Tiger Woods dismissed by his golf idol as major chances assessed
Tiger Woods dismissed by his golf idol as major chances assessed
Jack Nicklaus is golf’s most coveted major champion, and the 18-time winner is confident his record will never be broken by fellow great Tiger Woods.
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy announce lengthy TGL delay due to dramatic venue collapse
Golfing icon Jack Nicklaus believes fellow great Tiger Woods will never reach his major title record. Nicklaus is golf’s most successful major champion, winning 18 flagship events during his remarkable playing career.
It was expected that Golden Bear’s record would be broken by Woods though, after the American won a remarkable 14 majors in just 11 years between 1997 and 2008. With Woods just four major wins behind Nicklaus at the age of 31, he looked certain to pass the magic number of 18 at some point in his career.
Things have not gone to plan for the 82-time PGA Tour winner though, who was forced to wait another 11 years to add a 15th major after being crowned Masters champion in 2019. Woods’ slower win rate in recent years has been largely down to his struggles with injury.
This was only heightened in 2021, when the American suffered career-threatening injuries in a car crash in Los Angeles. Since then Woods has competed just six times on the PGA Tour, having withdrawn from two of these events due to his fitness problems.
Don’t miss…
Tiger Woods ends 27-Year partnership with Nike
Tiger Woods’ earnings from Nike deal as golf ace earned £500m less than Ronaldo
Tiger Woods split from Nike explained as PGA Tour star pens emotional statement
Nicklaus believes this hampered the 82-time Tour winner of eclipsing his major record. Speaking to the Golf Channel, he admitted: “If he remained healthy I think he would’ve gotten it, but he didn’t remain healthy… I feel bad for him.”
Woods’ latest injury knock back came at last year’s Masters, where he was forced to withdraw after making the cut due to an ankle injury. This led to a eight-month spell on the sideline before he finally made his return at December’s Hero World Challenge
