Jack Nicklaus names ‘greatest golfer who ever lived’ and it’s neither him nor Tiger Woods

Golf icon Jack Nicklaus is widely regarded as the greatest player in the sport’s history, but he has a different opinion on who the GOAT really is

Golfing icon Jack Nicklaus boasts a record that solidifies his contention for being the greatest golfer in the annals of history. The US legend has secured an extraordinary 117 professional wins during his eminent career, out of which 18 are major championships – nudging three ahead of Tiger Woods.

In 2005, he waved goodbye to tournament golf, etching one of the most distinguished legacies in the sporting domain. Yet, despite his spectacular triumphs, at 84, Nicklaus accords higher praise to Bobby Jones, who bagged 13 majors, than to himself.

Jones, a Masters Tournament co-founder and Augusta National designer, quit the sport at just 28 in 1930 after accomplishing a grand collection of major titles, including both open and amateur competitions across the US and UK.

Nicklaus has expressed immense admiration for Jones, remarking: “Jones is the greatest golfer who ever lived and probably ever will live. That’s my goal. Bobby Jones. It’s the only goal.”

Nicklaus has also opined with a hint of regret that if modern phenom Woods had evaded injuries, he might very well have eclipsed Nicklaus’s own tally of major wins, saying: “If he remained healthy, I think he would’ve gotten it, but he didn’t remain healthy.

“We all have injuries, we all have different things in our life which change things and Tiger had his problems,” he noted compassionately about the golfing titan.