‘A Hell of a Competitor’: Jack Nicklaus in 2020 Opened Up About His Emotions About Tiger Woods Gunning for His All Time Majors Record

The sport of golf has given birth to many greats. But among them all, two names stand out more than the rest. Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. With their list of accomplishments, despite playing in two separate generations, the pair have competed head-to-head in the sport’s folklore. Nicklaus was once questioned about his feelings regarding Woods making a comeback to the sport and aiming for his career’s biggest achievement, 18 Major wins. The veteran golfer had a very interesting answer to the question.

Woods has been able to match and exceed all of Nicklaus’ achievements, but the 18 majors still seem to elude him. Despite not being far behind with 15 Majors, Woods is more than eager to overtake Niklaus’ record. But will he be able to? Well, here’s what Nicklaus thinks.

Jack Nicklaus has accepted that whatever has to happen, will

In September 2020, Nicklaus sat down with Narc Riggs on his podcast, ‘Fore Play Golf’.  There he revealed his emotions about Woods coming after his record. He stated, “I don’t really worry about that.” But that wasn’t overconfidence on the 82-year-old’s part, but humility. He explained that if Woods was going to break his record, then it would just happen.

But that didn’t mean the golf pro didn’t care. He stated, “If I had known Tiger was going to come along, I’d have played more and probably tried to win more.” He explained that by the time he had turned 40, he had lost interest in the game. He knew his gameplay was diminishing and instead wanted to watch his kids grow up and spend time with his family.

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“Do I want anybody to break my record?” “Of course, I don’t,” said the 73-time PGA Tour winner. “But if he does, he does.” Nicklaus went on to add that if Woods did break his record, then it wouldn’t discount what he had accomplished.

Nicklaus has nothing but praises for Tiger Woods

The ex-pro golfer went on to open up about how Woods was aging too. He went on to say that despite the pro’s age catching up to him, Woods was playing very well. He praised Woods’ “work ethic” and “perseverance” and stated that despite “the setback that he’s had physically,” he had returned to the Tour and still won.

The 82-year-old stated, “Tiger is a hell of a competitor, a heck of a golfer.” Nicklaus knew what Woods had done to stay in the game and how he had helped it grow too, and he respected him for it. “He’s been great for the game of golf,” he stated.

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Do you think Woods can go on to beat Nicklaus’ record? Let us know in the comments below.