By how many majors is Tiger Woods behind Jack Nicklaus?
US golfer Tiger Woods is widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time. He is tied for first spot with Sam Snead for the record for the most number of PGA Tour wins, which is a whopping 82! With multiple golf records to his name, he is, however, ranked second in the highest number of major tournament wins.
He comes behind the all-time great, "The Golden Bear," Jack Niklaus, in that category. Niklaus has won six major tournaments and Woods is behind by one green jacket with five wins.
Tiger Woods won his first major title in 1997, which he won by12 strokess in a record-breaking performance, after just one year of turning pro.
He followed it up with three more victories in 2001, 2002, and 2005. However, his most memorable win came in 2019, and that proved to be the redemption arc of his story.
Meanwhile, Jack Niklaus won his first major tournament in 1963. He won it again in 1965 and successfully defended his title in 1966.
He followed it up with a win in 1972 and bagged his final major tournament title in 1986 at the age of 46.
Tiger Woods is currently 46-years-old.
Can Tiger Woods match or surpass Jack Niklaus' record?
No list of golfing legends is complete without Tiger Woods and Jack Niklaus. Both of these players dominated the field in their time and, at certain points, were almost deemed invincible.
So, the question remains about whether Woods can figuratively surpass the number of green jackets that Jack Niklaus has won.
In 2021, Woods suffered a terrible car crash. He sustained multiple injuries, including a serious right leg injury that was immediately operated on.
In fact, the latter was so severe that doctors even considered amputating his right leg. Ever since the horrific accident, Woods has been taking his time and prioritizing recovery and recuperation.
He has made a couple of appearances on the greens since the incident. He competed in the PGA Tour event in May but was visibly struggling with physical pain. He later withdrew after the third round. The tournaments that he did fully take part in, the spark that he was known for wasn't there yet.
Probably to focus better on his health, he gave the US Open and the recently concluded Presidents Cup a miss. He hasn't quite given a conclusive answer to his future in golf since the crash.
He is currently 46-years-old, the same age as Jack Niklaus when he won his final major tournament title. So, doubts are on the rise about whether Woods can match or break that record, all things considered.
However, no golf fan in the world can say that they aren't waiting for the grand comeback of Tiger Woods. And if history is anything to go by, the world has already been schooled about underestimating Woods. He always shows up and bags the title when nobody expects him to.
So, regarding the previous question, the answer would be a loud and hopeful yes!