jack nicklaus vs tiger woods stats jack nicklaus vs tiger woods stats

graduate from KJ Somaiya, Devika has an experience with sportswriting at Jack Nicklaus has insisted that Tiger Woods will break his record of 18 victories in Major tournaments. However, the 82-time PGA Tour winner is not ready to give up just yet. My puttings good. He said, I just cant walk. And he says, If it helps where I can walk, Im willing to do it. . Nicklaus, on the other hand, played with Gary Player (nine majors), Tom Watson (eight), Arnold Palmer (seven), Lee Trevino (six) and Seve Ballesteros (five). At the time, we knew it was spectacular even as it felt routine. At this stage, not even Woods knows whether Humpty Dumpty can be put back together again. Tiger was the ultimate front-runner, winning all 14 of his majors while leading or co-leading entering the fourth round. The answer to the question, Who is the greatest of all time? is It depends. In the majors, Jack wins. Without Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus, the PGA Tour might not be what it is today. Of course, Nicklaus won his last major at age 46, and now that Tiger has completed his comeback from golf oblivion, he still has time to catch the Golden Bear. 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. 1 in the world, he was followed by David Duval, Colin Montgomery, Davis Love III, and Ernie Els. That was never the case for Tiger. An unprecedented run of seven majors in 11 starts. Aside from Jack Nicklaus, Player, Casper, Palmer, and Trevino won nearly 18 percent of PGA Tour events. In order to surpass him, Woods needs to win five more majors. Sign up for the For The Win newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. While Woods' win at the 2019 Masters finally ended a decade-plus drought in the game's biggest events, it's this lesser-known record that has come into focus since Major No. Yang, Bob May, Rich Beem and Rocco Mediate. Meanwhile, Nicklaus came back in eight of his majors. Advantage: Nicklaus. From 1962-1978, Jacks prime, just two foreign players (Gary Player and Tony Jacklin) won at the Masters, U.S. Open or PGA Championship. Opens, three British Opens and five PGA Championships. Of those two players, neither won a major when he was older than 33. Because of injury Tiger has missed six majors spanning from the 1997 Mastersto the 2014 U.S. Open, which means Tiger and Jack would've gone head tohead 64 times in the game's four biggest 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. 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. His winning percentage was 26% and won 14 majors in his first 63 starts. Those were stunning achievements that set the standard until Tiger arrived and did it even better. Well, because it is! 1986 Masters (46) ben hogan. Nicklaus did still own the advantage in major titles, 18-16, after all. 7. Phil won five majors but none with Tiger in the picture. 2, Trevino three, Bruce Crampton four, and Palmer five. GOLF DIGEST MAY EARN A PORTION OF SALES FROM PRODUCTS THAT ARE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR SITE AS PART OF OUR AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH RETAILERS. TOP 10 WINS ROUNDS MONEY; Tiger Woods: 1025: 198: 82: 1,375: $120,954,766: Explore. He went on to win 28 of them (84.8 percent). (And the first is debatable too.) 1959 Colonial National Invitational (46) arnold palmer. 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. Furthermore, hes made it to the Top-10 on the leaderboard 41 times in 87 appearances. The cut streak. Tiger won eight of hisfirst 22 majors; Jack won seven of his first 22. 2020 on the Paynes Valley course at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri. Heres why. Jack 3, Tiger 2, Hogan 1 Category 7:. 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. Here's why. While one can point to improvements in technique for the evolution of speed, one can also point to lighter, improved shoes, more aerodynamic clothes and better track conditions, to say nothing of the improvements in nutrition and the effect that has had on the size of athletes. Both golfers have been instrumental in the tours success, making golf a household name. sinking his putt on the 18th green to win during the final round of the Masters 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. Ever. I play a lot of golf. Nicklaus made just $5,734,031, placing him 338th. WATCH THIS STORY: John Daly Announces He Will Be Following His Bizarre Masters Tradition This Year, Full Spectrum Services LLP 2022 | All Rights Reserved. See trending; Company. 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. In 1999, aside from Tiger Woods, the remainder of the top-five ranked players in the world won only 10 percent of PGA Tour events. She loves NBA a little too much, and is That always will be Nicklaus. ClearlyJohnson Wagner and J.B. Holmes are no Gary Player and Arnold Palmer. Mickelson hasn't, and neither has Els. The casual golf fan will associate Nicklaus competition withthe likes ofArnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Billy Casper, and Tom Watson. But man, tacos are freakin good, too. He could make a complete return to form and it still wouldnt guarantee anything. Now, a quarter-century later, the two are still inextricably linked, just as they were win Tiger was winning U.S. In any given tournament, Jack Nicklaus was essentially playing against a field of four or five players,outstanding players be that as it may. . The Tiger Slam. pertaining to the NBA as well. Hes never been challenged in the fourth round and hes never come from behind to challenge for a major title. So well start the comparison in those years, and compare each mans first major with the others first major, second to second, and so forth. While Jack does have more major victories, Tiger still has more PGA Tour wins. Apart from that, both legends have also inspired generations to take up the game. birdie putt in 1986 on No. With the. Then