'I'm a golf legend who won the Masters - I know who the best player of all time is'

Golfing icon has previously been hailed as greatest to grace the sport by 1992 champion Fred Couples. Despite a career that's seen its fair share of setbacks, including serious injuries and off-course troubles, Woods is still making waves on the PGA Tour, albeit at a more selective pace.

He's set to introduce his own indoor golf league in 2025, continuing to lead the way in the sport he once dominated, and will still feature in select tournaments on the professional circuit as his career slows.

Couples, who remains active on the tour himself in a similar vein to Woods, has no doubts about his 48-year-old compatriot's status as the greatest golfer of all time.

Couples' sentiments were laid bare during Woods' induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2022, when the 65-year-old posted on X: "I'm so excited to tune in and see Tiger Woods inducted into the Hall of Fame by his daughter Sam tomorrow - just another accolade for the best I've ever seen."

Woods' staggering 15 major victories are second only to Jack Nicklaus' 18, but for many like Couples, Woods' impact and talent eclipse even those of 'The Golden Bear.'

However, aside from his well-documented triumphs, Nicklaus' remarkable major tournament stats dwarf those of Woods. He notched an astonishing 55 top-10 finishes beyond his 18 victories and was a runner-up in 19 instances, reports .

Nicklaus also exemplified supremacy during the '70s. Out of the 40 major championships he participated in, he secured a top-10 placement in 35. Woods trails with only 26 additional top-10 finishes and merely seven runner-up honours. However, the 48-year-old boasts a staggering tally of 82 PGA Tour wins, matching the all-time record and surpassing Nicklaus by nine.

His potency isn't just in quantity, either. Woods has competed 378 times to date with a triumphant rate of 21.7%, while Nicklaus, having entered the fray a much greater 584 times, has a win rate of just 12.5%. Such a debate has lingered for some time, fuelled by an array of statistics and style analyses. Yet, one of the sport's modern icons, four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, sides with the sentiment expressed by the masses.

"He has been the greatest that I've ever seen," McIlroy stated, in admiration of Woods back in 2017 when the American stepped away from the tour due to a back injury.

"I didn't see Jack Nicklaus play. I know he has a better record, but I don't know if he played better golf. I don't think there's been a single figure who's done more in terms of bringing different groups into the game - different ethnicities and different age groups. He made golf cool when it really needed an injection of something."

McIlroy, who is partnered and set to team up with Woods for their TGL indoor league, spoke earlier this year about his profound admiration for Woods, whom he regarded as an idol during his formative years.

"I always say this, and it sounds cliche, but I don't take it for granted that I can wake up every day and try to live out my childhood dream," McIlroy added. "One of my childhood dreams was to meet Tiger Woods, but not only that but to compete against him and to, you know, befriend him and become close to him. I still have to remind myself of that a lot."