Why Jack Nicklaus Is Not the Best Golfer in History, Part Three: Bobby Jones

This is Part Three in a series in which I am comparing the great golfers of the past to Jack Nicklaus, who is generally acknowledged as the best golfer in history. It is my contention that Jack's place as the best golfer of all time is disputable.

In Parts One and Two,  I reviewed the careers of Harry Vardon and Walter Hagen. Today's subject is Bobby Jones.  

Robert T. Jones Jr. is a unique figure in American golf because he never turned professional. He was the last in a tradition of aristocratic amateur players who dominated 19th Century British golf. He was also their greatest champion and perhaps the greatest champion ever.

He's difficult to compare straight up with Nicklaus, mostly because he competed in two completely different events that were considered "majors" in his era: the U.S. and British Amateur Championships.

For the purposes of this argument, we will consider both events full majors and the equivalent of the PGA Championship and Master's Tournament of Nicklaus's era.

Here is Jones' record in his majors:

U.S. Open

Events played.....11
Events won.........4
Second Place......4
Top 5..................9
Top 10................10 (he never finished out of the top 11)

U.S. Amateur

Events played.....13
Wins...................5
Second place......2

British Open

Events played......4
Wins..................3

British Amateur

Events played.....3
Wins...................1
Second place.......1

Total

Events plays....29
Wins...............13


Jones' career major winning percentage was an astounding 44 percent, compared to 29 percent for Vardon, 25 percent for Hagen, and 16 percent for Nicklaus. If you strip the amateur tournaments out and only include his records in the U.S. and British Opens, his winning percentage actually goes up to 47 percent.

Early Career

What many people don't know about Jones is that he was a teenage phenom. He created a huge sensation at age 14 when he reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur at Merion (pictured above).  His extreme youth when he appeared on the national stage is the reason he was called "Bobby" his whole career.

He continued to stalk leaderboards at majors throughout his teenage years but didn't manage to actually win his first, the U.S. Open, until the age of 21.  

He may have been the first golfer tagged by the press with the ignominious, pressure-inducing moniker, "best player to never win a major." It's perhaps unfair to criticize Jones in this regard because he was a mere boy during this period.

It should be seen as a positive that he was able to compete at the highest level of competitive golf well before our other contenders. Also, he won his first major at an earlier age than any of them.   

Nonetheless, Vardon, Nicklaus and Hagen never had a significant period in their long careers when they developed a reputation for not being able to close the deal on the big stage. Jones did. Then again, no one has ever gone on to prove their detractors wrong in as resounding a fashion as Jones.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?