sinking his putt on the 18th green to win during the final round of the Masters 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, Woods has 82 PGA Tour wins, while Nicklaus has 73. Were the Nike guys who came up with the swoosh and jumpman logo on vacation when it came time to design Woods' emblem? 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. And once again, major tournament winners are the barometer for characterizing that success. Sign up for the For The Win newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Nicklaus is in third at 73. 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 statistically seenin thelower percentage of events won by the top five golfers in the world. Nicklaus finished in the Top-5 56 times and achieved a Top-10 finish 73 times in 164 starts! Ever. 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. But his comeback bid ended when Lee Trevino chipped in on No. 1, Player No. Arjun Athreya is a senior writer at Essentially Sports and has been contributing Let's look at the numbers: Most wins in golf 1 Tiger WoodsSam Snead 82 3 Jack Nicklaus 73 4 Ben Hogan 64 5 Arnold Palmer 62 Tiger Woods is tied with Sam Snead for the most wins in golf with . Listen, I know Nicklaus has three more major titles than Tiger. - 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. Since both stars dominated different eras, there is not much to compare over, at least game-wise. Nicklaus had won the 1971 PGA, played in February as a concession to the South Florida heat, then added the 1972 Masters and U.S. Open titles. They both had a stretch of winning at least one major title in six of nine years. Yang and Michael Campbell. Who has won the most tournaments all-time? The off-course earnings arent even a comparison. 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. I dont know a whole lot about what hes been through, Nicklaus began. Whether he makes the cut or not, he adds to the tournament in so many ways. Even if you think Tiger will win more majors (and I do), getting five and topping Nicklaus is nearly unfathomable. The casual golf fan will associate Nicklaus competition withthe likes ofArnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Billy Casper, and Tom Watson. Now, a quarter-century later, the two are still inextricably linked, just as they were win Tiger was winning U.S. The Golden Bear won 18 of them and finished as the runner-up 19 times! For some, choosing one is almost an impossible task whereas others believe the answer is clear. The last category to compare Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus is the level of competition each player faced on a weekly basis. He dominated in an era of chokers. Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus are arguably the two greatest golfers to ever play the game. Yang, Bob May, Rich Beem and Rocco Mediate. Then the back surgeries happened and we didnt know if hed ever be back again. Tiger Woods Explains the Raw Feeling of Winning a Major Championship: Catapults How much money has Tiger Woods won in his career? Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. But it will. He captured 18 major titles in his career compared to Woods and his 15, up until now. That always will be Nicklaus. at Augusta National Golf Club on April 14, 2019, in Augusta, Georgia. Thats a 23-shot cushion in two majors. pertaining to the NBA as well. Even in a sports such as sprinting, where numbers on a stopwatch tell what appears to be a cut-and-dried story, theres more than meets the eye. And even though it's 2013 and the Nicklaus brand is mostly forgotten, I've seen a Golden Bear logo more recently than a TW logo. Some might argue that no one else took home the trophies during Tigers reign because he was winning all of them. This is a simple debate. You have one golf tournament to win. He has a career winning percentage of25 percent; Jack's winning percentage through the end of 1979 was 18 percent. Championships monopolize the G.O.A.T. This week we dedicate to the G.O.A.T. Woods hasnt officially retired yet, but the chances of him winning another major are very slim. 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. 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). But what about golf? In other words, each time Nicklaus teed off in a major championship, there were four other legitimate contenders who were capable of taking home the trophy. In fairness, playing in Europe wasnt as common in Nicklaus time, but the number is impressive nonetheless. The answer to the question, Who is the greatest of all time? is It depends. In the majors, Jack wins. (Not that anyone was really paying attention to a potential NicklaSlam. Tom Brady is the GOAT as far as NFL quarterbacks. 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. Embracing such comparisons without bashing a particular golfer is the right spirit! 