More: List of Tigers injuries through the years. Lets look at a breakdown of their major championship statistics: Woods has played in 87 major championships. Come on; theres no debate: Its Tiger Woods in the aforementioned summer of 2000, when he was in a two-month stretch of playing golf as well as anyone has ever played any sport. The two icons have changed golf, making it into the commercialized tour sport we know today. On the other hand, Jack Nicklaus amassed 164 starts in major championships throughout his career. That was never the case for Tiger. Nicklaus had the famous "yes sir!" He took the PGA Tour to a whole new level and continues to make many golfers absolutely filthy rich because of all the money Tiger brought into the game. Yang, Bob May, Rich Beem and Rocco Mediate. Who has hit the most holes in one all-time? Nicklaus dominates Woods in all of the major championships except The Open. Theyre both tied at three titles apiece. The argument for Nicklaus is pretty simple: he won the most majors and had even more runner-up finishes in the biggest events. I think wed all like to see him play, Sorenstam said. Nicklaus had 57 runner-up finishes in his career and 269 top-10s while Woods had 31 runner-up finishes, or 26 behind Nicklaus, and 199 top-10s, 60 less than the Golden Bear. Rather, it felt like a matter of "when." Following Woods' 2008 win over . It also reignited an old debate: Can Tiger break Jack Nicklaus' record for the most major championship wins . Woods' highs have been greater. Who won the U.S. Open? Tigers reign was 14 years, not including his two lost seasons of 2010 and 2011. 11. 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. I dont know a whole lot about what hes been through, Nicklaus began. As of 2019, Tiger Woods has won 82 PGA Tour events, while Jack Nicklaus has won 73. Jack Nicklaus, whose record of 18 majors is looking more safe with every passing day and every injury Woods sustains, prefaced his comments . When Tiger won the 1997 Masters his score of 270 broke by one shot therecord that Jack had set in his 1965 rout. I also have to go with pizza. People only cared about the actual Grand Slam, which Jack was halfway toward with his wins at the Masters and U.S. Open. 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. I think hes in more pain than he lets everybody know. Regular tournaments are as hard, but major championships inevitably add more pressure on a golfer. These are both supremely awesome and we'll call it a wash. As you may have heard once or 500 times, Woods never has come from behind to win on the final day of a major. In the two in which he didn't, he tied for 11th and 13th. The overall win total in tournaments reveals one interesting thingWoods in his prime was better than prime Nicklaus. The longtime CBS producer, hailed as the father of televised golf, was right, of course. Privacy Policy. In this case I have limited the discussion to majors and will focus on the question, If Jack and Tiger were both in their primes, who wins?. When he won a greenjacket again in 1965 by nine shots over Palmer and Gary Player (theonly time the Big Three would ever finish in the top three together in amajor), he shaved three strokes off the scoring record of 274 set in 1953 byHogan. MORE MASTERS 2020 CONTENT FROM GOLF DIGEST: Masters 101Everything you need to know about the major How to watch the Masters on TV and streaming online Ranking every golfer in the Masters field Our 13 best bets to win the 2020 Masters 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 Can Bryson break Augusta? 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. At the majors. While the 46-year-old is confident about a win this year, Woods clinching the Masters title is not easy. While Jack does have more major victories, Tiger still has more PGA Tour wins. While both have had to face quality competition to get their wins, Id have to side with Tigers era being deeper than Nicklaus era. Sign up for the For The Win newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. I think its a lot more serious. With every passing year, however, the Tiger Slam becomes more and more remarkable. Tiger Woods is out indefinitely after announcing Wednesday that he underwent another surgery on his injured right leg. Woods stands at 15, and his last major title being the 2019 Masters. He captured 18 major titles in his career compared to Woods and his 15, up until now. How long Woods will be sidelined this time is anyones guess, but his participation in this years