Its difficult to compare players across eras, and when you look at the numbers, an argument can be made for each. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images). You dont want to see anybody, theyre hurting. Masters 2020: The parallel stats between Jack Nicklaus in 1986 and "@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." Privacy Policy. During the best part of Jack Nicklaus career, his main competitors were Tom Watson, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Billy Casper. 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. Nicklauss best streak was 105. Nicklaus made just $5,734,031, placing him 338th. Is that because Nicklaus game was at a lower level that allowed the other top-ranked players to catch him? Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus are arguably the two greatest golfers to ever play the game. Woods withdrew during the rain-delayed third round of this years Masters in April after showing considerable discomfort walking the hills of Augusta National in bad weather. Then theres Tiger, who never had a Sunday showdown with any of the modern greats. And then theres the money element. 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. (They pretty much won those titles in the same time span, though Nicklaus went 17-straight seasons with a win, compared to Tigers 14.). 17 and Nicklaus missed out on his personal Slam by one shot. Gesture at The Open Championship 2021, Full Spectrum Services LLP 2022 | All Rights Reserved. If only considering normal events, Woods can be the GOAT for many. Devika Pawar is a Golf and NBA writer at Essentially Sports. Whos Better Tiger or Jack | Golf Channel From 1962-1978, Jacks prime, just two foreign players (Gary Player and Tony Jacklin) won at the Masters, U.S. Open or PGA Championship. Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus career comparisons 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. 1965 Greater Greensboro Open (52) Jack Nicklaus. 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 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. Jack won six Masters, four U.S. . Is Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus the GOAT in Golf? - Sportscasting The count is still 18 to 14 in favor of Nicklaus. Woods stands at 15, and his last major title being the 2019 Masters. That's more than one stroke better than Nicklaus' per-round average of 71.98. Jack broke another Hogan scoring record at the 1967 U.S. Open in winning by four shots over Palmer. 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. How Jack Nicklaus' sixth Masters win aged 46 tops Tiger Woods - CNN Well, guess what: Back in 1986, Nicklaus' position was wait for it T-17. Woods benefited from being slow to mature physically, in contrast to Nicklaus, who was 5-feet-10 and 165 pounds at age 13. 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. Furthermore, he's made it to the Top-10 on the leaderboard 41 times in 87 appearances. At his best Tiger might have the slightest edge over Jack in the majors during this time period,but the majority of the time even these two weren't at their best and inthat case Jack was easily the winner. Mixed in there was the Tiger Slam his streak of four-straight majors which will likely serve as the lead on his sports obituary. 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. From his knee to his back, take a look back at the various injuries in Tiger Woods' career as well as his multiple returns to competition. Like it or not, there are many who root against Woods because of his philandering, and that undoubtedly will affect how he's remembered. But it will. Usain Bolt made me look harder at the careers of Carl Lewis and Jesse Owens. Can all the kings horses and all the kings men put golfs Humpty Dumpty back together again? He was compared to Mozart. Nicklaus was better at Augusta during his prime. For Nicklaus, he battled against stiffer competition and four of the greatest golfers in the history of the game, including Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, and Lee Trevino, each of whom won six or more majors. Both Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus dominated golf in their respective eras. Stats incredible: Tiger Woods' 40 greatest numerical records Jack has 18 majors and Tiger has 14 majors, therefore Jack is the greatest of all time. Were the Nike guys who came up with the swoosh and jumpman logo on vacation when it came time to design Woods' emblem? 2020 on the Paynes Valley course at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri. Meanwhile, Nicklaus came back in eight of his majors. Who's the GOAT? Settling the Debate Between Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus Furthermore, Woods has 82 PGA Tour wins, while Nicklaus has 73. Ever. Using the 'Sam Snead criteria' for wins, Tiger Woods actually has 95 In 1972, the best year of Nicklaus career; a year that saw him win three out of the four majors, Nicklaus was ranked No. Period. Advantage: Nicklaus. This week we dedicate to the G.O.A.T. Before Tiger, winners would often get $180,000 for a win. Across a wide range of sports, we will debate and remember the Greatest Of All Time, and look ahead to whos next. (He was 11th and 13th in the two he didnt.) Tiger Woods is out indefinitely after announcing Wednesday that he underwent another surgery on his injured right leg. Even if you think Tiger will win more majors (and I do), getting five and topping Nicklaus is nearly unfathomable. Tiger had 14. WINS ROUNDS MONEY; Tiger Woods: 1025: 198: 82: 1,375: $120,954,766: Explore. Owing to his injuries, the chances of Woods playing like he used to are bleak. Im hitting the ball great. 