What Jack Nicklaus admitted in private phone call about Tiger Woods back in 1999 after watching him win at Valderrama

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One debate golf fans will never be able to settle once and for all concerns whether Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods is the greatest player of all-time.

Of course, golf has had all kinds of superstars over the years; players who changed the game and inspired so many to pick up a set of clubs. But the two names who lead the way in the eyes of most are surely Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

Nicklaus is the most successful male golfer of all-time, having won 18 major titles. Meanwhile, Woods is second on that list having won 15. And had it not been for injury, Woods would have surely at least matched Nicklaus’ tally at some stage.

It is truly impossible to argue with anyone who feels one way or another. Ultimately, comparing eras is out of the question, while Woods has the advantage of so much of his career being filmed. Those debating the topic will have also seen a lot more of Woods first hand than the Golden Bear.

What Jack Nicklaus said about Tiger Woods after one win in 1999

But perhaps no-one is better placed to settle the debate than Nicklaus himself. And according to writer Jaime Diaz, Nicklaus outlined how impressed he was when Woods won the WGC-American Express Championship in 1999.

“I go back to something Jack said, in fact I called him after Valderrama and he said, ‘you know, whatever I had, this kid may have more of it’. And that thing that Jack had was a mysterious, incredible power that no-one really can define. It made him better than everybody else,” he told Golf Channel.

“Jack recognised it in Tiger when he was 23 years old. And that’s when you realise every one of those guys saw something that they didn’t have. I always felt like the better the player, the higher the assessment they had of Tiger.”

How Woods and Nicklaus’ numbers stack up

It is a fascinating debate because you could make a fantastic case for either player. When Woods won his 14th major in 2008, few would have ever imagined that he would go more than a decade before he won his 15th.

Woods is tied for first place for most PGA Tour wins of all-time, while Nicklaus’ record of second place finishes in majors is almost as impressive as the amount of victories he had.

It does appear that no player has ever been better than Woods was in the years around the turn of the century, but Nicklaus’ longevity during eras where Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tom Watson were winning cannot be overlooked.

It is a debate that many golf fans are unlikely to ever get bored of.