Record-Setting Rounds Of Jack Nicklaus And Tiger Woods
For a long time, the world of golf knew one man who shone above all others. Jack Nicklaus made history with record-setting rounds, but a star emerged in the new generation with Tiger Woods who took the PGA by storm. Both golfers proved outstanding in their prime years. Though this was not due to a lack of competition, the pure talent put other pros in their place, knowing that a match versus either meant competing for second place. In 1961, Jack Nicklaus turned pro, Nicklaus won six Masters, five PGA Championships, four U. S. Open titles and three British Opens setting the record at 18 major championships. Nicklaus surpassed the infamous Bobby Jones's record of 10 major titles in 1973 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame the following year. Nicklaus demonstrated incredible power off the tee, setting record drive distances at 341 yards, a number that would’ve surpassed the 2014 champion Louis Oosthuizen who drove 340. Along with a delicate touch around the greens, there was no doubt his skill was far superior to his competitors and even present day players.
Lee trevino once stated: “If we had (the new) golf ball in my day, The best of us would have hit it 300 yards and Jack Nicklaus would have hit it 360. ” Each year technology in golf enhances but in the past decade there has been an explosion with the design of the modern golf ball. When tour players tried the ground-breaking Titleist Pro-V1 they hit it 10-15 yards further than their current ball. This goes to show how impressive Jack’s numbers are when he would’ve been outdriving current tour players with balls made of compressed rubber threads.
The courses Nicklaus designed have promoted the game all around the world. Nicklaus’ company opened more than 400 courses to the public, in 45 countries and 39 states, Nicklaus was involved in the design of 300 of those courses. Not only are the courses beautifully shaped to the natural movement of the land, most of them are designed for the average player. Opening the game up to those who are new to the game while remaining challenging enough to improve a frequent players’ score.
“The Golden Bear” a nickname, coming from his alma mater; Upper Arlington High School, was the ambassador for the last generation of golfers. In fact When Woods was growing up, he had a poster of Nicklaus on his wall. That being said, Nicklaus has never brought the attention to the game as Tiger does. Winning the 1997 U. S. Masters at Augusta with a record score at age 21, made Tiger the youngest man and the first African American to earn the title. Woods won another 13 majors and was named the PGA Player of the Year 10 times over the next 12 years. Tiger is ranked behind Sam Snead in total wins with 80 versus with 82. Though Tigers golf rankings and stats are impressive, they are nothing in comparison to the sea of people he brings to every tournament. Not only does he inspire the game itself but he draws a larger crowd than anyone ever has. In a game like most others in America, golf started as an activity dominated by white males, In fact until 1961 the rules of the PGA stated that only Caucasians were to be admitted as members. So Tiger’s success in the sport was not only a big deal statistic wise but also for progress in America. Tiger has always been popular, he was known as a golf prodigy as a little boy so joining the tour was inevitable. While Nicklaus was his hero, Tiger is the hero of today’s top Tour players. In many cases a younger player on the tour who watched him as a child will get the chance to play with Tiger and ask for pictures or a ball afterwards. Even if he is an old dog out on the course, Tiger is still proving himself a champion, With his recent win at the Tour Championship.
With a comparison in numbers, it must be said that technology plays a huge part in statistics of Tiger and Jack’s records. Though the sheer lack of competition in each player’s prime years proves that both of them deserve to be recognized in history as the top players of the game of golf. But Tiger’s career is not over yet he may still have a chance to outshine The Golden Bear.
