Top of the Food Chain

Is there anything more fun than comparing Tiger Woods to Jack Nicklaus? So as Woods prepares for his 10th trip to the Masters as a professional, we look back on how each champion fared during his first 10 tries at Augusta National.

By T.J. Auclair, PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer

It's well-documented that as a child Tiger Woods decorated the walls of his bedroom with the accomplishments of his golfing hero, Jack Nicklaus. This was as much motivation for the young boy as a tribute to the Golden Bear and the records Woods dreamed of one day shattering.

Tiger didn't want to be Jack -- he wanted to be better than Jack, the man with a record 18 major championship victories. Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen, but there's no denying the 31-year-old Woods is off to a magnificent start, having already amassed an astounding 12 major wins.

The tournament Nicklaus will always be most well-known for is the Masters. The two go together like Augusta National's peach cobbler and sweet tea, or pimento and cheese. Either way, Nicklaus' record at Augusta is tastier than both -- especially the pimento and cheese.

The Golden Bear is a six-time champion -- the most ever -- on the hallowed grounds of Augusta National with his last coming famously at age 46 in 1986, when he became the oldest man to ever don the coveted Green Jacket. With his son, Jackie, on the bag, Nicklaus posted a 30 on the back nine for a final-round 65. When he canned an 18-footer for birdie on the 17th hole, Nicklaus completed an eagle-birdie-birdie run. What proved to be his final PGA TOUR win couldn't have been any more sweet, or appropriate.

At the time, Woods was just 10 years old, but was already developing as a budding young star. In 1984, he won the boys' 10-and-under division at the Optimist Junior World Championship. He was only 8 at the time.

For all intents and purposes, it's safe to say that as the legend of Nicklaus was winding down with one, last, fairytale hurrah, Woods was beginning to, "let the legend grow," like the encouraging words his late father, Earl, often relayed.

On April 5, Woods -- arguably the most dominant player ever to stick a tee in the ground -- will embark on his 11th Masters as a professional.

It's important to note that Nicklaus played in the Masters three times as an amateur, where he missed the cut in 1959, tied for 13th in 1960 and took low-am honors in 1961 with a tie for seventh. Woods, on the other hand, played in the Masters twice as an amateur, finishing in a tie for 41st in 1995 and missing the cut in 1996.

What's the best way to describe Woods' record through his first 10 Masters as a pro compared to Nicklaus'?

Eerily similar.

After a tie for 15th in 1962 -- his first Masters as a professional -- Nicklaus went on to rack up an incredible six top-5 finishes over his first 10 visits to Augusta National, including three wins (1963, '65 and '66). He also tied for second in 1964 and 1971. Nicklaus was 23 years old when he earned his first victory.

A 21-year-old Woods did Nicklaus one better, winning his first Masters as a professional in 1997. He didn't just beat the field; he lapped it, winning by a staggering 12 strokes for the widest margin of victory in tournament history.

Perhaps it's a sign of the times -- specifically, technology -- but when Nicklaus won his first Masters way back in 1963, his winning total was 2-under-par 286. Woods in his first victory? An astonishing, tournament-record 18-under-par 270.

Altogether, Woods posted an amazing six top-5 finishes in his first 10 starts at Augusta National as a pro, winning four times.

By the way, the four wins by Woods have him tied for second all-time at Augusta with yet another legend, Arnold Palmer. Like Woods, the King had his four Green Jackets after nine starts as a pro, while it took Nicklaus 11 tries.

There are only three players in Masters history to ever win the tournament in consecutive starts. Nicklaus, not surprisingly, was the first when he won in 1965 and '66. Englishman Nick Faldo was the next, winning in both 1989 and '90. Finally, of course, there's Woods, who won in both 2001 and '02.

It's not often in the game of golf when a man can say he's accomplished something Jack Nicklaus was never able to do. But, with his victory at the 2001 Masters, Woods became the only player to hold all four professional majors at once. The remarkable feat wasn't considered a true Grand Slam, as it didn't occur in a calendar year, but was instead coined as, "The Tiger Slam."

A win in this Masters would place Woods one major away from his second Tiger Slam and at the fresh age of 31, just one Masters away from having the same number of Green Jackets in his closet as his childhood idol (Nicklaus had five by age 35).

Is it any surprise that Nicklaus and Woods have been so dominant at the Masters? Probably not. After all, bears and tigers have always been at the top of the food chain.

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