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!) With 18 wins to his name, Nicklaus is currently leading. 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). 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. Tiger Woods' chase for Nicklaus' major record is back on. Just ask Jack So, whose career would you rather have, Woods or Nicklaus? Nicklaus recounted how he sat next to Woods at the Champions Dinner at the Masters, as he does most years. Its tricky comparing athletes from different generations. That always will be Nicklaus. Jack had a top 10 at a major in 24 straight years. Its a title thats become common in conversations about sports and gets thrown around far too casually in some regards these days. USE OF AND/OR REGISTRATION ON ANY PORTION OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OURVISITOR AGREEMENT(UPDATED 1/6/23),PRIVACY AND COOKIES NOTICE(UPDATED 1/4/23) ANDCALIFORNIA PRIVACY NOTICE. He wouldnt be having the operations if he wasnt interested in wanting to continue to play, Nicklaus said. This is a simple debate. These two generational talents can never be compared with each other. Clearly, Woods has a larger number of legitimate competitors to worry about each week than Nicklaus did. For the casual golf fan, hearing the names Palmer, Player, Trevino, and Casper coupled together as Nicklaus main competitors immediately leads one to believe that Nicklaus faced some of the toughest competition imaginable during his career. Both players have set records with most cuts made as Jack had 105, but Tiger trumped it with 142! 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? Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. Nicklaus did still own the advantage in major titles, 18-16, after all. 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. "I feel very bad for Tiger. While the 46-year-old is confident about a win this year, Woods clinching the Masters title is not easy. If the debate of GOAT is based solely on major titles, Nicklaus is the winner hands down. Yang, Bob May, Rich Beem and Rocco Mediate. I play a lot of golf. 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. Nicklaus main competitors won 29 percent of all major championships played during the prime of Nicklaus career. You can pick any player from any point in their career. In overall tournament wins, Tiger has Jack by a count of 79 to 73. 1 in the world, he was followed by David Duval, Colin Montgomery, Davis Love III, and Ernie Els. Nicklaus finished in the Top-5 56 times and achieved a Top-10 finish 73 times in 164 starts! He captured 18 major titles in his career compared to Woods and his 15, up until now. 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. Woods won 27 tournaments from 1999-2002 and added 25 tournament trophies to his collection from 2005-2008. Their win totals are basically a wash given how the modern era of golf has a number of smaller events (WGC and FedEx Cup) and, thus, a better win probability. 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. Arjun Athreya is a senior writer at Essentially Sports and has been contributing Even so, he has won 15, while Nicklaus has won 18. 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. In 1991, a 15-year-old Tiger Woods was the subject of his first Sports Illustrated profile. At their best, both were nearly untouchable. She has a keen eye for Woods plight. 15 for Tiger was . His consistency in PGA Tour events is something to be admired. While Jack Nicklaus has the most major titles, Tiger Woods has the most overall PGA Tour tournament wins in his career with 82, tied with Sam Snead. 3, Palmer No. 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. These are all the significant stats you need to know about how two GOATs of golf performed in major championships. he pursued a Journalism degree and graduated from Madras Christian College. For those paying attention, some interesting parallels existed between Tiger Woods in 2020 and Jack Nicklaus in 1986 as we entered this week. a dedicated Golden State Warriors fan. 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. 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. In order to surpass him, Woods needs to win five more majors. Nicklaus is 1-1 as a U.S. captain in the Ryder Cup and 2-1-1 leading the Americans in the Presidents Cup. While both have had to face quality competition to get their wins, Id have to side with Tigers era being deeper than Nicklaus era. 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. Jack Nicklaus: 'Tiger Woods will break Majors record' Instant access to the latest news, videos and photos from around the world of golf. In 1999, the start of the "Tiger Slam," Tiger Woods was ranked No. That feeling didnt last long. If we review the above. And will be good for him. Does Tiger Woods Need to Break Jack Nicklaus' Record of 18 Major Titles 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. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. If Woods wins three or more, then theres no need for a discussion and he would be the undisputed GOAT. While Jack Nicklaus has the most major titles, Tiger Woods has the most overall PGA Tour tournament wins in his career with 82, tied with Sam Snead. Jack Nicklaus vs. Tiger Woods Stats | More Sports - TigerDroppings While there is really no conclusive answer, several bits of statistics might offer some perspective. Not all professional golf wins are equal. The fact that over his career he didn't win as many medals as Carl Lewis does nothing to convince me that Carl was better. Tiger Woods has 7 major runners-up finishes and 33 major Top-5 finishes. 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. There were the brutal struggles after that which led many to wonder why he was even trying to come back at all. From the 1973 Masters to the 1976 Masters , Nicklaus had 13 straight top-10 finishes in majors. Which is a more demanding situation, a farlarger number of overall competitors or a smaller, more concentrated group of great competitors? Nobody had seen players like them. Andrew Redington/Getty Images). Tiger played on the weekend in a record 142-straight tournaments. Thats too good. 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. who shockingly missed the cut at RBC Heritage, Patrick Cantlay drained a hole-in-one at the RBC Heritage and was promptly roasted for his slow pace, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He made the weekend in a record 142-straight tournaments. Jack: Won the Masters at age 46, making him the third-oldest major winner ever. They account for a large amount of success in this aspect, as theyve won a combined 33 major titles together. Tiger Woods vs. Jack Nicklaus: Major No.18 Doesn't Mean Everything At the time, we knew it was spectacular even as it felt routine. Woods' highs have been greater. Regular tournaments are as hard, but major championships inevitably add more pressure on a golfer. Has Tiger Woods ever missed the cut at The Masters? Lets look at a breakdown of their major championship statistics: Woods has played in 87 major championships. AUGUSTA, GEORGIA APRIL 14: Tiger Woods of the United States celebrates after The overall win total in tournaments reveals one interesting thingWoods in his prime was better than prime Nicklaus. Of course, their popularity is a result of their incredibly illustrious careers. How big is that task? Woods stands at 15, and his last major title being the 2019 Masters. Woods was able to monetize his talent more in his era, topping the PGA Tours all-time earnings list at a whopping $120,895,206. Listen, I know Nicklaus has three more major titles than Tiger. Life is good if youre a great golfer, thanks to Tiger Woods. 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. And now, with Tiger making his comeback amidst more international winners than ever, the field is even deeper because of the wider reach that Tiger brought to the game. Opens, three British Opens and five PGA Championships. During Tiger Woods' career, his main competitors in majors have been Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh, and Jim Furyk. Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus? The answer to that is very easy. But. With every passing year, however, the Tiger Slam becomes more and more remarkable. Who is the greatest golfer ever: Tiger or Jack? | For The Win Who won the U.S. Open? Became a Collin Fan Today Twitter Reacts to Collin Morikawas Heartwarming Not that we wont keep arguing about it for the next 25 years. People only cared about the actual Grand Slam, which Jack was halfway toward with his wins at the Masters and U.S. Open. Both legends have worked hard for decades, revolutionizing golf in their own way. He has a career winning percentage of25 percent; Jack's winning percentage through the end of 1979 was 18 percent. 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. Heres how Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus stood after 300 tournament starts in their respective careers. The evidence suggests Tiger was beating up on inferior competition. Nicklaus had 48 top-three finishes at Slams, twice as many as Woods. Tiger Woods vs. Jack Nicklaus: The Tale of the Tape (Forget all the talk of four wins you hear on television no one ever sets out to tie a record.) Golden Bear Still Gold on Twitter 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. Tiger Woods has 198 top ten finishes with 82 wins and has won $120,954,766 in his career. But he is so tough. In the 1970s, Nicklaus only finished outside the top 10 in five majors. That being said, Woods has certainly started less (86) major events than Nicklaus (164). Follow along here. Woods had the famous hanging-on-the-edge chip-in 19 years later on the 16th hole. Thatd be the first time a Masters champion has gone back-to-back at Augusta since Tiger in 2001 and 2002. "He's the greatest champion that's ever lived," Woods said of Nicklaus after winning the Memorial in 2012. Tigers best 33-major streak featured 21 top 10s. The older of the two has also been the runner-up 19 times as opposed to Woods 7.