remaining three majors the PGA Championship in May, U.S. Open in June and British Open in July seems unlikely. up for grabs. He won 27 overall tournaments from 1999-2002 and then 25 tournaments from 2005-2008. Open Championship Victory. Back in the late 2000s, the question around Tiger Woods didn't feel like "if" he would break Jack Nicklaus's 18 majors. Hes never been challenged in the fourth round and hes never come from behind to challenge for a major title. Andrew Redington/Getty Images). She loves NBA a little too much, and is Through last month's Masters, the 37-year-old Tiger Woods has 14 wins in 63 major championship starts as a professional; through the 1977 Masters, the 37-year-old Nicklaus had 14 wins in. From 1962-1978, Jacks prime, just two foreign players (Gary Player and Tony Jacklin) won at the Masters, U.S. Open or PGA Championship. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/04/tiger-woods-jack-nickalus, Golf fans worried about Tiger Woods after he withdrew from Masters Sunday, Tiger Woods clobbered an overwhelming amount of bettors who didn't think he'd make the cut at the Masters, Justin Thomas saved his pal Tiger Woods by dropping a shot at the Masters and moving the cut line back, Why Fred Couples is using a yellow ball at the Masters. But theres been nobody as good as Tiger. As for me, I don't dislike Tiger Woods because of his sordid affairs, but I like Jack Nicklaus for his lack of them. Tiger was the ultimate front-runner, winning all 14 of his majors while leading or co-leading entering the fourth round. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/08/tiger-woods-or-jack-nicklaus-golf-greatest-of-all-time-goat, 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta: 3 sleepers worth betting on to upset Jon Rahm, Jon Rahm's odds at the 2023 Mexico Open are a callback to Tiger Woods' prime, Videos showing how slow Patrick Cantlay plays golf are the funniest new memes, Matt Fitzpatrick won an additional $1.42 million at RBC Heritage thanks to an unreal shot, 7 golfers (Max Homa!) He made the weekend in a record 142-straight tournaments. Furthermore, hes made it to the Top-10 on the leaderboard 41 times in 87 appearances. Woods holds the record for both the lowest adjusted and unadjusted scoring average . Tigers best 33-major streak featured 21 top 10s. To keep up with stronger junior golfers, Woods learned how the short game . This ones mind-blowing: Jack finished inside the top 10 in 31 of 33 majors from 1970-78. He could make a complete return to form and it still wouldnt guarantee anything. So while both golfers have had incredible careers, it does appear that Tiger Woods has had a slightly more successful run. Without Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus, the PGA Tour might not be what it is today. Nicklaus never won four in a row but did win back-to-back-to-back majors from the 1971 PGA to the 1972 U.S. Open. Apart from that, both legends have also inspired generations to take up the game. 1986 Masters (46) ben hogan. 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. Who do you choose? 1, Player No. Woods benefited from being slow to mature physically, in contrast to Nicklaus, who was 5-feet-10 and 165 pounds at age 13. Is that because Nicklaus game was at a lower level that allowed the other top-ranked players to catch him? Woods won 77 tournaments in 300 starts. Across a wide range of sports, we will debate and remember the Greatest Of All Time, and look ahead to whos next. Hear what our crew of Anna Whiteley, Dam. That leaves him at T-17 for the tournament. National team appearances are a challenging comparison due to playing partners being a tricky variable. When Nicklaus was in his prime, golf was dominated by Americans. Jack has 18 majors and Tiger has 14 majors, therefore Jack is the greatest of all time. During his career, Tiger has seen winners come from Fiji, Spain, Canada, Argentina, Australia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, South Korea, England, Germany, New Zealand and South Africa a United Nations of major champions. Clearly Tiger Woods has more competition on a whole to worry about, but Nicklaus appears to have had more direct competition. Well, because it is! When you think of Jack Nicklaus, the first thing that comes to mind is major championships. But that has never stopped golf fans from debating who is the greatest of all time. That always will be Nicklaus. But he wont need to top Jacks 18 to pass him as the greatest; given the circumstances, if he can win two more majors and, say, eight more tournament titles, itd be hard to say he was second-best to anyone. Who is the GOAT in golf? In order to surpass him, Woods needs to win five more majors. (He was 11th and 13th in the two he didnt.) Was Palmer, Player, Trevino, and Watson a lot better than Tigers competition, thus providing Nicklaus with tougher head-to-head competition each week? 