🇺🇸

Jack Nicklaus

United States

18 Majors

VS
🇿🇦

Gary Player

South Africa

9 Majors

Along with Arnold Palmer, they formed the Big Three — but Nicklaus and Player's rivalry spanned five decades across four continents.

Career Stats Comparison

Jack Nicklaus Category Gary Player
18 Total Majors 9
6 Masters 3
4 U.S. Open 1
3 The Open 3
5 PGA Championship 2
73 PGA Tour Wins 24
Yes Career Grand Slam Yes

Major Championships

Jack Nicklaus
18
Gary Player
9

Masters

6 - 3

U.S. Open

4 - 1

The Open

3 - 3

PGA Championship

5 - 2

PGA Tour Victories

Jack Nicklaus
73
Gary Player
24

Who Wins What

Nicklaus: 5
Player: 0
Tied: 1
Nicklaus
Total Majors
Nicklaus
Masters
Nicklaus
U.S. Open
Nicklaus
The Open
Player
Nicklaus
PGA Championship
Nicklaus
PGA Tour Wins

Key Head-to-Head Moments

1965 U.S. Open: Player becomes the first non-American in the 20th century to win the U.S. Open at Bellerive, challenging Nicklaus's domestic dominance.
1974 Masters: Player fires a final-round 64 to come from behind and win his second Green Jacket, with Nicklaus finishing four strokes back.
1978 Masters: At age 42, Player closes with a 64 to claim his third Masters, denying a field that includes Nicklaus in one of Augusta's great finishes.
Presidents Cup Legacy: Player captained the International team multiple times against American squads featuring Nicklaus, extending their competitive bond into leadership roles.
The Big Three Era: Together with Palmer, they dominated the 1960s and 70s, combining for 34 major championships and popularizing golf worldwide through exhibitions and tours.

More Head-to-Head Matchups

🇺🇸 Nicklaus vs Palmer 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 Nicklaus vs Watson 🇺🇸 🇪🇸 Ballesteros vs Faldo 🇬🇧 🇬🇧 Faldo vs Norman 🇦🇺 🇺🇸 Watson vs Ballesteros 🇪🇸 🇺🇸 Woods vs Mickelson 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 Woods vs Els 🇿🇦 🇺🇸 Woods vs Singh 🇫🇯 🇺🇸 Scheffler vs McIlroy 🇬🇧 🇬🇧 McIlroy vs Spieth 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 Koepka vs DeChambeau 🇺🇸 🇪🇸 Rahm vs Scheffler 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 Johnson vs Thomas 🇺🇸