The U.S. Open’s 10 greatest players: career rating

9. Jack Nicklaus, -0.78 (1960-1989)

If you were surprised by Woods’ 10th place standing on the Open career list, you’ll be stunned that Nicklaus only ranks ninth.

Again, the problem involves an athlete competing through his declining years.

Had we calculated this career list following the 1982 Open, when a 41-year-old Nicklaus finished two strokes behind Tom Watson at Pebble Beach, he would stand alongside Woods on this list’s top five. At that point he had four wins, four runners-up, and 11 top fives in 23 starts, two of them as an amateur.

Indeed, Nicklaus ranks fourth on the companion peak rating.

But between 1983 and his shift to the senior tour in 1990, Nicklaus’ Open resume tailed perceptibly. His final eight Open starts as a PGA Tour mainstay included just one top 20, two missed cuts and three other finishes outside the top 40.

Each of those poor finishes undermined his career standing.

There is no reason to dwell on the negative aspects of Nicklaus’ Open career because the positive ones are remarkable. His playoff win over Arnold Palmer at Oakmont heralded the arrival of a serious challenger to the game’s dominant figure. His 1972 victory at Pebble Beach came by a margin of 2.88 standard deviations over the field, the ninth most dominant showing in tournament history.

Nicklaus won twice at Baltusrol. His 1967 title came by four strokes over Palmer. His 1980 victory on the same track, by two strokes over Isao Aoki, highlighted his last great season. Nicklaus would go on to win that year’s PGA and tie for fourth at the British Open.