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. The only men to truly go toe-to-toe with him in the final round of a major were Y.E. This is one argument that will wage for years to come, and I personally dont have the answer to it. Tiger has played 74 rounds at Augusta National and has a scoring average of 70.86, the best in history. Many casual golf fans immediately think that Nicklaus played during golfs golden age and was faced with more competition from greater players. During Tiger Woods' career, his main competitors in majors have been Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh, and Jim Furyk. But man, tacos are freakin good, too. John Daly Announces He Will Be Following His Bizarre Masters Tradition This Year. Its Jack and its not that close. Tiger Woods' epic 2019 Masters win sent the golf world and internet into a frenzy. Are players such as Mickelson, Els, Singh, and Goosen just as good today as Palmer, Player, Trevino, Casper, and Watson were, and is Tiger just that much better than them? Nicklaus has played in six, with a 1783 record. 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. 82. GOLF DIGEST MAY EARN A PORTION OF SALES FROM PRODUCTS THAT ARE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR SITE AS PART OF OUR AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH RETAILERS. Starting four. Meanwhile, Nicklaus came back in eight of his majors. Jack won his second major as a pro, the 1962 U.S. Open, at age 22, beating Arnold Palmer in a playoff. That being said, Woods has certainly started less (86) major events than Nicklaus (164). So heres how these two legends faired in major championships in their respective careers. But what about golf? 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. But Nicklaus' reach extends further than that the Golden Bear designs courses and promotes golf all around the world. Tiger has held the outright 36-hole lead 33 times in his Tour career. and losers (oh no, Lions) of the 2023 NFL Draft, Kentucky Oaks 2023: Post position draw results and morning line odds, Every 2023 Kentucky Derby horse name, ranked, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Jack broke another Hogan scoring record at the 1967 U.S. Open in winning by four shots over Palmer. If the debate of GOAT is based solely on major titles, Nicklaus is the winner hands down. In overall tournament wins, Tiger has Jack by a count of 79 to 73. He never came back to win, despite a half-dozen opportunities to win majors with a Sunday charge. These two generational talents can never be compared with each other. Of those two players, neither won a major when he was older than 33. The Golden Bear would have an encore in the 80s, winning threemore majors to bring his total to 18, a number as well known to golfenthusiasts as the batting average of.406 is to baseball lovers. at Augusta National Golf Club on April 14, 2019, in Augusta, Georgia. 3, Palmer No. 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. There can never be a conclusive statement. Jesse Owens faced more hurdles than the 3 -foot-tall barriers on a track. Nobody had seen players like them. Nicklaus recounted how he sat next to Woods at the Champions Dinner at the Masters, as he does most years. Advantage: Nicklaus. If we're comparing two careers, one that's complete and one that's complete for the sake of this discussion, Nicklaus is an easy winner. I personally believe that 150 legitimate competitors is a tougher challenge to face than a group of five or so great competitors. If Woods wins three or more, then theres no need for a discussion and he would be the undisputed GOAT. The 2022 Masters can be an opportunity for Woods to tie it up, and maybe even surpass the 82-year-old later on. Thats not an indictment of Tiger. One has 18 majors, the other 15. "@cartiluver14 @SonnyWeems123 Post car crash sources + Golf Digest has an admitted partnership with Woods and they were called out on it, they also, stopped using the Logo when they mention Tiger." One more insane Nicklaus stat: From the 1970 British Open through the 1978 British Open, he finished in the top 10 in 31 of 33 majors. In 1991, a 