Jack Nicklaus has responded to Gary Player’s opinion on the three best golfers of all time.

Player, a nine-time major champion with more than 160 professional wins worldwide, last week told Golfweek that he ranks himself third among the best golfers to ever lived. 

The 90-year-old South African said it was “without question” that the Golden Bear was number one, with Tiger Woods second. 

Player said his assessment was based purely on what’s on paper. 

His comments were shared and debated widely, with several pointing it out it was a touch insulting that he put himself ahead of Arnold Palmer, Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan.  

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Men’s major championship winning golfers

Rank

Golfer

Winning span

Masters

U.S. Open

The Open

PGA

Total

1

Jack Nicklaus

1962–1986

6

4

3

5

18

2

Tiger Woods

1997–2019

5

3

3

4

15

3

Walter Hagen

1914–1929

0

2

4

5

11

4

Ben Hogan

1946–1953

2

4

1

2

9

4

Gary Player

1959–1978

3

1

3

2

9

6

Tom Watson

1975–1983

2

1

5

0

8

7

Harry Vardon

1896–1914

0

1

6

0

7

7

Bobby Jones

1923–1930

0

4

3

0

7

7

Gene Sarazen

1922–1935

1

2

1

3

7

7

Sam Snead

1942–1954

3

0

1

3

7

7

Arnold Palmer

1958–1964

4

1

2

0

7

Nicklaus has now responded. 

And it appears he is in agreement with his good friend. 

“Pretty good assessment,” he told the Palm Beach Post. “Not about me, but about him.”

Nicklaus, who now lives 20 miles from Player in Florida, described his old rival as “a wonderful guy”. 

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“He’s played more golf than probably anybody, too. He plays golf every day. He’s a wonderful guy. He’s lived life to the fullest. He still plays very well. He just enjoys it. 

“He’s given back to so many. He’s just a good guy.”

Nicklaus holds the record for most major titles, winning 18 before he retired from the sport. 

Woods revolutionised the sport, winning 15. Many believe Woods would have passed Nicklaus’s record had his career not been disrupted by several injuries and surgeries. 

The 49-year-old is currently recovering from the seventh back surgery of his illustrious career. 

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He has not announced a timeline for his return and is unlikely to play again, if at all, until 2026. 

Woods is not in the field for the Hero World Challenge or the parent/child PNC Championship. 

This week the president of the PGA Tour Champions, Brady Miller, said the over 50s circuit was more than prepared for his arrival next year.

Jack Nicklaus breaks silence on $50m legal win

Nicklaus was recently awarded $50m in damages after a jury in Palm Beach County found that Nicklaus Companies – the firm he founded and later sold – defamed the Golden Bear over false claims. 

His attorneys argued that the company that bears his name and his former business partners spread lies that Nicklaus had considered a $750m offer to be the face of the PIF-backed LIV Golf. 

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Other claims included that Nicklaus was suffering from dementia and was no longer fit to mange his affairs. 

His former business partners were cleared of personal liability. 

But a six-person jury ruled on 21 October that the company’s actions damaged the his reputation and exposed him to “ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contempt”.

Nicklaus said he made the decision to pursue with the litigation for the sake of his family. 

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