Photo illustrations by John Ritter
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esAt precisely 9 a.m., Pacific
Daylight Time, the official start-
er stepped to the microphone
beside the first tee at Pebble
Beach.
“Welcome to today’s final
match in Golf Digest’s Greatest
of All Time Invitational,” said
Bob Jones, the honorary starter.
“Eighteen holes of match play
between our two finalists to
identify the best player who
ever lived.”
“Not named Hagen,” said
Walter Hagen, in a tuxedo, cock-
tail in hand.
That got a good laugh from
the assembled players around
the tee. “Tell us why you’re
wearing that tuxedo again, Sir
Walter,” said Jones.
“Funny you should mention
that,” said Hagen. “I got home
too late to change.”
“Introducing the winner of
Bracket 1,” said Jones, “origi-
nally from Cypress, California,
Tiger Woods!”
Tiger, in his Sunday red,
stepped forward and tipped
his cap. Tall, young, lean and
hungry, staring down the first
fairway like The Terminator,
he didn’t seem to notice anyone
else was even there.
“Introducing the winnerof Bracket 2,” said Jones,
“from Columbus, Ohio, Jack
Nicklaus!”
Jack, looking fit and
confident in a yellow argyle
sweater—hair a bit shaggier,
the way you might remember
him from, say, 1972—joined
Tiger on the tee. The two shook
hands, and three things were
immediately clear: The two
liked and respected each other,
everyone else there was terri-
fied of them, and neither Jack
nor Tiger feared the other, not
even a little bit.
“Play well, and may the best
man win,” said Bob.editor’s note ▶ In the April issue, the late Dan Jenkins, in his final article for Golf Digest, introduced our
Greatest of All Time Invitational—The GOAT—with the top 32 in the mythical event advancing from stroke-
play qualifying at Augusta National to match play. In the May issue, Guy Yocom documented the match-play
results, leading to the final between Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach. In this, the June issue,
screenwriter Mark Frost, whose books have included The Greatest Game Ever Played and The Match: The Day
the Game of Golf Changed Forever, reveals the winner. To see previous results, go to golfdigest.com/go/goat.Sam Snead had been asked
to conduct the coin toss to de-
termine who played first, but
he agreed only if he could keep
the coin. Tiger called heads,
won the flip and stung a 2-iron
288 yards straight down the
middle. Jack, a wry smile on
his face—per the rules, he was
playing with the latest equip-
ment, and the same modern
ball—smashed his 1-iron 290.
The two men set off, and a
small crowd—players, writers
and VIPs—trailed after them.
“Game on,” said Jim Nantz,
from the home tower above 18.
The match wasn’t actually be-