What Tiger Woods once said when asked if he was a better golfer than Jack Nicklaus in his prime

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There is barely a debate when it comes to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods being the best two golfers to ever play the game but when it comes to who is top dog out of the two, it’s a tougher question.

Nicklaus’ 18 majors remain unmatched while Tiger Woods’ 15 majors of his own and 82 PGA Tour wins mean he also has a shout to be the best ever.

In terms of impact on the game, Woods is very much ahead but when it comes to pure golfing ability, many will point to Nicklaus’ major record and the lack of technology available to him as a testament to how good he was.

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But what about how the two players actually view each other?

Well, speaking in an interview before he won the 2019 Masters to move to 15 majors, Woods responded to that very question.

How Tiger Woods responded when asked if he thought he was better than Jack Nicklaus

For many golf fans, who is the best out of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus is very much the toss of a coin.

Indeed, even for Woods himself, speaking prior to his 15th major win, it seems he was reluctant to actually say he was the better player, as he complimented the ‘Golden Bear’ when pushed on the issue.

“I think I’m pretty good too,” Woods replied when asked if he thought he was better than Nicklaus.

“I think he and I would have a hell of a duel. Jack has always been one of my heroes, I looked up to him, looked at his record…I wouldn’t say lusted for his record, I just think it was the gold standard. He had won the most majors, and second most tour events.”

When pressed on if he thought he’d have more than Nicklaus’ 18 majors, he simply replied ‘correct’, before admitting if he didn’t get there, he’d simply say ‘I didn’t get there’.

• READ MORE: The warning Arnold Palmer gave everyone about Jack Nicklaus after the US Open at Oakmont in 1962

Tiger Woods was wrong about catching Jack Nicklaus

With this particular interview taking place prior to Tiger landing number 15, it just goes to show how dominant Nicklaus was in winning 18.

Yes, Woods has been hampered by serious injuries which have, in turn, affected his chances of ever usurping Nicklaus at the top.

Of course, we’ll never know now if Woods would have done it without those injuries, and he’s likely to be stuck on 15 given he is once again injured.

Still, the debate will always be a good one to rage in golf circles and with 33 majors and over 150 TOUR wins between them, there’s absolutely no doubting that Woods and Nicklaus are the two best to ever do it.