While Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus are universally considered to be the two greatest golfers who have ever lived, there remains a great debate as to which was the superior player. Does Tiger’s blistering play and PGA Tour wins record take top billing, or is Jack’s dominance in major championships what is most important?
One man who has no desire to engage in such a back-and-forth is Gary Player, a golf legend in his own right. Player, a nine-time major winner whose career coincided with that of Nicklaus, recently ranked his top-three golfers of all-time ahead of his 90th birthday.
His answer was definitive.
“Jack is number one, Tiger number two, and I’m number three,” Player told the Palm Beach Post. “There’s not even a question.”
Player’s reasoning?
“How I judge the best players of all time is, I say, ‘There’s the record book.’ That’s the only way. It’s the record book that’s on paper. And Nicklaus has got the best record. There’s no question.
“If Tiger Woods had made the right choices, he would have been the greatest player that ever lived. But the worst saying in athletics, in sports, is ‘if.’ Because ‘if’ is immaterial. It’s the bottom line.”
During the peak of his powers, it appeared a foregone conclusion that Woods would one day topple Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championship victories. Injuries, however, put a major dent into those plans. Woods has won just one major since 2008 (the 2019 Masters) and remains three shy of Nicklaus’ record as Tiger approaches his 50th birthday.
Beyond claiming more major wins, Nicklaus also has 19 runner-up finishes in majors compared to Woods’ seven. Nicklaus’ prime was longer, too, culminating in Jack becoming the oldest player to ever win the Masters at age 46 in 1986.
Nicklaus may be the king of majors, but it’s difficult to find golf experts who will argue that anyone was better than Woods during his prime.
Specifically, Tiger’s 2000 season might be the best display of golf the game has ever experienced. That year alone, Woods won nine PGA Tour events (six straight!) and three of the four majors, including a 15-shot win at the U.S. Open that stands as the largest margin of victory in a major championship.
In 2001, Woods won his second of five Masters capping off the “Tiger Slam,” becoming the first golfer to win each of golf’s four majors in succession. And despite having a shorter run in his prime while playing against tougher overall competition, Woods’ 82 PGA Tour wins (nine more than Nicklaus) stand as an all-time record.
The Nicklaus-Woods take should not close one’s eyes to Player ranking himself as the third-greatest golfer in history. He’s pushing himself above several other all-time greats, including Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Bobby Jones. When evaluating each of their careers, Player certainly stacks up well.
One of just six golfers in history to win the career grand slam, Player is the only man to claim the feat on both the PGA Tour and PGA Champions. The first non-American born player to win the grand slam, his reported 160 professional wins are more than any golfer in history.
“When they judge players, it’s quite interesting,” Player said. “They put Bobby Jones and Arnold ahead of me. You can’t tell me that an amateur golfer [Jones] has a record that I have in golf. His record is not close to mine. You look at Arnold’s record, it’s not close to mine. I won more majors than Arnold. I won more tournaments than Arnold. I won more senior majors. My stroke averages were better. He didn’t have the record, and he was my brother.
“But I love the fact, in a way, that they do that, because what [Palmer] did for golf, and I grew up with him, he was supreme.”
While Player’s legacy as one of the all-time great golfers is secure, he has his sights set on a new goal: living to 100. He attributes his remarkable longevity — Player still competes annually at the PNC Championship — to a lifelong fitness regiment that was decades ahead of its time.
“In 1953, when I started it, I was condemned,” he said. “Arnold Palmer, my brother, said, ‘Gary, you can’t do this weight training.’ Bobby Jones said, ‘Gary, you can’t do all this weight training. You’re going to get muscle bound. You won’t win tournaments after 35.’
“Well, they’re all dead,” Player said with a laugh, “and I’m still going.”