The Greatest Masters Champions of All Time: "Nicklaus > Woods"

Nicklaus Masters 6 Wins with 18 Major Victories by Decision, Woods 5 Wins with 15 Majors in 2nd Place

Jack Nicklaus (right) wearing the green jacket when he won the Masters in 1965.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Jack Nicklaus > Tiger Woods."

The U.S. Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Tour recently selected the greatest player of all time under the title 'Masters All-Time Power Ranking.' The Masters, which had been indefinitely postponed due to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States, is now scheduled to be held on November 12. Since its inception in 1934, this is the first time the tournament will be held in the fall. The atmosphere is heating up, with hotel rates in the Augusta area of Georgia already soaring in November.

Nicklaus is undoubtedly ranked number one. He swept six victories in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, and 1986, achieved 15 top-5 finishes, and entered the top 10 twenty-two times. In 1998, at the age of 58, he tied for 6th place, drawing even more spotlight. Most notably, he holds the immortal record of 18 major wins. This includes six Masters wins, four U.S. Open wins, three Open Championship wins, and five PGA Championship victories.

Starting with the 1962 U.S. Open, Nicklaus won all four major championships?the Masters and PGA Championship in 1963, and the Open Championship in 1966?becoming the fourth 'Career Grand Slam' winner at just 26 years old. Unlike the three earlier 'golf legends'?Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan (both from the U.S.) and Gary Player (South Africa)?Nicklaus won each of the four majors at least three times. He achieved the 'Career Grand Slam' three times.

Tiger Woods became the youngest champion (21 years old) at the Masters in 1997.

Tiger Woods (USA) ranked second. He donned the green jacket five times in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, and last year. The 1997 victory was notable for being the youngest (age 21) and the largest margin of victory (12 strokes ahead of second place). Last year’s win was significant as it restarted his major championship clock after 11 years since the 2008 U.S. Open. It was his 15th major win. He is fiercely determined, saying, "My biggest goal in golf is 18 major wins."

Woods completed the 'youngest Career Grand Slam' at age 24, two years earlier than Nicklaus, by consecutively winning the 1997 Masters, 1999 PGA Championship, and the 2000 U.S. Open and Open Championship. The highlight was his 'major 4 consecutive wins' from 2000 to 2001: the 2000 U.S. Open, Open Championship, PGA Championship, and the 2001 Masters. It was unfortunate that this did not meet the 'within one year' condition to be recognized as the first-ever 'Grand Slam.'

The 'Grand Slam' of golf legend Bobby Jones (USA) in 1930, the only one in history, had symbolic meaning as the four majors at that time consisted of the U.S. Open, Amateur, Open Championship, and British Amateur. The golf world coined the term 'Tiger Slam' to highly praise Woods' achievement. The rivalry between Nicklaus and Woods is ongoing, not only in the Masters but throughout the history of global golf.