TIGER V. JACK

Who’s the best?

Harig’s third book on Tiger Woods brings Jack Nicklaus into the picture as he explores whom he thinks is the best. He begins by covering Woods’ early years and his meeting Nicklaus at a golf event. Not surprisingly, the older golfer was impressed with the young man’s game. Harig then recounts Nicklaus’ famous Masters Tournament win in 1986, his 18th major. When Woods played in his second Masters as an amateur, comparisons to Nicklaus started growing, yet everyone thought it was “foolish” to think he could match Nicklaus’ record of major wins. Both had success at the amateur and college level, but Woods performed better and quicker after turning pro, winning in his fifth start. He was the youngest player to win the Masters—by 12 shots. At the end of his first year, he had six wins to Nicklaus’ three. Both won a major in their first year. After Woods won three more times, “Tiger Mania” was born. The young golfer had eight majors in his first six years as a pro. Harig also discusses the careers and major wins of Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, and Ben Hogan, of being in awe of the number of times they had multiple wins in a season and of how often they won by multiple shots. He delves into, too, how each of them intimidated other players with their impressive skills. Woods accomplished his amazing “Tiger Slam,” holding all four majors at the same time, but for Harig, Nicklaus wins the longevity race. Is that enough to make him the greatest player of all time? You’ll have to read the book to find out what Harig thinks.

Insightful side-by-side assessments of two champions.