It should be noted before this debate begins that it's extremely difficult, if not impossible to make accurate comparisons between sportspeople who have competed in different eras.
Would Tiger Woods playing to the peak of his powers in the 1990s or 2000s have beaten the Jack Nicklaus of the 1960s and 70s? We will simply never know the answer to that hypothetical question.
Second thing to consider is that, because the stats on all aspects of the game that have been kept during Tiger’s playing career are significantly more extensive and wide-ranging than the numbers we have for Jack’s career we cannot make direct comparisons between their numbers, in terms of strokes gained, putting or scrambling averages for example.
Then, there's technology to take into account – During the peak of his career, Tiger used equipment and faced conditions offering greater advantage than the gear and ground available to Jack 50 or 60 years ago. For that reason alone, the younger man has been able to hit the ball further, spin the ball more consistently, putt on smoother surfaces, play from crisper lies.
There must then be a high degree of subjectivity in discussions around who is the greatest golfer of all time. But there are ways to try and make a case for either Tiger or Jack based on the facts and information that we do have available, in terms of what they have achieved in their careers. Here we take a look at a selection of criteria to try and determine - Is The Greatest Golfer Of All Time Tiger Woods Or Jack Nicklaus?
Majors
This is where Jack has an obvious edge – He secured 18 Major titles compared to Tiger’s (current) 15… Tiger could yet get closer to the "Golden Bear’s" number, but I wouldn’t be sticking my neck on the line too aggressively to suggest he probably won’t.
Jack completed the career Grand Slam three times over, so has Tiger Woods, so they're even on that front.
But, let’s consider further Major performances to confirm Jack’s superiority over Tiger’s record in the big four events. In terms of top-10 Major finishes, Jack recorded an astonishing 55 further of those, aside from his 18 wins. In 19 of those top-10s, he was runner-up. Tiger has had 26 further top-10s in Majors, and seven of those have been second, or tied second place finishes.
Jack’s first top-10 came in the 1960 US Open when he was still an amateur and his last came in the 1998 Masters – A gap of an astonishing 38 years. Tiger’s first top-10 in a Major was his victory in the 1997 Masters, his last was his victory in the 2019 Masters, a gap of 22 years. That's an impressive spread, but not as large as Jack's!
One incredible Nicklaus stat is that, during the 1970s, he played all 40 Majors contested and he finished in the top-10 in 35 of them. Absolutely amazing stuff.
If it came solely down to performances in the Majors, there would be no denying that Jack Nicklaus is the greatest male golfer of all time.
Victories, Orders Of Merit And Scoring
But it doesn't come down just to that. Both players have had extensive careers outside of Major golf. Now, in other tournament play, as Tiger is not yet a senior, we’re talking about purely, main tour titles. Jack Nicklaus secured 73 PGA Tour titles between 1962 and 1986, he won three times in Australia and picked up 24 further event wins in (pre senior competition) – a total of 100 professional victories then.
Tiger Woods has won 82 times on the PGA Tour – Equal with Sam Snead for the most ever on the circuit. He has won another 28 times around the world for a total of 110 professional victories to this point.
Nicklaus topped the PGA Tour money list eight times between 1964 and 1976. Tiger topped the PGA Tour money list 10 times between 1997 and 2013.
In terms of total events played – Jack played 586 times on the PGA Tour with 73 wins. That’s a winning % of 12.5%. Tiger has played just 358 times on the PGA Tour with 82 wins. A winning % of 23%.
On the PGA Tour, Jack ended the year with a scoring average below 70 strokes on four occasions, Tiger managed that feat 17 times.
Looking at wins and overall performance in professional tournaments outside of the Majors, the upper hand must be given to Tiger.
Amateur Careers
Both Tiger and Jack had excellent careers in the amateur ranks. Woods won the US Junior Amateur three years running and then claimed the US Amateur Championship three years consecutively after that. He is the only man to win the US Amateur three years in a row. He played in the Eisenhower Trophy and the Walker Cup (although on a losing US team in 1995.) In addition, Woods was a six-time Junior World Golf Champion.