the back surgeries happened and we didnt know if hed ever be back again. If Woods wins three or more, then theres no need for a discussion and he would be the undisputed GOAT. AUGUSTA, GEORGIA APRIL 14: Tiger Woods of the United States celebrates after 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. And once again, major tournament winners are the barometer for characterizing that success. Its more evidence that Peak Tiger > Peak Jack. Tiger has played 74 rounds at Augusta National and has a scoring average of 70.86, the best in history. Woods' highs have been greater. Their two greatest Masters moments happened on the final three holes, under the eyes of CBS announcer Verne Lundquist. Home He won seven of 11 major championships from the 1999 PGA to the 2002 U.S. Open and then, almost as an afterthought, had a run of four of eight (matching Jacks best) in the majors held in 2005 and 2006. But consider: Nicklaus made 43 starts at the Masters over a span of nearly a half-century. Another impressive Woods number is cuts made. And were all still asking the same question: Tiger or Jack? The Golden Bear won 18 of them and finished as the runner-up 19 times! 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. Follow along here. On the other hand, Jack Nicklaus amassed 164 starts in major championships throughout his career. Second, could it be that Tigers competition is inferior because of Tiger? 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. "I feel very bad for Tiger. Nicklaus is in third at 73. Is Tiger just that much better that his skill level allows him to exceed that of his direct competitors by a larger gap than Nicklaus was able to achieve? In his time at the top, Jack won 17 majors. In 2007, aside from Tiger Woods, the remaining members of the worlds top five won just 10 percent of PGA Tour events. Tiger had a still-impressive run of 17 straight seasons with a top 10. Here's a chart of their majors as professionals, in order and head-to-head: By signing up, you agree to the When he won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin he single-handedly crushed Hitlers myth of Aryan supremacy. Jacks best streak was 105. Even if you think Tiger will win more majors (and I do), getting five and topping Nicklaus is nearly unfathomable. He wouldnt be having the operations if he wasnt interested in wanting to continue to play, Nicklaus said. Can all the kings horses and all the kings men put golfs Humpty Dumpty back together again? Copyright 1996 - Nicklaus was on top of the golf world (or close to it) for 18 years. Not all professional golf wins are equal. In the majors with a cutoff of the 2008 U.S. Open, after which Woods began missing tournaments because of injury, Its dead even. Thats too good. Woods stands at 15, and his last major title being the 2019 Masters. He dominated in an era of chokers. Some might argue that no one else took home the trophies during Tigers reign because he was winning all of them. It just wasnt a thing back then. Nicklaus is 1-1 as a U.S. captain in the Ryder Cup and 2-1-1 leading the Americans in the Presidents Cup. These are all the significant stats you need to know about how two GOATs of golf performed in major championships. 17. Now, in 2018, a 42-year-old Tiger is making his return to golf after years of scandal and an injury so severe that it threatened to end his career. 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. Has Tiger Woods ever missed the cut at The Masters? 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. With 18 wins to his name, Nicklaus is currently leading. Tiger: Won his Masters at 43, still time to be a super old winner. Jack won his second major as a pro, the 1962 U.S. Open, at age 22, beating Arnold Palmer in a playoff. In fairness, playing in Europe wasnt as common in Nicklaus time, but the number is impressive nonetheless. conversations in every sport, but obviously theres a lot more to golf than just four weekends per year. RELATED: Catch up on every important shot from Saturday at Augusta with our minute-by-minute live updates. Thirty years later, Tiger would do the same before a 28th-place finish at the British ended his chances.). 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). Before Tiger, winners would often get. Both Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus dominated golf in their respective eras. Director of Professional Golf isnt a normal position at golf club, but Quail Hollow isn't a normal club. He has a career winning percentage of25 percent; Jack's winning percentage through the end of 1979 was 18 percent. The oldest player to win a major:. Tiger has played 74 rounds at Augusta National and has a scoring average of 70.86, the best in history. Result: Tiger by 37. Jack: Won the Masters at age 46, making him the third-oldest major winner ever. But what if we had to have that discussion today? Thats not an indictment of Tiger. In comparison, Jack Nicklaus' 36-hole outright conversion rate was 63. Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus are arguably the two greatest golfers to ever play the game. 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. The man with the most major championships is the greatest golfer in history. 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. 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. If you accept that golfers are only measured by their performance in the biggest events, its a slam-dunk argument. When you think of Jack Nicklaus, the first thing that comes to mind is major championships. Still, we give this to Tiger for two reasons: Jacks contemporaries included Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino, each of whom won six or more majors. Please check your email for a confirmation. Tiger Woods Explains the Raw Feeling of Winning a Major Championship: Catapults An important stat is their Masters win, where Woods is just one win away from Nicklaus record. Nicklaus has played in six, with a 17-8-3 record. Who do you choose? The overall win total in tournaments reveals one interesting thingWoods in his prime was better than prime Nicklaus. First, Tiger has played against a deeper, more international field. 