Nicklaus' Tiger Prophecy Happened Earlier Than You Think

by Mulligan Stu on Apr 5, 2008 6:21 PM EDT Comment 4 comments

15-year-old Tiger Woods with his father and Eddie Merrins in 1991.

Jack Nicklaus: "Tiger is going to win more Masters than Arnold and I combined."

A lot of people thought Nicklaus had lost his mind when he said that in 1996, after he and Arnold Palmer played a practice round at The Masters with Tiger Woods. Sure, everyone knew by then that Woods was going to be a huge star. But Nicklaus and Palmer won a combined 10 Green Jackets.

Well, Woods has "only" four Masters titles so far. But I think the point Jack was making was not necessarily a literal prediction of 11 Masters wins by Tiger, but rather a prediction that Woods was the guy who would break all the records, including all of Nicklaus'.

Woods was the man who would become the greatest golfer of all-time. Viewed that way, Nicklaus' prognistication is looking pretty darn good. I'd argue it's already come true.

But it turns out that Nicklaus first made this prediction six years earlier, before Woods had even won his first U.S. Junior Am!.

At least, that's the story of the venerable Eddie Merrins, something of a legend himself in the field of golf instruction.

In 1991, Merrins says in a Golf.com article, he hosted an event at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. Jack Nicklaus was being given some award, Byron Nelson was there, and 15-year-old Tiger Woods was invited to attend. Merrins writes:

We asked Tiger to lead off the clinic portion of the day by hitting a few 3-iron shots on the practice tee. I was immediately impressed with his swing and natural ability and I asked him to hit shots: fade, draw, low, high. The composed teenager hit them all perfectly on command. Jack and the 400 or so in attendance knew they were witnessing something special, and Byron smiled in delight. Later that day, when Jack received his award, he made a point to compliment Tiger.

"Tiger, you might well win as many Masters as Arnold and I combined," Jack said.

What a prophet Jack turned out to be. Now if I could only get ahold of that film!

Jack's pretty good with his predictions, isn't he? I wonder if Nicklaus actually meant it in 1991. By 1996, I'm certain that he did.

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Perhaps the most impressive thing...

...about Tiger is the degree to which he's changed the entire game. Purses, television ratings, marketing - the sport is radically different now, in 2008, than it was in 1996.

What's more, Tiger's fitness regimen has made it necessary for others on Tour to engage in similar workout activities in order to remain competitive.

The only other player that I can think of who had this profound an impact of golf is Bobby Jones.

In the uppermost echelon of golfing greatness, I'd place Tiger, Jones, Nicklaus, and Nelson above all others.

by turnover on Apr 5, 2008 9:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

How come...

...Nicklaus is hardly ever given credit for his fitness makeover ? When he turned pro, he was "that fat kid with the long hair". He trimmed down and became the dominant golfer of his era.

Tiger was the skinny kid who bulked up and left most of the rest of the tour in his fitness dust, but would he have done all that without Nicklaus and Player before him ?

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Apr 5, 2008 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

True, but...

...it doesn't seem as though Nicklaus, Player, and even Snead before them (whose flexibility was legendary) really inspired other players to engage in similar regimens - or, perhaps better said, intimidated them into it. Vijay, for instance, was also just a skinny guy, but his workout regimen is insane now. Mickelson, too, to a certain extent. And it seems as though the younger players are following Tiger's lead - Scott, Baddeley (sp?) etc.

I'd liken Tiger's influence on golf to that or Ruth's on baseball. He's just changed everything.

by turnover on Apr 5, 2008 10:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

strength training

Keep in mind that in nearly all sports "back in the day" you had most athletes believing that strength training was a hindrance, not a help. Don't want to become "muscle bound," can't be both strong and flexible, will lose quickness, etc. Nicklaus lost a lot of weight, but he was never buff. I doubt he ever saw the inside of a gym. Player might have been the only player for decades doing something that we would recognize today as a complete aerobic and strength training workout.

by Mulligan Stu on Apr 6, 2008 9:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs