Gary Player doubles down on his all-time golf top three, insisting there’s no debate

Player is never short of self-belief and did not hold back this time either, stating flatly that, after Nicklaus and Woods, he is next in line.

“When they judge players, it’s quite interesting, they put Bobby Jones and Arnold (Palmer) ahead of me.

“You can’t tell me that an amateur golfer has a record that I have in golf. His record is not close to mine.

“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. He didn’t have the record, and he was my brother.

“But I love the fact, in a way, that they do that, because what he did for golf, and I grew up with him, he was supreme. Jack is number one, Tiger number two, and I’m number three.

“There’s not even a question,” Player stated to The Palm Beach Post.

Jack Nicklaus reveals his top four golfers in history

It is a bold statement from Player, and you almost have to respect the confidence.

Nine majors are an incredible achievement, but plenty of other names could make just as strong a case for a spot in the top three.

Of course, it all comes down to personal opinion. For instance, when Nicklaus once shared his top four golfers ever, Player was not on the list.

“Probably be Bobby Jones, probably be Ben Hogan, probably Tiger Woods. I’d like to join them. Myself, that’s four,” ‘The Golden Bear’ has said previously.

Nicklaus did not exactly shy away from including himself either, but with his record 18 major titles, there is not much room to argue against him.

Player backing himself for third place will always spark debate because greatness in golf is not just about numbers or even about who inspired who. It comes down to how people see the game and what they value most in a player’s legacy.