Jack Nicklaus has 18 major championships, but it's the 19 runner-up finishes that still bother him. However, his longtime rival, Tom Watson, has a completely different perspective on the Golden Bear's famous near-misses.

“To me, wherever you finish in the tournament is really not that important unless you win. I finished second 19 times in majors," Jack Nicklaus said during a presser on Thursday.

"To me, I just kick myself for finishing 19 times. I should have won some of those,” the six-time Masters winner told the press.

Before the thought could settle, Tom Watson chimed in with a joke. “That's a good thing,” Watson added, “It's a good thing you finished second 19 times.”

“It actually was a good thing, but I didn't like it,” Nicklaus responded with a chuckle.

After all, many of those seven wins came against players like Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Hal Sutton. Nicklaus recorded 46 top-three finishes and 56 top-five finishes in majors. During the entire 1970s, he missed just one cut in 40 starts.

One of the most memorable examples of how intense things got came in 1977, against none other than Watson.

The Open Championship 1977: Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson locked horns

At Turnberry, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson quickly separated from the rest of the field.

They entered the final round tied after posting rounds of 68, 70, and 65. Nicklaus moved ahead early with a three-shot advantage after four holes. However, Watson drew level on the 15th after a long birdie putt.

On the 16th fairway, Watson turned to Nicklaus and said, “This is what it’s all about, isn’t it?” Nicklaus replied, “You bet it is.”

Watson then moved ahead with a birdie on the 17th while Nicklaus missed a short chance. That set up the final hole with the result still in play.

On the 18th, Nicklaus recovered from the rough and reached the edge of the green before making a long birdie putt. However, Watson landed his own in the next shot and won.

“I gave you my best shot, but it wasn’t good enough,” Golden Bear told Watson as they walked off the course.

Read more at Club Golf!

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi