Gary Player never matched Jack Nicklaus's record haul of major championships, but he still has one statistic he likes to bring up whenever their rivalry is discussed.

The South African beat Nicklaus twice in World Match Play Championship finals, something no other player achieved. That record came up again when Player sat down with Fried Egg Golf's Kevin Van Valkenburg for a conversation.

Asked about his rivalry with Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, Player said: "We had such great battles against each other, Arnold, Jack, and I. We beat each other pretty equally. Jack won more majors, but we beat each other."

Player has one specific stage in mind whenever this debate comes up: the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, England. Player won the event five times in his career, and two of those titles came directly against Nicklaus.

In the 1966 final, Player beat Nicklaus 6 and 4. Five years later, in the 1971 final, he did it again, winning 5 and 4. No other player in the tournament's history has beaten Nicklaus twice in a 36-hole final.

In the 1966 final, Nicklaus was denied a free drop from an advertising board, leading to the referee quitting during the match. The 1971 rematch was even more one-sided. Player went an incredible 10-under par on the day, winning four straight holes in the afternoon session to outduel Nicklaus.

And in majors, Player won three Open titles (1959, 1968, 1974). In 1968 at Carnoustie, Player won by two strokes over Jack Nicklaus. In the Masters, though they rarely had a final-round, final-pairing duel at Augusta, Player won the event in 1974, where Nicklaus finished tied for fourth.

"I played Jack in the World Match Play Championship in England, 36 holes. Twice I beat him, 6 and 4, and 5 and 4," Player told Valkenburg.

"I beat him head-to-head in the Open Championship in England. Beat him in the Masters. We had great battles, great battles."

What about Arnold Palmer?

The rivalry gets more interesting once Palmer is added to the equation.

In 1961, Player became the first non-American to win the Masters, beating defending champion Palmer by a single stroke after Palmer double-bogeyed the final hole.

Palmer got his revenge the next year, along with Dow Finsterwald, in the three-way 18-hole playoff for the 1962 Masters, shooting 68 to Player's 71.

The two also tied for second in 1965, nine shots behind a rampaging Nicklaus.

Away from the majors, Player beat Palmer in a three-man playoff at the 1964 Pensacola Open. Palmer, meanwhile, scored one of the rivalry's biggest victories in the 1962 Masters playoff, where he outshot Player by three strokes over 18 holes to claim his third Green Jacket.

So, in the end, neither man dominated the other. It was, by most honest accounts, as close to a coin flip as two Hall of Famers can produce, sorry, three.

Which moment from the Player-Nicklaus-Palmer rivalry stands out most to you? Tell us in the comments below.

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Written by

Md Saife Fida

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav