With 42 major championship wins between them, it seems a long time ago that the trio of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods made their debuts in the big tournaments.
Nicklaus remains the top dog out of everyone with 18 majors to his name, while Woods comes along with 15 and Player has nine to his name as well.
All three are renowned in golf as three of the very greatest players to ever play the game.
But what about when they first appeared in a major. Were they always this good? Or did it take them time to bed into the biggest tournaments in golf?
Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player’s major championship debuts
With three names as stellar as Woods, Nicklaus and Player, if you didn’t know how they’d got on already, you’d be forgiven for having high expectations.
Indeed, when we look back at all three and how they performed in their major debuts as professionals, it is pretty impressive.
What some golfing legends think about Tiger Woods
Jack Nicklaus finished T7 in his first ever appearance at the 1961 Masters and he needed just another year before he won his first major when he snatched the 1962 US Open.
As for Tiger Woods, he didn’t quite do as well. Woods finished T68 in his first ever major appearance at the 1995 Open Championship, before finishing T82 at the US Open in 1996.
However, we all know what happened in 1997, as Woods exploded onto the scene at The Masters to win by a record 12 shots and set himself well on his way to legendary status.
Finally, Gary Player made his major debut all the way back in 1956, as he finished a very respectable fourth at The Open. Player then finished 2nd at the US Open in 58 and 7th at The Open the same year, before winning the Open crown in 59 to bag his first major.
As we know, all three played in majors before their actual pro debuts as amateurs, and all three did impress as well at that level.
Gary Player’s remarkable 10 year run at The Masters
So often it is Woods and Nicklaus who get the biggest praise from those in the game and on one hand, that is bang right.
However, when we look at Gary Player, we’re looking at a golfer who flew the flag for his country and upset the apple cart a bit along the way.
Quite remarkably, Player had a superb record at The Masters. After missing the cut in ’58, Player then went on a brilliant ten year run where he finished outside the top ten only once. In that time, he won the event in 61, and finished second in 62 and 65.
Indeed, even after that run ended when he finished T33 in 1969, Player then finished top ten in three of the next five, including getting a second win in ’74.
So, while it is Woods and Nicklaus who stand atop the golfing landscape, Gary Player can more than hold his head high as well.
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