference ahead of his appearance in the Greats of Golf exhibition Saturday during the Insperity Championship on the PGA Tour Champions. Both golfers have been instrumental in the tours success, making golf a household name. But, on any given week, Tiger Woods is playing against 150+ players that have a realistic, legitimate chance to win if they get hot that particular week. Aside from him, there are just two other players with three major wins during the Tiger era: Ernie Els and Vijay Singh. Tiger Woods has 198 top ten finishes with 82 wins and has won $120,954,766 in his career. It basically means that whereas in Nicklaus' era the top few players in the world won a significant number of PGA Tour events, in Tiger Woods' era there is far more parity which can be. Woods has, to this point, only finished second on six occasions. Golf The Masters Augusta National Golf Club Augusta, Georgia, U.S. April 8, 2021 Honorary starter Jack Nicklaus of the U.S. with Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson before the ceremonial start on the first day of play REUTERS/Brian Snyder. Furthermore, Woods has 82 PGA Tour wins, while Nicklaus has 73. In a span of 10 months, Tiger won the career Slam, became the first man to ever hold all four major titles at once and jumped ahead of the pace his hero set en route to his hallowed 18 majors. In his time at the top, Jack won 17 majors. But consider: Nicklaus made 43 starts at the Masters over a span of nearly a half-century. I personally believe that 150 legitimate competitors is a tougher challenge to face than a group of five or so great competitors. But Nicklaus' reach extends further than that the Golden Bear designs courses and promotes golf all around the world. You dont want to see anybody, theyre hurting. There have been few worthy adversaries. John Daly Announces He Will Be Following His Bizarre Masters Tradition This Year. graduate from KJ Somaiya, Devika has an experience with sportswriting at The argument for Nicklaus is pretty simple: he won the most majors and had even more runner-up finishes in the biggest events. Ernie Els and Vijay Singh are the only two other golfers to capture at least three majors. To keep up with stronger junior golfers, Woods learned how the short game . Unless anyone has a time machine that can transport the likes of Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Casper, and Watson into todays PGA Tour and the likes of Woods, Mickelson, Els, Goosen, and Singh into the PGA Tour of the '60s and '70s, that is one question that will never be answered. (They pretty much won those titles in the same time span, though Nicklaus went 17-straight seasons with a win, compared to Tigers 14.). With one exception, that comparison neatly pits Masters against Masters, U.S. Open against U.S. Open, etc., for the first 17 years of each mans career as a pro taking Nicklaus to the end of 1978 and Woods to the end of 2013. Regular tournaments are as hard, but major championships inevitably add more pressure on a golfer. When Woods was growing up, he had a poster of Nicklaus on his wall. The merits of both are often debated on 19th holes around the country, with the younger players usually siding with Tiger, and vice-versa for Jack. He won seven of 11 major championships from the 1999 PGA to the 2002 U.S. Open and then, almost as an afterthought, had a run of four of eight (matching Jacks best) in the majors held in 2005 and 2006. (Correction: I'm often at golf courses trying to act like I play golf.) But theres been nobody as good as Tiger. 2, Casper No. As of 2019, Tiger Woods has won 82 PGA Tour events, while Jack Nicklaus has won 73. Which is a more demanding situation, a farlarger number of overall competitors or a smaller, more concentrated group of great competitors? I think hes in more pain than he lets everybody know. Who do you choose? Tiger Woods is sidelined for an indefinite amount of time after undergoing surgery on his right ankle to address post-traumatic arthritis caused by injuries suffered in his single-car crash in Los Angeles in February 2021. As far as individual major tournament statistics go, over the span of time it took both Jack and Tiger to reach their first 14 major victories, the comparison looks like this: Jack: 55. I dont know a whole lot about what hes been through, Nicklaus began. 4, and Trevino was ranked fifth. The answer to the question, Who is the greatest of all time? is It depends. In the majors, Jack wins. Back in the late 2000s, the question around Tiger Woods didn't feel like "if" he would break Jack Nicklaus's 18 majors. Jack Nicklaus is a legend, but like Jordan, his accomplishments were years ago and didnt receive the same amount of media coverage as Tiger Woods. That was never the case for Tiger. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy.
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