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Golf’s Mount Rushmore

By Michael Ellis

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 23: Arnold Palmer congratulates Tiger Woods after the final round of the Bay Hill Invitational on March 23, 2003 at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Craig Jones/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 23: Arnold Palmer congratulates Tiger Woods after the final round of the Bay Hill Invitational on March 23, 2003 at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Craig Jones/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)
(Photo by Peter Dazeley/Getty Images) /

Jack Nicklaus

  • 18 career Major Championships (most all-time)
  • 6 Masters victories (most all-time)
  • 73 official Tour wins (3rd all-time)
  • Professional years (1962-2003)
  • 2 U.S. Amateur Championships (1959 and 1961)

There is no doubt Nicklaus belongs on golf’s Mount Rushmore. Really, the only debate is whether he is the greatest of all-time, Tiger Woods may have something to say about that. Nicklaus’ rise from U.S. Amateur Champion to 18 Major Championships spanning 41 years on Tour, is a golf career unmatched.

Nicklaus, together with Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, would collectively form what was known as “The Big Three”, and usher in a new era of golf in the 60s. The Big Three would bring newfound visibility and marketability to United States professional sports.

Nicklaus would win his first Major Championship in 1962, the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club; most notably defeating Arnold Palmer in the process. At that point in time, it seemed as though there was a changing of the guard and there was a new face of golf.

Nicklaus in his prime was a brute, known for his cold demeanor on the golf course. His all-business attitude would serve him well throughout his golf career, amassing an all-time best 18 Major Championships. Nicklaus won the Masters six times, the PGA Championship five times, the U.S. Open four times and the Open three times.

The man they call the “Golden Bear” would complete his career Grand Slam with his Open win in 1966 at Muirfield, his fifth year on Tour. To put that into perspective, one of golf’s current best, Rory McIlroy, has yet to secure his career Grand Slam and he’s been on Tour since 2007.

Nicklaus’ most iconic win is surely his last Major Championship victory at the 1986 Masters, at the age of forty-six, which still stands today as the oldest Masters winner in history. Nicklaus’ 18 Major Championships is a record that may never be broken. Although, there is one man who was sure to shatter his record in almost half the time…his name appears on this list later.

The “Golden Bear” is securely on golf’s Mount Rushmore, albeit any era.

https://www.nicklaus.com/about-jack/professional-stats/

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