Charting Jack Nicklaus’ remarkable scoring levels in his first five Masters successes

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Jack Nicklaus is widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time, and his record at The Masters is a big part of what sets him apart.

Nicklaus still holds the record at Augusta National with six green jackets, one more than Tiger Woods.

Among those victories, his 1986 win stands out the most. At that point, few gave him a chance, and he had not won a major in six years.

But he still managed to pull it off, and securing a sixth jacket at that stage of his career was something special.

However, his record at Augusta during the span of his other five green jackets is truly remarkable and warrants close examination.

Looking back at Jack Nicklaus’ Masters career from 1963 to 1979

When an athlete dominates for so long, it is easy to lose sight of just how remarkable his run really was.

Nicklaus is a perfect example of that. Between his first appearance in 1963 and the tournament in 1979, he put together one of the most consistent stretches Augusta has ever seen.

Over those 17 years, Nicklaus won five times and finished outside the top ten only twice.

The numbers back it up, too. He was a staggering 87 under par across that stretch, outpacing the next closest player by 69 strokes.

Against the field, he gained 206 strokes – 75 more than Gary Player, who ranked second in that stat.

Across 66 rounds during that period, Nicklaus shot above the field average just seven times.

It is no surprise, then, that he was so dominant during those years.

Comparing Jack Nicklaus and Scottie Scheffler at Augusta National

Nicklaus’ record was built on long-term consistency and high-level play over many years.

Meanwhile, current world number one Scottie Scheffler is very much on the right track at this moment in time.

Right now, the Dallas native sits at 34 under par after six appearances at the Masters. That averages out to about 5.6 under par per tournament.

If we use that same average over a 17-tournament stretch for Nicklaus, he comes out just shy of Scheffler’s mark, averaging 5.1 under par across those starts.

Obviously, there is a long way to go before that comparison really holds weight. The world number one still needs to rack up 17 straight appearances to match Nicklaus’ span.

But he is definitely heading in the right direction. If he can keep it up, matching or even surpassing Nicklaus would not be out of the question – and it would only add to what is already shaping up to be an impressive legacy in golf.