Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods: Who had the more illustrious career?
Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are perhaps the two greatest names on the professional golf tour. While Woods doesn’t have many records to break, Nicklaus truly outclasses the active PGA Tour golfer in terms of major championship wins.
While the two golfers are from different generations, both of them can be compared based on their records. The two 'once-in-a-generation' players are competitors to one another when it comes to their wins tally. Here's a look at both careers.
Titles
Both Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus have won several PGA titles in their careers. While Nicklaus won 73 PGA titles, Woods has won 82. Woods and Sam Snead share the record for the most professional golf titles. Nicklaus has received the PGA Tour Player of the Year award five times, and Woods has received it a record 11 times, not even close.
Major Championships
Nicklaus edges Woods in terms of major championship wins. While Tiger has won it 15 times, Nicklaus' record stands at 18, three more than the 48-year-old.
The Golden Bear holds the record for the most Masters Tournaments and has a joint record for the most US Opens and the PGA Championship. Woods doesn't have a title record, but he holds the record of winning all 4 majors by a minimum of 5 strokes. He also has the record for the largest margin of victory at the Open Championship (8 holes).
Apart from the 18 majors, Nicklaus finished as a runner-up 19 times. Tiger, on the other hand, settled as a runner-up 7 times. Another point where Nicklaus leads Tiger. Despite being hampered by injuries lately, Woods still has a chance to make up for it and surpass Nicklaus.
Players Championship
The Players Championship is an annual golf tournament that is often touted as the fifth major. Jack Nicklaus has won the Championship three times: in 1974, 1976, and 1978. Tiger won it twice, once in 2013 and once in 2014. Again, Nicklaus edged over Woods.
Career prize money
Tiger has made more money than anyone else in the game, amassing a net worth of over $1 billion. He is also only the third sportsperson to reach the feat. Meanwhile, Nicklaus earned just $5,734,031 throughout his career, placing him 338th in the earnings list.
National team appearances
Both Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods represented the US in the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup. In comparison, Woods has appeared in eight Ryder Cups having a 13-21-3 record, while Nicklaus played in just six Ryder Cups with a 17–8–3 record.
Nicklaus is 1-1 as the US captain in the Ryder Cup and 2-1-1 in the Presidents Cup. Woods captained the US in the 2019 Presidents Cup, where he played well with a record of 3-0-0.
Other Records
Woods has an all-time PGA Tour record for most consecutive cuts made. From 1998 to 2005, he made 142 consecutive cuts. Nicklaus once held this record with 105 cuts.
Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods?
Both Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus are Hall of Famers, and both have been awarded the Presidential Medal, the highest civilian honor in the US.
Jack leads in certain aspects while Tiger is strong in others, so it's just a matter of perspective on how we look at our favorites.