When you think about golfers to have won major championships in golf, you can’t go too deep into the conversation without mentioning Tiger Woods and Gary Player.
The duo have won 24 majors between them, with Player having nine to Tiger’s 15 to cement their names as two of the very best to ever do it.
Of course, we look at Tiger Woods and sometimes we say ‘only 15 majors’, such was his impact and ability during his time.
With Jack Nicklaus on 18, many expected Tiger to overtake the American but it never quite happened, with injuries and other matters contributing to Woods not quite doing it.
However, despite all the injury troubles, Gary Player believes Woods made one big error of judgement right at the time he was on top of the world.
Gary Player says Tiger Woods would have overtaken Jack Nicklaus if not for one error
Talking about the impact of Tiger Woods on the game, Player got onto the subject of Woods’ 15 majors and the fact he’s never quite beaten Jack Nicklaus.
And according to Player, Woods’ fatal error was simply going to get swing lessons rather than just trusting his own judgement.
“Tiger, when you talk about major championships,” Player quipped.
“If Tiger Woods after he won the US Open by 15 shots, inconceivable, if he never had a lesson and went on with his swing, he would have won 22 majors”
How Tiger Woods tried to correct his swing
Despite being so dominant, Tiger Woods went in search of even more from his golf game and there’s an argument to be had that it’s been to his detriment over the years.
Some will argue that he’s had to adjust due to injury and there probably is something in that. But we only need to look back to his days with Butch Harmon to see where the small tweaks started coming.
Indeed, Harmon was the one in 2000 who got Woods to make a change he saw in a lot of amateurs.
“Let’s take a setup here and we’ll talk a little bit about your takeaway where we’re trying to get the club which you feel is a little earlier wrist set, and the key here is just to keep the right arm higher than the left,” Harmon said.
“So many people get this club, as you did when you were younger, tucked in on the inside, and then when you go to the top of your swing, probably the biggest change that Tiger’s made is that he’s really tried to get his hands in front of himself coming down, in other words, arms in front of the body.”
Still, Harmon was good for Woods and he won eight majors in five years working with the legendary coach.
Quite whether Woods would have maintained that level had he not changed, is something we’ll never be able to answer.
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