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. The only men to truly go toe-to-toe with him in the final round of a major were Y.E. Thats too good. 2, Trevino three, Bruce Crampton four, and Palmer five. However, Woods has the Tiger Slam, which was holding all four titles at once although not in a calendar year. Tiger was untouchable in the 2000s but its easy to forget that in 2013 he won five times and was the PGA Tours Player of the Year. Heres why. Nicklaus had eight final-day comebacks in majors. When Woods was growing up, he had a poster of Nicklaus on his wall. 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!) . Apart from that, both legends have also inspired generations to take up the game. 7. I dare say that his winning percentage is the most untouchable of all of hisaccomplishments. All comparisons, he would bellow, referring to those that involved athletes of different generations, are onerous.". 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. In the 1975 Masters, for instance, the entire top 10 was from the United States. As Woods is currently preparing for the 2022 Masters, lets take a look at their major wins, along with some other stats. Fans will argue Woods played against better competition, which gives him an edge seeing as he won nine more PGA Tour and 32 more European Tour events. John Daly Announces He Will Be Following His Bizarre Masters Tradition This Year. In 1972, Player, Trevino, Crampton, and Palmer won 16 percent of PGA Tour events. Both golfers have been instrumental in the tours success, making golf a household name. But the circumstances of a time and generation do not provide a level playing field. Phil never beat Tiger on a major Sunday. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, Without Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus, the PGA Tour might not be what it is today. Privacy Policy. In Nicklaus best four-year stretch he won 22 from 1970-73 and added another 17 titles from 1964-67. This ones mind-blowing: Jack finished inside the top 10 in 31 of 33 majors from 1970-78. If the debate of GOAT is based solely on major titles, Nicklaus is the winner hands down. With 18 wins to his name, Nicklaus is currently leading. After a disappointing Masters in 2000, Tiger had won just one of the last 12 majors and despite his historic victory in Augusta three years before, it felt like he was underperforming. Owing to his injuries, the chances of Woods playing like he used to are bleak. He made the weekend in a record 142-straight tournaments. 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.. (They pretty much won those titles in the same time span, though Nicklaus went 17-straight seasons with a win, compared to Tigers 14.). He won back-to-back-to-back majors from the 1971 PGA to the 1972 U.S. Open, joining Ben Hogan as the only golfers to ever accomplish the feat. She has a keen eye for Woods plight. Has Tiger Woods ever missed the cut at The Masters? At 42, Tiger would need to replicate Mickelsons entire major career to become the all-time leader. Tigers best 33-major streak featured 21 top 10s. Despite all the numbers, the GOAT debate might never have a conclusion. The only leaderboard that matters is the one on the 72nd hole. After the 1971-2006 comparisons, the tournaments fall back in line until Woods 2008 season, when after winning the U.S. Open, he missed the British Open and PGA while recovering from injury. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Copyright 1996 - And then theres the money element. These two generational talents can never be compared with each other. The 2022 Masters can be an opportunity for Woods to tie it up, and maybe even surpass the 82-year-old later on. With the. What if Tiger Woods suddenly announced his retirement from golf after the Masters and never played again. 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). Tiger is still a man at work. The Tiger Slam. There were the brutal struggles after that which led many to wonder why he was even trying to come back at all. Nicklaus did still own the advantage in major titles, 18-16, after all. He won 27 overall tournaments from 1999-2002 and then 25 tournaments from 2005-2008. Its a title thats become common in conversations about sports and gets thrown around far too casually in some regards these days. Well, guess what: Back in 1986, Nicklaus' position was wait for it T-17. Now, at this very moment you are probably thinking that I have completely lost my mind by naming players such as Hunter Mahan, Stephen Ames, and Chez Reavia as competition comparable to the likes of Palmer, Player, Trevino, Casper, and Watson. Woods has won 79 PGA Tour events which is second only to Sam Snead's 82 and is already six ahead of Nicklaus. Tiger Woods has 7 major runners-up finishes and 33 major Top-5 finishes. Nicklaus made just $5,734,031, placing him 338th. 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. 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.

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