Professional Career
The Golden Bear turned pro at the end of 1961, aged 21 years, and joined the PGA TOUR. He triumphs began at the 1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont, where Nicklaus beat Arnold Palmer by three shots, making him the reigning U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur champion. The victory was his maiden PGA TOUR win, thrusting him into the national spotlight and marking the beginning of the famous Nicklaus-Palmer rivalry.
In 1963, the now acclaimed star won the Masters and the PGA Championship, drawing him closer to a career grand slam in his second professional year. Motivated by the success, Nicklaus won the Masters title back-to-back in 1965 and 1966, becoming the event’s youngest two-time and three-time winner.
In 1966, he overcame difficult weather conditions at Scotland’s Muirfield to scoop The Open Championship, making him the youngest player at 26 to achieve the coveted Career Grand Slam. Nicklaus then achieved a double career grand slam in 1971 and a triple in 1978, establishing himself as one of the finest golfers ever.
Nicklaus claimed his second U.S. Open title in 1967, and then in 1970, he contended with the loss of his father and harsh weather conditions in Scotland to win The Open Championship.
The bona fide history-maker became the first golfer to win all four majors twice after scooping the 1971 PGA Championship. In 1972, he won the Masters and the U.S. Open by three shots each.
August 1973 saw Nicklaus win the PGA Championship. In 1974, he scooped the inaugural Tournament Players Championship and listed among the 13 original inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Come 1975, he clinched his fifth Masters title and his fourth PGA Championship.
1978 proved fruitful for Nicklaus as he won the 1978 Open Championship at St. Andrews, sealing his triple career grand slam. 1980 saw Nicklaus clinch the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship before bagging his sixth Masters and 18th major trophy in 1986.
Tiger Woods turned pro in August 1996 at age 20, immediately signing lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, Inc. and Titleist. He wasted no time and won his first major the following year – the 1997 Masters. Two months later, Woods recorded the fastest ascent to World No. 1 in the OWGR.
In 1999, Woods won the PGA Championship trophy, followed by a U.S. Open title in 2000. He broke Nicklaus’ record when he attained the career grand slam at 24. Now on fire, Woods scooped the 2001 Masters, and by the end of 2006, had recorded 54 total wins, including 12 majors.
Woods beat the odds to win the 2008 U.S. Open just after undergoing knee surgery. After an extended trophy-less streak, Woods got back to winning ways in 2012, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Memorial Tournament, and the AT&T National, bringing his total PGA TOUR wins to 74.
In 2013, Woods experienced a dominant year with five wins: the Farmers Insurance Open, the WGC-Cadillac Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational (moving him back to the top of the OWGR), The Players Championship, and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
After struggling with several injuries and surgeries, Woods found his footing in 2018, winning the East Lake Golf Club season-ending Tour Championship. In 2019, he claimed his 15th major title in the Masters Tournament, followed by a win at the ZOZO Championship that became the star’s 82nd victory on the PGA TOUR, tying him for first place with Sam Snead.
Achievements & Awards
Jack Nicklaus
- World Golf Hall of Fame Inductee (1974)
- PGA TOUR leading money winner (1964, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976)
- PGA Player of the Year (1967, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976)
- Bob Jones Award (1975)
- Payne Stewart Award (2000)
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2005)
- PGA TOUR Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)
- Congressional Gold Medal (2015)
Tiger Woods
- World Golf Hall of Fame Inductee (2021)
- Haskins Award (1996)
- PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year (1996)
- PGA TOUR Player of the Year (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013)
- PGA TOUR leading money winner (1997, 1999, 2000 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013)
- Vardon Trophy (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013)
- Byron Nelson Award (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009)
- FedExCup Champion (2007, 2009)
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2019)
Social Media
Jack Nicklaus:
Facebook: 405,000 followers
Twitter: 524,600 followers
Instagram: 488,000 followers
Tiger Woods:
Facebook: 3.2 million followers
Twitter: 6.6 million followers
Instagram: 3.1 million followers
Conclusion
Both Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods will forever be labelled as legends in the golfing community due to their exploits on the golf course. We await to see which modern players can match their significant achievements on the course.
