The three-time Open Championship winner who Gary Player said was the ‘best player that ever lived’
Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, and Arnold Palmer: there will never be a definitive answer when deciding on golf’s greatest player.
Whether it was Woods’ dominance in the early 2000s, Nicklaus’ longevity, or Hogan’s textbook swing, there are many reasons why the GOAT could vary. This debate has divided opinion among the game’s biggest names.
Nicklaus believes Bobby Jones is the best player to ever live, while LIV Golf star and social media sensation Bryson DeChambeau says Woods is the greatest golfer.
Gary Player – who won nine major championships – also weighed in on the greatest of all-time debate back in 2023.
Gary Player names best golfer to ever live
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Much like Nicklaus, Player was quick to name three-time Open Championship winner Jones as the all-time great.
Speaking to the Palm Beach Post, Player said Bobby Jones “might be the best player that ever lived. He played with a walking stick as a shaft. You played with the ball that went 80 yards less.”
The South African then went on to laud Ben Hogan’s swing and claimed the nine-time major winner knew more about the golf swing than anyone he’s ever met.
“The best player I ever saw from tee to green [Hogan],” Player added. “(He) knew more about the swing than anybody I’ve ever met by a mile. Ben Hogan would turn in his grave if he saw what some of the pros are teaching now on the backswing.”
Who is golf’s greatest-ever player?
Despite Player’s comments, Nicklaus and Woods frequently emerge at the centre of the GOAT debate. Objectively, the Golden Bear’s record speaks for itself. 18 majors vs Woods’ 15 makes it hard to make a compelling argument for Tiger.
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Ultimately, the world’s best players are measured on how they perform in the major championships, and right now, the chances of Woods beating Nicklaus’ record remain extremely slim.
However, it’s hard to look past the levels Woods produced during the early part and middle of his career. Tiger’s dominance was relentless, and his ability to take down golf courses and his opponents was unlike anything seen in the professional game.
Furthermore, Woods’ 2019 Masters win demonstrated he still had what was required to win a major championship beyond the age of 40.
