Jack Nicklaus believes he and Tiger Woods are not | Golf News

Golfing legend Jack Nicklaus, referred to as “The Golden Bear”, has an spectacular file that places him within the operating for the title of the best golfer of all time – however he himself believes there may be one higher.

With 18 main championship wins, 117 skilled match victories, and 73 PGA Tour triumphs, his profession is one of probably the most celebrated within the sport. But regardless of his main tally beating Tiger Woods by three and retiring from match golf in 2005 with a legacy that is laborious to match, the 84-year-old believes Bobby Jones was a superior expertise.

Jones, who retired on the peak of his profession at simply 28, had already achieved a distinctive Grand Slam of main match wins, together with each open and newbie championships within the U.S. and the U.Okay. He additionally co-founded the Masters and designed the Augusta National Golf Club.

Expressing his admiration for Jones, Nicklaus as soon as mentioned: “Jones is the greatest golfer who ever lived and probably ever will live. That’s my goal. Bobby Jones. It’s the only goal.”

The veteran golfer admitted that he believes up to date celebrity Woods may have surpassed his own file of main championship victories if not for accidents. He acknowledged: “If he remained healthy, I think he would’ve gotten it, but he didn’t remain healthy.

“We all have accidents, all of us have various things in our life which change issues and Tiger had his issues,” he continued, expressing sympathy for his fellow legend. I feel bad for him about it, but it is what it is. He’s still a great influence on the game of golf.”

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As Nicklaus suggests, Woods’ profession has been affected by damage over the previous decade, along with his final main championship win on the Masters in 2019. A car accident in 2021 appeared to derail his hopes of including to his tally as he continues to attend for his sixteenth main profession win.

Meanwhile, Gary Player – who received 9 majors during his profession – beforehand advised that Jones “played with a walking stick as a shaft,” and claimed that the “ball went 80 yards less.”

He confessed that he was not satisfied by the argument that Jones is the best golfer of all time. When selecting between Nicklaus and Woods, he mentioned: “So I’d have to say, Jack Nicklaus,” earlier than later including: “After that, I think Tiger Woods. He was unfortunate. His knees and his back and his car accident. What would happen if that never happened? There’s the ‘if’ I guess.”