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


sungho_kr

Greatest Golfer (GOAT)  

217 members have voted

  1. 1. Tiger or Jack: Who's the greatest golfer?

    • Tiger Woods is the man
      1629
    • Jack Nicklaus is my favorite
      817


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Like others, I don't feel it's quite fair for me to comment because Jack's prime was before I was old enough to know about him. Still, Tiger Woods is the most amazing athlete in my lifetime and I doubt I'll see anyone take the mantle away from him (I am 37 years old).
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Tiger is definitely the man!

My son has a book on Tiger, which I found fascinating!! A must read--you'll find it in the junior readers section of your bookstore.

"Golf and sex are about the only things you can enjoy without being good at."
Jimmy Demaret


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Im gonna go with Jack.

Some have said the level of competition is better today. I would like someone to tell me who is Tiger's Arnold Palmer? or Gary Player? or Lee Trevino? or Tom Watson. If im right, there are about 30 major victories between those four player and thats not all of the people who challenged jack.

This lack of competition today I think can be blaimed on the PGA and the number of exempt player they allow. It totally smothers out the up and comers. But thats anouther issue all together.
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So, I posted to this this forum months ago in favor of Jack never really realizing how many people would reply, but I think this must be approacing a record number of replies!

Anyway, I'm still a Jack fan, maybe because i'm only 20 or so years younger and had the luxury of watching his victories first hand, or because I'm just plain old school. I'll tell you though, even in the 70's and 80's when Jack was still making history, it really "felt" like history was being made. To me, I feel that Tiger likely does have the skill advantage, but in the moment, I just don't feel the history like I did back then. There aren't a whole pack of "Tiger" types in the group with him like Jack had. It's kind of like the original Brat Pack with Deano, Sammy, Frank, and company. Jack had Lee, Gary, Tom, Arnold, Ben, and a score of legends that were his contemporaries. Tiger, regardless of how good he is or what history he will make, will never be surrounded by so many legends as Jack was.

Call me old fashioned....

-T
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Ernie Els had the exact same surgery on his left knee as Tiger and it took a while before he came back 100%.

The trouble was Ernie never really trusted his left knee even though it was healed.

I suspect Tiger is having the same issues. Every time he posts around his left knee during his swing he braces for the pain...even though the pain is gone, it will take a while for his subconscious to fully trust it.

Watch for Tiger to have a mediocre year in 2009.
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That's not a fair comparison, apples to oranges.

Being younger and starting to learn golf at a very young age, Tiger has the advantage of learning from the sum of all his peers, including Jack. I also think that Tiger has no more "raw" talent than most other top 20 professional golfers but, his work ethic and perfection driven personality has given him the foundation for success.

Tiger has started something (modern era of golfing) that future players will have to emulate to be contenders. These players will be even better given continued equipment advances, strength training along with high tech analysis/coaching and, insane 24/7 dedication to improvement. Guess the big hurdle will be avoiding "burn out".

Maybe that's the talent part.
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Im gonna go with Jack.

You just named 4 people. That's basically all the PGA Tour back then. So let me ask you this. If Tiger played Vijay, Phil, Sergio, Furyk and Ogilvy at every event, don't you think some of these other guys would win sometimes? Of course they would. People have off days. Jack couldn't win every tournament obviously and when he wasn't winning, one of those other 4 guys were winning. It's the same in Tigers case. But Tigers is x20. I think the level of play now is far superior. In Jacks days those 5 guys were the only ones competing practically. Now you have guys coming out and 19 years old firing super low rounds with the confidence to win Majors. I think of this situation like the World Series of Poker. Back in the day it was so easy for Doyle Brunson to win all these main events because the level of play was worse. And of course you still have all your Hall of Famers in that time that played back then and won some tourneys too, but now after Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP in 03 the level of play has changed. Instead of 500 players in the Main Event now there's 7,000 and the level of play is incredible. Whatever the case may be.... there will obviously never be a definitive answer and everyone's entitled to their own opinion. P.S. Don't forget Billy Casper and Tony Lema

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I remember watching Jack at the end of his career and was always amazed a his fortitude. Tiger, in his own right is amazing, but is just a different golfer in a different era. Power and technology prevail now...then it was just a different game.
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At this moment, i think it is too early to tell...tiger has only played for 7 years so just give it time

you might wanna check that 7 year thing. i'm pretty sure he won his first masters in 1997. so that would make this year 13?

I remember watching Jack at the end of his career and was always amazed a his fortitude. Tiger, in his own right is amazing, but is just a different golfer in a different era. Power and technology prevail now...then it was just a different game.

Tiger by far has the advantage with the technology. But look at hit swing. He has the best swing ever and proves it by hitting some of the most amazing shots. If you watched his round on thursday at bayhill. He slice a 9i from the bunker 30yds left to right and landed just short of the green. I wanna see the top 150 on tour hit that shot and i bet 120 of them will not even come close. Most of them if faced with the same shot in their round would have simply blasted out and then tried to get up and down for par from about 100yds.

Jack's reverse C is thing of beauty, but not the perfection that Tiger has shown. And if he ends of winning his 5th in a row at BayHill this weekend, just another step towards being the greatest ever. Did Jack win any tournaments 3 or 4 times in a row? One final note. I feel Tiger will not deserve to be called the best ever until he wins major #19.
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