George P:
Mea culpa on my part-- be sure to add the part where Duval threw up on himself when Tiger won the 2000 BO at St. Andrews. You remember that part George?
Johnny Miller is easily beyond David Duval -- to even remotely think they are equal or that Duval is ahead is attributable to nothing more than the potent kool-aid you have found in the greater Pittsburgh area supermarkets.
By the way Miller is ahead of any of the other players you mentioned too. When Miller was on his game no one played like he did. His mark -- however small it was burned very BRIGHTLY-- and was even more impressive with his final round 63 at Oakmont which resonates as one of the game's all time feats.
JES II:
Good question you asked.
Simple answer for Lefty, Phil and all the other wannabee types below Tiger.
Take on The Man when it really matters and let's see him take one on the chin for once.
Until then -- the current crop is more smoke and mirros when compared to the top tier folks Jack routinely encountered.
Art R:
The "if" schools is a nice place to attend -- let's deal with facts for the moment. Ernie and Phil have demonstrated moments of greatness but far too often they have demonstrated an even greater amount of instances when they have coughed all over themselves at crucial times -- and this has happened when Tiger has not been at the forefront of the major.
Need I remind you -- you are the guy who said Ernie and Phil would do a number on Trevino and Player. Here's your quote ... " I would put Phil and Ernie up against Trevino and even Player any day. If Tiger were not around, both of those guys would have 6 or 7 under their belt, despite the depth of talent on tour today."
With all due respect Art, you need to really study the tapes from the time Lee and Gary were in their prime. Give the two gents the equipment you see Ernie and Phil using today and who knows how much more of their talent you would see.
Another error on your part - Palmer was still competing in the majors in the early 70's -- check out his performance in the '73 and '74 US Opens, to name just two events. The silly and wrong statement that Arnie disappeared after his last major in '64 at the Masters is nothing more than dead wrong. Arnie was still a force and often pushed Jack to the max -- see the '67 US Open as just another example.
Yes, Palmer did give away a few -- the '61 Masters, the '66 US Open, are two that come quickly to memory but AP also provided pivotal moments that are still noteworthy -- the final round at Cherry Hill -- the win at Troon and the four round superb play in his final Masters win.
I'll say this again because it's simply dismissed by way too many people -- I don't see the mental toughness of today's players versus the ones Jack competed against. People are quick to assert it's simply Tiger's dominance -- but if anyone studies the tapes from a number of Tiger's wins in the big events you'll see plenty of situations where the so-called big name competitors folded consistently like a cheap envelope.