15-year-old Tiger Woods was the subject of his first Sports Illustrated profile. Thru their 55th Major Tournament (Masters, U S Open, British, PGA), here's how they compare: Age - Tiger 33 Jack 33 Wins - Tiger 14 Jack 11 2nd Place - Tiger 5 Jack 11 3rd Place - Tiger 3 Jack 5 Top 10's - Tiger 31 Jack 36 Top 25's - Tiger 44 Jack - 45 Missed Cuts - Tiger 4 Jack 6 Scoring Average - Tiger 70.63 Jack 71.64 My puttings good. He said, I just cant walk. And he says, If it helps where I can walk, Im willing to do it. . However, Woods has the Tiger Slam, which was holding all four titles at once although not in a calendar year. Woods hasnt officially retired yet, but the chances of him winning another major are very slim. In 1972, Player, Trevino, Crampton, and Palmer won 16 percent of PGA Tour events. But back to golf. 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. During the best part of Jack Nicklaus career, his main competitors were Tom Watson, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Billy Casper. Yes, Nicklaus has more major championships in golf, but Woods has won more tournaments. RIDGEDALE, MISSOURI SEPTEMBER 22: Jack Nicklaus talks to Tiger Woods of the Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. 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.. I play a lot of golf. This cut streak will likely never be broken again. Tiger played on the weekend in a record 142-straight tournaments. While Nicklaus finished second more than 10 times to players on that list, Woods' runner-up finishes have been to one-hit wonders like Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Rich Beem, Y.E. While Nicklaus has the slight advantage on the course, Woods has the upper hand off of it (scandal and injuries aside). In terms of his golf legacy, Woods' past shouldn't count any more or less than Nicklaus' scandal-free career. Yep the same exact position with Tiger looking to match Jacks record of six Masters titles. Follow along here. Woods won 27 tournaments from 1999-2002 and added 25 tournament trophies to his collection from 2005-2008. However, the 82-time PGA Tour winner is not ready to give up just yet. Then last April, Tiger turned back the clock and won the Masters, leaving fans in tears as he pumped his fist on the 18th green Sunday afternoon at Augusta National. He recorded an 18% win rate but had amassed more Top-5s and Top-10s in major championships when compared to Woods. But, looking at the other side of the coin, no one has really stepped up to consistently challenge Woods the way Palmer, Player, Trevino, Casper, and Watson challenged Nicklaus. When you look back over the duration of their careers, and the totality of their victories, the edge goes to Woods. Well, guess what: Back in 1986, Nicklaus' position was wait for it T-17. In 1999, the start of the "Tiger Slam," Tiger Woods was ranked No. Mixed in there was the Tiger Slam his streak of four-straight majors which will likely serve as the lead on his sports obituary. That Nicklaus was able to keep his average under par for his career after playing so many non-competitive rounds is an underrated and remarkable achievement. She has a keen eye for Woods plight. It looks like an upside-down pitchfork. But what changes that narrative is thisNicklaus finished second in majors 19 times. 73. That being said, irrespective of ones preference, Woods and Nicklaus contributions cannot be overlooked. Tiger won eight of hisfirst 22 majors; Jack won seven of his first 22. Of the four, only Yang beat Tiger, taking him down at the 2009 PGA Championship. Tiger won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by 15 shots and followed it up a month later by shooting 19-under at the Old Course to win the British Open by eight strokes. Woods competitors have won 22 percent of all majors during Woods career, again showing that the number of players with the ability to win a major has been far greater during Woods career than it was during Nicklaus career. But what if we had to have that discussion today? But you dont want to see anybody in pain. And were all still asking the same question: Tiger or Jack? And Tiger is making his 23rd appearance in the Mastersjust like Jack was back in 1986. The Tiger Slam. In his time at the top, Jack won 17 majors. 15 for Tiger was . (They pretty much won those titles in the same time span, though Nicklaus went 17-straight seasons with a win, compared to Tigers 14.). Im hitting the ball great. Nicklauss best streak was 105.

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