Mahaffey vs Nelson
Shareable comparison — send this exact matchup to anyone.
Mahaffey wins: Peak, Statistics
Nelson wins: Dominance, Honours
Shareable URL · /compare/john-mahaffey-vs-larry-nelson
Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Category radar
Verdict
Mahaffey leads in 3 of 5 weighted categories. Won the 1978 PGA Championship in a playoff at Oakmont.
Category breakdown
Season form · Wins per season
Career timeline · Wins per season
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
GOAT pace tracker
Career stage · GOAT pace
Through season 5 · Wins per season| Ghost race · career day | 30 | 100 | 365 | 1000 | 1825 | 3650 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Mahaffey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 🇺🇸 Nelson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Careers are aligned at debut, so a rookie's first 5 seasons are measured against the same window in a legend's career — Yamal against Messi at the same age-stage, a tour rookie against Tiger Woods in 1996.
| Metric | MahaffeyRetired | NelsonRetired |
|---|---|---|
| Major championships | 1 | — |
| PGA Tour wins | 10 | 10 |
| Ryder Cup appearances | 1 | — |
| PGA Championship titles | 1 | — |
| Seasons on tour | 30 | — |
| Major titles | — | 3 |
| Champions Tour wins | — | 19 |
| Ryder Cup record wins | — | 9 |
| Champions Tour majors | — | 5 |
| Dominance w25% | 72 | 74 |
| Peak w20% | 90 | 86 |
| Longevity w20% | 86 | 86 |
| Honours w20% | 76 | 78 |
| Statistics w15% | 84 | 82 |
Fan vote — data vs the people
What do you think?
0 commentsMake your case for Mahaffey vs Nelson. 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.