Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus? The debate has raged for more than a decade. Nicklaus has his record 18 major championship victories compared to Woods’ 15. But Woods won his titles in an era of better technology and deeper competition. Understandably, there’s still no definitive answer. The debate resurfaced recently on The Dan Patrick Show, where retired pro golfer Peter Jacobsen weighed in with his verdict. 

“I do get into that, but it’s different generations,” Jacobsen said when asked about his opinion on the debate. “As I said, you can’t compare the two. [But] if I had to win a major, at their best, I’d probably take Tiger simply because Tiger was more physically gifted.”

“… Well, Tiger, for about 10 years, was untouchable. Nobody was as good as Tiger. And Tiger’s the kind of guy, like Jack and the great players, when they got on the first tee they just suck the air. They suck the energy, through no fault of their own, but all the eyes were on Tiger. All the eyes were on Jack and Lee Trevino, and they’d come up there.

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“Tiger was the ice man. Trevino’s talking at everybody and throwing rubber snakes at people, but for some reason everybody was watching [Tiger Woods], and you knew you were playing for a second. You just wanted to do as well as you possibly could.”

Even though Jack Jacobsen sided with Woods, the numbers still make a compelling case for Nicklaus. Beyond his record 18 major titles, Nicklaus also finished runner-up in majors a record 19 times and recorded 73 top-10 finishes. Woods, by comparison, has seven runner-up finishes and 41 top-10s. Nicklaus also stands out for his remarkable longevity, making 164 major starts compared to Woods’ 90.

That said, Woods has plenty of records that strengthen his case. He matched Sam Snead’s record with 82 PGA Tour victories, surpassing Nicklaus’ 73 despite making significantly fewer starts. Woods also spent a record 683 weeks as World No. 1 and holds the all-time mark for most consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour with 142. With these side-by-side stats, it becomes clear why the debate hasn’t concluded. 

Still, split opinions continue to pour in. And Jacobsen isn’t the only golfing great to have weighed in on the debate. Unlike him, golf legend Gary Player chose Jack Nicklaus over Tiger Woods, placing himself at third. “If Tiger Woods had made the right choices, he would have been the greatest player that ever lived. But the worst saying in athletics, in sports, is if,” he added.

Meanwhile, a more modern name, Rory McIlroy, continues to idolize Woods and put him over Nicklaus. “In the history of our game, no one has played better golf than Tiger Woods,” McIlroy said. 

While the support for both sides continues, Woods’ own opinion on the matter is already public. 

Who does Tiger Woods think is the greatest golfer of all time? 

Tiger Woods himself has never come out in public to reveal who he thinks is the best golfer ever. However, journalist Bob Harig believes he knows how the 15-time major champion views the conversation. 

“I think Tiger answers this question by saying Jack is the greatest champion,” Harig said on the Dan on Golf Show. “That’s sort of maybe where he leaves it.” 

However, Harig thinks Woods sees a massive distinction between the greatest champion and the greatest player. 

“But I think deep down, Tiger probably feels like he was the greatest player, and he might not ever say that,” Harig added.

Harig also pointed out that as great as Nicklaus was, he never won the majors by 15 strokes, 12 strokes or 8 strokes. However, Woods did that in three different majors: the 1997 Masters, the 2000 U.S. Open and the 2000 Open Championship. 

He also pointed out that it’s harder for World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler to win today than it was for Tiger Woods 20 years ago. That’s thanks to the evolution in technology, fitness, golf courses, and elevated athlete skills. So, it’s difficult to judge who is truly the greatest because they are from different generations.