Who is better, Nicklaus or McDermott?
Jack Nicklaus leads with a GOAT score of 95.0 against 78.3 for John McDermott — a gap of 16.7 points on GOAT Rank's weighted model.
AthletesTeams
Nicklaus vs McDermott
Shareable comparison — send this exact matchup to anyone.
Quick answer
GOAT Rank currently ranks Jack Nicklaus above John McDermott: 95.0 vs 78.3. Jack Nicklaus leads on Longevity, Honours, Dominance. John McDermott leads on Peak.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →GOAT verdictgoatrank.world
NicklausWinner
95.0Nicklaus wins: Dominance, Longevity, Honours, Statistics
McDermott
78.3McDermott wins: Peak
Candidates
Locked to GolfShareable URL · /compare/jack-nicklaus-vs-john-mcdermott
Time range
Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Category radar
Verdict
Weighted GOAT score
🇺🇸 Jack Nicklaus
95.0
Nicklaus leads in 4 of 5 weighted categories.
1. Jack Nicklaus
2. John McDermott
Category breakdown
Season form · Form index per season
Career timeline · Form index per season
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
GOAT pace tracker
Through age 22 · Form index per season
1. 🇺🇸 Jack Nicklaus3 wins
1 season by age 22 · 3 per season
Setting the pace at age 22
No verified birth date for McDermott — shown in the pro-debut view instead.
Every career is cut at the season the athlete turned 22, so a rookie today is measured against exactly what a legend had banked by the same birthday.
| Metric | NicklausRetired | McDermottRetired |
|---|---|---|
| Major championships | 18 | — |
| PGA Tour wins | 73 | — |
| Weeks at world No. 1 | 0 | — |
| Player of the Year awards | 5 | — |
| Career prize money (M$) | 5.7 | — |
| Major runner-up finishes | 19 | — |
| US Open titles | — | 2 |
| Professional wins | — | 8 |
| Youngest US Open winner age | — | 19 |
| US Open top-fives | — | 4 |
| Career span in years | — | 9 |
| Dominance w25% | 94 | 80 |
| Peak w20% | 92 | 94 |
| Longevity w20% | 99 | 56 |
| Honours w20% | 99 | 80 |
| Statistics w15% | 90 | 82 |
Fan vote — data vs the people
GOAT Rank · the data
Nicklaus95.0
McDermott78.3
FAQ
Where does McDermott beat Nicklaus?
McDermott scores higher on peak. Nicklaus leads on dominance, honours, statistics, longevity.
How is the Nicklaus vs McDermott score calculated?
Both are scored on peak, dominance, honours, statistics, longevity within their sport. Nicklaus: 95.0, McDermott: 78.3.
What do you think?
0 commentsMake your case for Nicklaus vs McDermott. The scoring is published in full — if you can point at the pillar or the weight you disagree with, we read it. Read the methodology paper.