Few would have ever believed after the 2008 US Open that Tiger Woods would have to wait more than a decade for his 15th major victory.
It is hard to argue with those who believe that Tiger Woods is the most talented player the game of golf has ever seen. He certainly put the sport on his shoulders and carried it into another stratosphere in the 1990s.
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Woods was a 14-time major champion by his 33rd birthday.
It was a monumental achievement, but the fact that he remains three victories adrift of Jack Nicklaus‘ record feels like a real shame.
Tiger Woods would have overtaken Jack Nicklaus if he had driven the ball like one all-time great
Obviously, there are various reasons behind Woods’ inability to take that last handful of steps, including injury. But perhaps he would have got there had he driven the ball as well as another of the all-time greats.
Woods could be erratic at times. But he was phenomenal off the tee. Padraig Harrington recently claimed it is a complete misconception that Woods was not a good driver.
Nevertheless, speaking to NBC in 2012, former PGA Tour player Bob Toski suggested that Nicklaus’ tally would have been surpassed if Woods had the same level of ability as Byron Nelson in one category.
“I loved watching Byron play, the way he stepped into the ball,” Toski said. “He moved into it like a dancer. I tell you, if Tiger Woods could drive the ball like Byron Nelson did, he would have already passed Jack Nicklaus’ record.”
The remarkable achievements and premature retirement of Byron Nelson
Nelson had an incredible career. He won five majors, including two Masters titles in the tournament’s first decade in existence.
Nelson is remembered for winning 11 tournaments in a row in 1945 – and 18 in total for the year. Considering that the likes of Sam Snead and Ben Hogan were playing at the same time, it is no surprise that some consider his performance that season to be one of the sport’s greatest achievements.
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Surprisingly, he decided to retire from playing regularly on tour at the age of 34. He played in The Masters for the final time in 1966 – having finished tied for 15th at Augusta National the previous year.
It would be fascinating to know where Nelson would have ranked among the all-time greats had he continued playing regularly after 1946.
At the very least, he surely would have come a lot closer to completing the Career Grand Slam, having only played in The Open Championship on two occasions.
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