Nicklaus won the US Amateur Championship twice and played in winning Walker Cup sides on two occasions. He was also both a team and individual winner in the Eisenhower Trophy. As already mentioned, Nicklaus finished runner-up in the 1960 US Open while he was still an amateur.
When it comes to amateur achievements, we can probably say it was a hard fought half between the two greatest male players in our sport.
Team Events
We’ve seen that Nicklaus probably has the edge on amateur team performances but what about in professional team competition?
Starting with the Ryder Cup – Jack played in six instalments of the famous biennial trans-Atlantic contest and was in the winning side for five of those matches, the other (1969) was a tie. Jack’s record in the Ryder Cup is 17-8-3. That’s a win % of 61%. Tiger played in eight Ryder Cups and has only once been on the winning side – 1999 at Brookline. Tiger’s Ryder Cup record is 13-12-3. That’s a win % of just 46%.
Jack played for the USA in seven World Cups. On six of those seven occasions, the US was victorious. In addition, Jack was individual winner three times.
Tiger played for the USA in three World Cups and was on the winning side twice. He won the individual once.
Jack captained the US Ryder Cup team twice and was four times captain of the US Presidents Cup Team. Tiger has played in nine instalments of the Presidents Cup and has been playing captain once. He is yet to take the reins in the Ryder Cup... Will he ever?
Overall, when it comes to team events, Jack has to get the nod.
Driving
Both Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are renowned for their driving skills, so it’s worth considering this as a factor in discussion of their greatness. Who was better at it?
Even when taking technological advances into consideration, Tiger has probably been a longer hitter – His peak average on the PGA Tour was 316.1 yards in 2005.
Jack could certainly shift it as well, but he might just win in the driving section because he was so good at combining both power and accuracy. The first year the PGA Tour has records for stats is 1980 when Jack was 40. Even then he ranked 10th in driving distance for the season with an average of 269 yards. But, he also ranked 13th in driving accuracy that season. With a total driving score of 23 (the two rankings combined) it is still the finest recorded season of all-round driving on the PGA Tour. Another round to Jack.
Overall Impact On Golf
Jack Nicklaus has been involved in course design since the mid 1960s when Pete Dye asked for his opinions on various possible changes to his designs. Nicklaus Design (a company Nicklaus runs in partnership with his sons and son in law) has been responsible for the design of more than 300 courses worldwide. Tiger Woods and TGR Design has been responsible for the design of 11 courses.
Jack was part of the “Big Three” together with Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, who changed the game of golf through the 1960s. As the TV age brought the sport into households around the world, Jack’s was the face of the 1960s and 70s. When he conceded “that putt” to Tony Jacklin in the 1969 Ryder Cup his actions inspired sportspeople and others outside of golf to act with integrity and generosity.
Jack has been the consummate professional through his long and impressive career as both a player and as an ambassador for golf.
But when it comes to overall impact, Tiger must surely win this round. He has inspired generations of new golfers. His career has done more to promote the game globally than any other in the history of our sport. He has been the face of advertising campaigns, the face of computer games, of equipment launches and technological advances. He has changed the technique of golf, changed the approach of players in terms of dedication and fitness. His star has shone outside the galaxy of golf and he has brought the sport to a new audience. Tiger has had more impact on golf than any other figure, ever.
So where do we stand? Is Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus the greatest ever? Well, because we don’t have sufficient comparable stats, they’re inconclusive. It depends what you see as the most important qualification for greatness. If it’s purely down to The Majors, Jack wins. If it’s down to individual, overall performance, Tiger wins. If you consider the technical data we do have – probably it’s Tiger, but in terms of team events, Jack has the edge. Tiger and Jack are the two greatest male golfers ever to tread the fairways but if we have to consider who history will say had the greater overall impact on the sport – It’s probably got to be Tiger.
Fergus Bisset writes extensively about the history of the game. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here. The podcast series contains stories about both Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, in fact the series is named in honour of Jack's most iconic stat - his 18 Major titles!
