The last category to compare Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus is the level of competition each player faced on a weekly basis. 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. On the surface, it seems like an easy question. Nicklaus had the famous "yes sir!" . 2020 on the Paynes Valley course at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri. No predictions for the future or presumed milestones. I think its a lot more serious. But none of the players have the experience winning majors like Tiger does, so he has that on his side as he looks to add another improbable chapters in golfs history books. It just wasnt a thing back then. I can just see it from a fans standpoint, Sorenstam said. (They pretty much won those titles in the same time span, though Nicklaus went 17-straight seasons with a win, compared to Tigers 14.). There are any number of ways to compare Woods and Nicklaus. In his time at the top, Jack won 17 majors. The answer to the question, Who is the greatest of all time? is It depends. In the majors, Jack wins. Both Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus dominated golf in their respective eras. Now, a quarter-century later, the two are still inextricably linked, just as they were win Tiger was winning U.S. The 2022 Masters can be an opportunity for Woods to tie it up, and maybe even surpass the 82-year-old later on. They both had a stretch of winning at least one major title in six of nine years. GOLF DIGEST MAY EARN A PORTION OF SALES FROM PRODUCTS THAT ARE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR SITE AS PART OF OUR AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH RETAILERS. He adds so much to the game every time he tees up. In 1972, Player, Trevino, Crampton, and Palmer won 16 percent of PGA Tour events. In overall tournament wins, Tiger has Jack by a count of 79 to 73. In 1972, the best year of Nicklaus career; a year that saw him win three out of the four majors, Nicklaus was ranked No. 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. 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. Tiger's 15-shot win inthe 2000 U.S. Open set a record for widest margin of victory, but his scoreof 272 only tied the record (since bettered by Rory Mcilroy) that Jackset in the 1980 U.S. Open. But he is so tough. WATCH THIS STORY: John Daly Announces He Will Be Following His Bizarre Masters Tradition This Year, Full Spectrum Services LLP 2022 | All Rights Reserved. - In four of the five majors where Nicklaus . This is one argument that will wage for years to come, and I personally dont have the answer to it. In any given tournament, Jack Nicklaus was essentially playing against a field of four or five players,outstanding players be that as it may. Furthermore, hes made it to the Top-10 on the leaderboard 41 times in 87 appearances. Even with those impressive numbers, he still cant compete with Nicklaus. Annika Sorenstam, winner of 72 LPGA titles, walked away from the game on her own terms and has returned to play a handful of celebrity events, last years U.S. Womens Open and the U.S. Senior Womens Open, which she won in 2021. During the best part of Jack Nicklaus career, his main competitors were Tom Watson, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Billy Casper. Tiger won four majors in a row from the 2000 U.S. Open through the 2001 Masters, a Tiger Slam instead of a Grand Slam only because all four wins did not come in the same calendar year. Here's why. He recorded an 18% win rate but had amassed more Top-5s and Top-10s in major championships when compared to Woods. Tiger has held the outright 36-hole lead 33 times in his Tour career. Its Jack and its not that close. For those paying attention, some interesting parallels existed between Tiger Woods in 2020 and Jack Nicklaus in 1986 as we entered this week. To call most of them journeymen would be too kind. Nicklaus has played in six, with a 1783 record. Phil won five majors but none with Tiger in the picture. Sign up for the For The Win newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Then theres Tiger, who never had a Sunday showdown with any of the modern greats. At 42, Tiger would need to replicate Mickelsons entire major career to become the all-time leader. Now most tournaments are over a million bucks, with majors and the Players going over two million bucks. He had the claret jug in his sights at Muirfield, but he finished second by one shot to Trevino, who chipped in on the 71st hole. Woods won 77 tournaments in 300 starts. Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus career comparisons 1986 Masters (46) ben hogan. In 1970, Jack Nicklaus was the No. Arjun manages the Golf division and its content, and primarily covers news Life is good if youre a great golfer, thanks to Tiger Woods. When Tiger was 24 he completed the career Grand Slam at the 2000 Open Championship, two years ahead of the age that Jackwas when he completed the feat in 1966, also at the Open Championship. Yep the same exact position with Tiger looking to match Jacks record of six Masters titles. Nicklaus finished second in 19 majors, and Woods has six runner-up results. Nicklaus dominates Woods in all of the major championships except The Open. Theyre both tied at three titles apiece. Both legends have worked hard for decades, revolutionizing golf in their own way. People only cared about the actual Grand Slam, which Jack was halfway toward with his wins at the Masters and U.S. Open. I think hes in more pain than he lets everybody know. 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. Lefty won five major championships. 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 Tiger Woods has 7 major runners-up finishes and 33 major Top-5 finishes. 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. We've been debating the Jack Nicklaus vs. Tiger Woods question ever since that historic 1997 Masters and we'll be debating it for decades to come. Its tricky comparing athletes from different generations. An incredible achievement for both are their major wins, Nicklaus currently is in the lead with 18 major titles. Some favor Woods, often recounting his influence on the golf world. Well, guess what: Back in 1986, Nicklaus' position was wait for it T-17. What a final-round duel between Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus at the 1959 Colonial National Invitational (46) arnold palmer. The only leaderboard that matters is the one on the 72nd hole. He wouldnt be having the operations if he wasnt interested in wanting to continue to play, Nicklaus said. Nicklaus had eight final-day comebacks in majors. 15 for Tiger was . Tom Brady is the GOAT as far as NFL quarterbacks. Back in the late 2000s, the question around Tiger Woods didn't feel like "if" he would break Jack Nicklaus's 18 majors. Woods made more on Tour in one year than Nicklaus did in his entire career 11 times: 1999 ($6,616,585), 2000 ($9,188,321), 2002 ($6,912,625), 2003 ($6,673,413), 2005 ($10,628,024), 2006 ($9,941,563), 2007 ($10,867,052), 2008 ($5,775,000), 2009 ($10,508,163), 2012 ($6,133,158), 2013 ($8,553,439). Hes showed a lot of guts and courage to play and try to be part of whats going on with the way hes been, he continued. Woods made his debut as a U.S. captain at the 2019 Presidents Cup, where he also played and went 3-0-0. Tiger Woods Vs Jack Nicklaus: A Comparison Of Their Careers United States on the 19th tee during the Paynes Valley Cup on September 22, 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. How big is that task? (Not that anyone was really paying attention to a potential NicklaSlam. Across a wide range of sports, we will debate and remember the Greatest Of All Time, and look ahead to whos next. Its more evidence that Peak Tiger > Peak Jack. Who is your ultimate GOAT? While five players have won the Players twice (Woods included), Nicklaus is the only player to win the Tours flagship event three times, doing so in the events first 5 years. Of his 163 rounds at the tournament, more than 40 were played after he turned 50 years old. When Tiger won the 1997 Masters his score of 270 broke by one shot therecord that Jack had set in his 1965 rout. 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. since early 2020. 1, Player No. Opens, three British Opens and five PGA Championships. If Woods wins three or more, then theres no need for a discussion and he would be the undisputed GOAT. birdie putt in 1986 on No. If Augusta National is the best test in golf, Nicklaus earned slightly better marks. 17 and Nicklaus missed out on his personal Slam by one shot. Tiger Woods is out indefinitely after announcing Wednesday that he underwent another surgery on his injured right leg. Hear what our crew of Anna Whiteley, Dam. Aside from him, there are just two other players with three major wins during the Tiger era: Ernie Els and Vijay Singh. (Two of Tigers poor final rounds made Ben Curtis and Michael Campbell major champions.) 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.