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. That's more than one stroke better than Nicklaus' per-round average of 71.98. Starting four. 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. 11. It just says that Tigers peers never put pressure on him on a Sunday and he never put pressure on them. Arjun manages the Golf division and its content, and primarily covers news 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. Usain Bolt made me look harder at the careers of Carl Lewis and Jesse Owens. 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. As of 2019, Tiger Woods has won 82 PGA Tour events, while Jack Nicklaus has won 73. The two active players with more than three major titles Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els are rarely direct rivals for Woods. - 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. 73. Because Im comparing majors by the specific number they were in each mans career, I have compared the 1971 PGA, Nicklaus 37th major, with the 2006 Masters, Woods 37th major. Only 14 golfers have won five or more majors. Forbes estimates Woods net worth to be at least $1 billion, which puts him alongside NBA stars LeBron James and Michael Jordan as the worlds only billionaire athletes. They both had a stretch of winning at least one major title in six of nine years. For some, choosing one is almost an impossible task whereas others believe the answer is clear. I personally believe that 150 legitimate competitors is a tougher challenge to face than a group of five or so great competitors. Thats a 23-shot cushion in two majors. MS: All eyes on Finau, Rahm; all ears on McIlroy, Green wins three-way playoff at JM Eagle LA, Mexico payout: Rahm sets record before May, Timeline: A look at Tiger's injuries in his career, Tiger announces he's undergone ankle surgery, Day: Screw broke through Tiger's skin at PGA. I can just see it from a fans standpoint, Sorenstam said. But he is so tough. Jack finished higher 38 times to Tiger's 22, with the twogreats tying four times. But his comeback bid ended when Lee Trevino chipped in on No. They shrunk in the spotlight. If hedoes, it would be to the sports utter delight. "He's the greatest champion that's ever lived," Woods said of Nicklaus after winning the Memorial in 2012. He recorded an 18% win rate but had amassed more Top-5s and Top-10s in major championships when compared to Woods. 1, 2 and 3-ranked players in the world share the lead after 36 holes, which is the first time the top three ranked players in the world are tied at the top of any major ever. This ones mind-blowing: Jack finished inside the top 10 in 31 of 33 majors from 1970-78. The No. He made the weekend in a record 142-straight tournaments. Tiger has held the outright 36-hole lead 33 times in his Tour career. 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. Many casual golf fans immediately think that Nicklaus played during golfs golden age and was faced with more competition from greater players. Woods won 77 tournaments in 300 starts. Nicklaus dominates Woods in all of the major championships except The Open. Theyre both tied at three titles apiece. Clearly, Woods has a larger number of legitimate competitors to worry about each week than Nicklaus did. 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. Heres how Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus stood after 300 tournament starts in their respective careers. If Augusta National is the best test in golf, Nicklaus earned slightly better marks. So heres how these two legends faired in major championships in their respective careers. 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. https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/12/24/jack-nicklaus-tiger-woods-pga-tour-career-major-stats/, Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands, Central America, Top 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, Top 50 Modern Courses in Great Britain & Ireland. Tom Brady is the GOAT as far as NFL quarterbacks. 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. Tiger, in defense of his 2019 Masters title, sat 33rd . 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. Furthermore, Woods has 82 PGA Tour wins, while Nicklaus has 73. Tiger had 15 such tournaments in the 2000s (counting the two events. Let us know in the comments below. (Not that anyone was really paying attention to a potential NicklaSlam. Nicklaus has played in six, with a 1783 record. National team appearances are a challenging comparison due to playing partners being a tricky variable. The numbers favor Jack, at least in terms of majors. Since both stars dominated different eras, there is not much to compare over, at least game-wise. The count is still 18 to 14 in favor of Nicklaus. 2023 If only considering normal events, Woods can be the GOAT for many. And I know I could be seen as biased because Ive been fortunate to live through Tigers prime. In 1991, a 15-year-old Tiger Woods was the subject of his first Sports Illustrated profile. Tiger Woods has 198 top ten finishes with 82 wins and has won $120,954,766 in his career. 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! Gesture at The Open Championship 2021, Full Spectrum Services LLP 2022 | All Rights Reserved. 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. In the end, both men will go down as the two greatest golfers in the games history, but Nicklaus has to be given the title of GOAT because when it mattered most, he was the more successful of the two. 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. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, Woods has played in eight Ryder Cups and boasts a 13-21-3 record. 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).