Gary Player recently sat down with Golf Digest to celebrate his upcoming 90th birthday. He made waves by ranking Jack Nicklaus first all-time and Tiger Woods second. But the Black Knight didn’t stop there.

Just days later, Player doubled down on his stance in another interview with the Palm Beach Post. At 89 years old, he’s still shooting 70 from 6,800 yards and playing four rounds a week. And he’s not backing away from his controversial Tiger Woods take.

“Jack is number one, Tiger number two, and I’m number three. There’s not even a question.”

The nine-time major champion built his entire case around one principle. The record book tells the complete story. Nothing else matters to the South African legend.

Jack Nicklaus captured 18 major championships in his career. Tiger Woods won 15. However, Player points to deeper statistics that separate the two legends. Nicklaus posted 19 major runner-up finishes compared to Woods’ seven. He also recorded 73 major top-10 finishes against Tiger’s 41. The Golden Bear logged 286 PGA Tour top-10s while Woods managed 199.

Player repeated his most brutal assessment of Woods in the Palm Beach Post interview. He acknowledged Tiger as the greatest player golf has ever seen. Yet he maintains the crucial distinction between talent and achievement.

“If Tiger Woods had made the right choices, he would have been the greatest player that ever lived. But the worst saying in athletics, in sports, is if. Because it is immaterial, it’s the bottom line.”

This statement mirrors what Player told Golf Digest days earlier. He refuses to engage with hypotheticals about what Tiger could have accomplished. The numbers on paper determine greatness in Player’s world.

The Black Knight then reinforced his third-place ranking for himself. He placed his own career above Arnold Palmer and Bobby Jones. His reasoning centers on hard facts rather than nostalgia.

Player won nine major championships compared to Palmer’s seven and Jones’s seven. He captured 165+ tournaments worldwide. That total exceeds the combined national titles of Palmer, Nicklaus, and Woods. Player also completed the career Grand Slam on both the regular and senior tours. Nobody else in golf history achieved that specific feat.

Player has expressed frustration with how golf historians rank him, particularly when they place Palmer and Jones ahead of him.

“You can’t tell me that an amateur golfer has a record that I have in golf. You look at Arnold’s record, it’s not close to mine. I won more majors than Arnold. I won more tournaments than Arnold. I won more senior majors. My stroke averages were better.”

The statistics support Player’s argument about Palmer. He captured 24 PGA Tour wins and nine senior majors. Palmer managed 62 PGA Tour victories but only one senior major. Player’s worldwide win total also dwarfs Palmer’s international success.

Player’s surprising tie verdict between peak Nicklaus and peak Woods

Player revealed an interesting complication to his definitive ranking in the Golf Digest interview. The reporter asked about a hypothetical 18-hole match between peak Nicklaus and peak Woods. Player hesitated before answering.

“It’s a completely different game. But if they both played the same game, exactly across the board, in their prime, I’d give it a tie.”

This admission appears to contradict his firm’s overall ranking. How can Jack rank definitively above Tiger if they’re equals at their peaks? Player clarified his reasoning in both interviews. Peak performance alone doesn’t determine all-time greatness.

Nicklaus maintained his dominance over a more extended period. He accumulated those 19 runner-up finishes through sustained excellence. He delivered more top-10s across multiple decades. The Golden Bear showed up and contended more consistently than anyone else in golf history.

Player’s interviews this week show unwavering commitment to his record-book approach. He recognizes equal peak ability between Jack and Tiger. But career accomplishments determine the final ranking. And by that measure, Nicklaus wins. Tiger follows. Player claims third. The 89-year-old refuses to budge from this position regardless of public reaction.