Jack vs. Tiger: Who's the Greatest Golfer?

[InTheFairway]

I think until Tiger has 18 majors, he can't own the title "best of all time". Jack's 18 majors is still the mark to beat Compare this to tennis, Federer officially became the best of all time when he surpassed Pete Sampras' 15 majors. Like it or not, it's a very tough feat to accomplish to win 18 majors, most players are lucky to win 2 or 3 and it takes a whole career to achieve it.

[iacas]

I remember when Jack first started playing Augusta, and he was hitting driver and a wedge into the 420-yard par 4s. It was an outrage. No one was supposed to hit the ball that far.

And yet Tiger hit driver/wedge into some of the PAR FIVES. You want outrage - that was outrage. Look at the changes that single act prompted. Nicklaus's didn't prompt many changes at all.

[iacas]

I remember when Jack first started playing Augusta, and he was hitting driver and a wedge into the 420-yard par 4s. It was an outrage. No one was supposed to hit the ball that far.

And yet Tiger hit driver/wedge into some of the PAR FIVES. You want outrage - that was outrage. Look at the changes that single act prompted. Nicklaus's didn't prompt many changes at all.

[KDub]

So who still thinks Tiger the best golfer after this last weekend finish at the Bridgestone open. Tiger placed 78 out of an 80-player field and finished 30 strokes behind the winner Hunter Mahan. I still say Jack is the all time best golfer; Tiger will need to get it together mentally to become the all time best golfer. Look at Tiger best finishes so far this year it has been going downhill since his so called come back.

4th in the Masters
4th in the U.S. Open
19th Memorial Tour
23rd British Open
46th AT&T;
Now 78th in the Bridgestone

Now I see a trend going on here!!!

[bopanic]

tiger just didnt show up this past weekend. +18 thats rough...

[KDub]

tiger just didnt show up this past weekend. +18 thats rough...

I wouldnt say this last weekend I would say the last 4 outings!!

[iacas]

tiger just didnt show up this past weekend. +18 thats rough...

Great. The question this thread's about has a little more significance than "what did they do last weekend?" Let's stick to the topic, please.

[sean_miller]

Great. The question this thread's about has a little more significance than "what did they do last weekend?" Let's stick to the topic, please.

It's a shame we never got to see as many of those gritty one-on-one battles that Jack was famous for.

Some argue that Jack finished second place in a lot of key events and that means he never quit in an event - basically I think it's because he had the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with tougher competitors. He was challenged more often, and learned not to give up until the end. Is it Tiger's fault nobody stepped up to the plate on a regular basis and gave him a genuine rival? The last few guys he battled toe to toe with (that I remember) seemed to bring out the absolute best in Tiger (AK, PAdraig, Rocco, etc) and he seemed to really enjoy the game. Whether or not Tiger catches Jack's record, I really hope the Tiger era is not over. Partly because it makes me feel old, but can you imagine the run a healthy 40+ Tiger could go on? Maybe some of the under 25 guys could be that rival he's needed to keep him motivated?!? I guess we'll see.

[beachbreak]

Tiger had his time. It was a good, long run. I don't think he will dominate the tour again. He'll win some more, maybe a few majors, but he won't catch Jack. Tiger's personna is indimidation and swagger. That is tarnished forever because of the public humiliation he suffered. I think he lost that edge in his own mind. It's no longer his time. It's McIlroy's, Mahon's, the kid that wears the orange Puma clothes, Dustin Johnson's, etc. Time waits for no one. It happens to all the great athletes.

[Larson]

I would say that Tiger would probably do better if they matched up against one another during their primes, due to being more physically fit and being a more mechanically sound golfer.

[Josh.R]

back in 06 07 i would've said Tiger. Only been paying attention to the sport intensely in the last month but Now Tiger is falling off the map. Jack was much more determined and didn't seem to use it to build his ego.

[bwdial]

And yet Tiger hit driver/wedge into some of the PAR FIVES. You want outrage - that was outrage. Look at the changes that single act prompted. Nicklaus's didn't prompt many changes at all.

IIRC, didn't they let the fairways grow out a little so he couldn't get as much spin on the ball?

[CUnEll]

Tiger is of course the greatest of this time, but he is not as great as Jack YET! I believe that if he can regain even half of his old from(which would still be better than most everybody in the history of the game) and he wins some more tounaments, especially majors, then I will have absolutely no problem calling Tiger the greatest. But because Jack has more majors and wins, he is the greatest. If you were to ask who was the greatest from the time they were 21-mid 30's. Then it would be Tiger, but of all time? Not yet.

[paxtonman]

Have to say Jack and the players of Jack's era, when's the last time we saw a 1 iron on tour?

[danwalk]

This is very much dependent on what Tiger does going forward. Before November 2009 I would have said that Tiger Woods was the obvious choice but events that have transpired since then have made things a bit more murky. For now it's still Jack.

[Andrew Anderson]

Jack and Arnie put golf on the map for future generations. Although the fields the beat were not nearly as deeps as the current fields, they broke the ground that Tiger plays on.

[InTheFairway]

After some time, there is no doubt that Tiger will surpass Nicklaus by winning those elusive 4 more majors. Right now, he has to roll with the punches since he's name is mudd and his personal life is in disarray. But it won't stay that way too long, and he will regain his confidence again. Certainly he might not win at the same pace of major championships and tournaments we've seen him do in the past (10 before age 30), but as long as he remains committed to winning he should reach that mark of 18 majors.

[Spencer]

two totally different golfer with totally different equiptment i believe if jack was in this day tiger would beat him but take tiger back to jacks day and tiger would get stomped