Nicklaus Is a Master at Winnin’ Time : Point System Shows He’s Been at the Top in the Major Tournaments for Three Decades

Jack Nicklaus’ place in golf history already was permanently etched before he swept past a crowd of stunned competitors on the back nine at the Augusta National Golf Club one spring ago.

With his victory in the 1986 Masters, however, Nicklaus established a milestone which, while not widely noticed at the time, should actually stand as the crowning achievement of his career.

In 1984, an Englishman named John H. Taylor won the British Open. He teamed with his famous countryman Harry Vardon to dominate the tournament for the next two decades. Combined, they won the event 11 times and finished second 10 more.

In 1913, Taylor won the British Open for the fifth and final time. Nineteen years passed between Taylor’s first and last victory and that stood as the longest stretch of major championship success until Nicklaus won at the Masters last year.

With Nicklaus’ victory, a span of 24 years had passed between his first major professional victory and--at least for the time being--his last. It is the longest such stretch in the history of golf and he will try to extend it during the playing of the 51st Masters.

His dominance in the realm of major championships can best be appreciated when numbers are attached to his achievements over the past quarter of a century.

Using a point system similar to that currently employed by the PGA in its year-long $1 million grand prix competition, Nicklaus’ achievements become even clearer. The points system--applied only to major campionships--offers a comparison between golfers 30 years ago and those of today. This system awards points to the top 25 finishers in a major championship with 65 points to the winner down to 2 points for the 25th spot.

Nicklaus, with seven major pro titles in the 1960s and eight more in the 1970s, was obviously the overwhelming points leader in those two decades. He compiled 1,421 major championship points during the 1960s and 1,868 during the 1970s.

As the 1970s came to a close, it was widely suggested that Nicklaus’ career was also at a virtual end.

So what does the points system reflect for the 1980s? It shows that Tom Watson is the decade’s current leader and that Nicklaus is second. Although it would take some doing, it is not outside the realm of possibility that Nicklaus could finish as the points leader for the third straight decade.

In the 28 major championships played during the 1980s, Nicklaus has accumulated 707 points to Tom Watson’s 913. But Nicklaus made up 57 points on Watson last year and if Nicklaus can summon up a few more performances like the one he turned in at the Masters last year, he could still wind up on top.

Despite a new wave of players and despite continuing excellence from some of those who have been around for a while, Nicklaus’ showing in major events during this decade is superior to all but Watson’s.

Seve Ballesteros is third with 635 points. Raymond Floyd is fourth during the decade with 573 points followed by David Graham (538), Lee Trevino (535), Lanny Wadkins (520), Greg Norman (511), Ben Crenshaw (499) and Tom Kite (497).

Nicklaus’ as yet unwavering performance in major championships can be demonstrated in another manner.

There were only eight players to make the cut in all four major tournaments last year. Nicklaus was one of them. There have been just six players in this decade to finish in the top 25 in the four majors during the same year. Bruce Lietzke, Payne Stewart, Greg Norman and Ben Crenshaw have done it once each. Watson and Nicklaus are the only ones to do it twice.

It is not easy to finish in the top 25 in all four tournaments, but during the 1970s, Nicklaus did so for seven straight years.

During that decade, Nicklaus averaged 46.73 points per event. That is another way of saying that Nicklaus’ average finish in each of the 40 major tournaments that decade was fourth place.

The only comparable feat in the history of American golf came during the 1950s from Ben Hogan, who averaged 46.55 points per major tournament during that 10-year stretch. Although Hogan was the automatic favorite whenever he entered, he played in only half the major tournaments during the 1950s--skipping the PGA every year and playing in the British Open only once (winning in that lone effort in 1953).

Nicklaus has made it clear he will confine the majority of his future playing to the majors.

“Obviously I can’t play week to week the way I used to,” Nicklaus said. “But every now and then I can.”

And more often than not, those occasions when he can just happen to be during weeks when major championships are played.