Tiger Woods vs. Jack Nicklaus: who is the greatest player of all time? There has never been a better time to compare

Nicklaus proved his mettle at the 1963 U.S. Open, where as the defending champion he gave long interviews after shooting 76-77 to miss the cut, and most tellingly at the 1981 British Open, where he shot an opening-round 83 after learning that his son Steve had crashed his car on the Jack Nicklaus Freeway in Columbus. Nicklaus initially declined to be interviewed, but after a few minutes invited the media to his locker and spoke about his round and his emotions as a father. Other than the 1972 season, when he felt invaded by the intense scrutiny his pursuit of the Grand Slam drew, the older he got, the more Nicklaus seemed to enjoy the give and take with the media.

Precisely because of Woods' impact on the game's popularity, the media people who cover him are much larger in number and much hungrier for information. Because of Woods' sensitivity to criticism, it's not surprising that his group interviews are generally marked by the awkward rhythm of reporters straining to ask penetrating questions and Woods doggedly constructing sterile answers. The week before the Ryder Cup in September, Woods was being peppered about his attitude toward the event when he turned the tables on a questioner. "Let me ask you a question," he said. "Would you rip me?" But the more Woods withholds, the more the media grasps.

"I never had to deal with what Tiger's had to deal with," says Nicklaus. "It's the hardest thing he's going to have to deal with." Says Woods: "I'll handle the responsibility of doing it, but I don't have to like doing it."

Advantage, Woods

Woods may or may not last as long at the top as Nicklaus. Then again, to surpass Nicklaus' record, he may not have to. What can be ascertained is that his tools are the most formidable ever. "He's more complete," admits Nicklaus. "Whatever I had, I think this young man has more of it."

The mental edge: Nicklaus' musings about how he thinks on the course have long been a model for sport psychologists, but Woods' ability to produce peak performance by "willing myself into the zone" is unprecedented. In his Thai background on his mother's side, Woods has been exposed to eastern philosophy in a way that no other all-time great player ever has. "He carries a real serenity," says Dr. Deborah Graham, "a very Zen-like approach that seems innate."

Earl Woods, an ex-Green Beret, used techniques derived from interrogation tactics to toughen his son. And at age 13, Tiger began mental training with Dr. Jay Brunza, a family friend and psychologist. "His creative imagination and his trust in himself are off the charts," says Brunza. "You're working with a Leonardo, and you let the eagle soar." Among the techniques Brunza used were subliminal tapes and hypnosis. "The first time Jay hypnotized Tiger, he had him stick his arm straight out and told him that it couldn't be moved," Earl says. "I tried, but I couldn't pull it down."