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 Nicklaus dominated the game for 20-plus years, beating up on future Hall-of-Famers such as Billy Casper, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller and Tom Watson. Woods, meanwhile, has beaten the likes of Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Nick Price, Vijay Singh, Mark O'Meara, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, and David Duval, and has recently taken it to fellow Ryder Cup teammates Brett Wetterich, Vaughn Taylor and what's his name. Get my drift? Doesn't seem like much of a comparison, does it? But this is my argument on behalf of Woods: Today's tour is the most competitive ever. From top to bottom, the PGA Tour is full of Europeans, South Americans, Australians, beer swillers from the South and an ex-TV salesman or two. And these guys all take it deep and have been winning tournaments around the world or playing for rent on the mini-tours for years. Nicklaus was great. He was long, straight, and more competitive than his peers. He had a knack for winning, and also finished in the top five more than any other golfer. Woods wins. And wins. And wins. He doesn't settle for second place. Never has. Woods won six Junior Worlds, three U.S. Junior Amateurs and three U.S. Amateurs, in addition to blistering the collegiate ranks during his brief time at Stanford. One's will and ethic will always be more influential than one's accuracy and distance control. Michael Jordan at the end was not the best athlete, just the best competitor. He didn't know what it was like to be weak, or beaten. It's no wonder he and Woods have become friends. Or is it friendly rivals? Woods has followed his childhood and college/amateur milestones by changing the golfing landscape as we know it. It's now a popular sport across the board. Golfers work out with trainers to lower their scores, and professional golf has the economy of a Third World country that discovered a natural fuel source. Television revenue and tour purses are blowing up, and golf is making inroads on other televised sports. But back to Woods and Nicklaus. Tough call, but the edge goes to Woods, who has always used Nicklaus as a measuring stick. Don't kid yourself, the stick is getting shorter, and Woods appears to be playing against Nicklaus's records more than the field right now. Mainly, because few are stepping up to challenge him. All records are meant to be broken, and Woods will surpass Nicklaus in that regard. Somebody might even pass Woods one day. But that's an argument for another day. Or decade. Or century. SG Eric Lohman is a PGA professional and the general manager at Black Gold Golf Club in Yorba Linda. |
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