It is nearly impossible to make a case that neither Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods is the greatest male golfer to have ever played the game, with the pair boasting 33 major championships between them.
Jack Nicklaus obviously leads the way, while Tiger Woods seemed to transform the game when he appeared on the scene during the 1990s. Certainly, many of the world’s best now will point to Woods’ influence as a key reason for beginning their own careers.
But when it comes to natural talent, perhaps there is scope for a much more nuanced conversation. Like most sports, golf has seen a raft of players not realise their full potential during their careers.
The likes of Sergio Garcia, Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood are amongst the players who have not won anything like the number of majors they had the ability to clinch. And it is another of the names in that particular category that Gary Player would suggest had the potential to be the greatest of them all.
Gary Player claims John Daly had more talent than Tiger Woods
John Daly was making only his third major championship appearance when he found himself in the field for the 1991 PGA Championship. He played in two US Opens in the 1980s. In fact, Daly was initially a reserve for the tournament before going on to win by three.
Daly would also win The Open Championship in 1995. And speaking to The Independent in 2009, Player suggested that off-field problems were all that prevented Wild Thing from surpassing Woods.
“You want to know who was the most naturally talented player I ever saw? John Daly. If Daly worked like Tiger Woods works, he would have gone down as the greatest player who ever lived. He had a phenomenal future and in my opinion he ruined it. I’ve seen it happen in business, all walks of life. The drinking, the smoking, the late nights … they lose their edge,” he said.
Daly’s legacy in the game of golf
Daly will definitely be remembered as one of the greatest characters the game has seen. But you can understand why some are so disappointed about not seeing Daly realise his full potential.
He would only win one more PGA Tour event after his victory at St Andrews. And Daly is remarkably the only eligible two-time major champion never to feature in the Ryder Cup.
Woods himself, has suggested that he was not as talented as Daly. With Player also making a similar claim, it does indeed appear that Daly had all of the tools to put himself amongst the greatest ever.
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