While there is no question that Jack Nicklaus is the most successful golfer of all-time, there is certainly a debate to be had over the game’s most talented player ever.
Comparing different eras is nearly impossible. Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler use completely different equipment to the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
Who do you think is the most influential golfer of all-time?
It is impossible to argue with those who put Tiger Woods at number one. Woods transformed the game when he emerged onto the scene in the 1990s, bringing in a completely new audience.
But it seems that Colin Montgomerie would opt for another name.
The most talented player Colin Montgomerie has ever seen
The best players in the world make the game look so easy. Scheffler did not seem to get out of third gear on his way to winning The Open Championship at Royal Portrush earlier this year.
Meanwhile, others have an ability to pull off shots that their peers would steer clear of. No one will forget the approaches that McIlroy hit on seven and 15 on Sunday at The Masters.
And, speaking to The Times in 2022, Montgomerie suggested that one six-time major champion tops the list for the amount of natural ability they had.
“I tried to qualify for The Open at Troon in 1989. That was a disaster but I qualified for my first Open at St Andrews the following year.
“I got a good draw — Trevino and Tim Simpson, a very good player. It was a delight to play my first Open with them. I had won the Portuguese Open in 1989 so I was a winner on the European Tour. I felt like I was getting there, building my career. Lee? Oh, he does go on a bit. I know it’s his way of relieving the stress and the pressure, of staying focused when everything else is going on. But ear plugs are required.
“I’ll tell you what, though. What a talent. What a talent Lee was. The golf ball moved an awful lot more in the air than it does now — and he could move it all over, draw it, fade it. When you talk about talented players, you think about Rory [McIlroy], Phil [Mickelson], Tiger. But Trevino, for me, was the most talented of the lot.”
What Jack Nicklaus picked from Lee Trevino’s game when he built the perfect golfer
Lee Trevino remains one of golf’s greatest entertainers. Just last week, he starred in the PNC Championship weeks after turning 86.
The Hall of Famer won the US Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship twice each. In total, he won 29 times on the PGA Tour.
So perhaps it is no surprise that Nicklaus included Trevino in his answer when asked by Golf Digest in 2000 who would feature if he built the perfect golfer.
He said: “For ball-striking, I would have Hogan and Trevino. My putters would be Palmer and Watson. Best driver, Arnold and Greg Norman. Best iron player, Hogan. Best bunker player, Player. Best chipper, Watson. Most imaginative, Seve Ballesteros. You notice how all those players were ones who won a lot of majors?”
Nicklaus actually finished second to Trevino four times in major championships. So it is little wonder that the quality of his ball-striking managed to impress the Golden Bear.
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