Unlike many sports, golf tournaments generally pit the wits of players against the constraints of the course, rather than against a specific individual.
Strokeplay tournaments are always set against the back drop of posting the best score against the course and the premise is simple, the player who completes the track in the fewest shots, wins.
However, if only golf and indeed sport was as simple as that.
The mental side of becoming an elite golfer is often overlooked but it is a key facet to any successful player’s armoury.
Battling inner demons when standing over a drive or a delicate chip are one thing but having to stand up and be counted against an opponent, is of course a whole new challenge altogether.
The very nature of golfing tournaments often lends itself to a group of players battling it out at the top of the leaderboard and when it comes down to a duel between the top two, the results can be extraordinary.
In the golf betting domain, watching two players duel it out over the last few holes of a tournament or even into a playoff scenario, can make for fascinating viewing.
The greatest golfing rivalries have often captured the hearts and minds of sports fans worldwide and the golf betting online world is frequently tuned in to the latest happenings when two giants of the game square off.
Here is a look at some of the most fascinating golfing rivalries of all time:
Jack Nicklaus vs Tom Watson
Arguably the most iconic rivalry ever to grace the world of professional golf is the matchup between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, two genuine icons of the game.
Despite there being ten years between the two greats in age, so many of their most famous victories and defeats came at the expense of the other and for a period in the 1970’s and 1980’s, the pair defined the game.
With a remarkable 26 major wins between them (Nicklaus 18, Watson 8), the two men (along with South African Gary Player) were the dominant forces in world golf for over a decade, particularly on the biggest stages.
It had been a rivalry that was rumbling prior to the 1977 Masters at Augusta, where Watson surged into a final day lead, only for Nicklaus to roar back and apply monumental pressure but Watson held his nerve to win by two strokes.
This served as a prelude for perhaps the most decorated clash in the history of golf, often referred to as the ‘duel in the sun’ at The Open at Turnberry in the same year.
Both men pushed each other to the limit, playing some incredible golf throughout the four days in Scotland and Nicklaus’s final round 66 was incredibly bettered by Watson’s 65, which saw him clinch the Claret Jug.
The duo took golf to new heights globally and their rivalry on the course was as fierce as their friendship and respect for each other off it.
Tiger Woods vs Phil Mickelson
In the current era of professional golf, no player has managed to capture the imagination of the general sporting public in the way that Tiger Woods has, and he remains the biggest draw in the sport today.
Throughout the mid 1990’s and 2000’s, nobody could come close to matching Tiger at his best but his rivalry with Phil Mickelson always simmered beneath the surface.
With both men so obviously contrasting in their styles and approaches to life on and off the course, they were seemingly always destined to lock horns in most events and their rivalry even occasionally caused friction in the American Ryder Cup team.
Final rounds of golf tournaments are where players are ultimately judged and when both players were within give shots of the lead going into the final day of a PGA tournament, they managed to win the event 19 times (Woods 10 & Mickelson 9), a reflection of the extra gear they found when competing.
In a detachment from the regular season, the Tiger vs Phil exhibition match back in 2018 was often seen as being the biggest score settler and in true fashion, it came down to the wire.
Mickelson managed to prevail, clinching the $9 million jackpot on the fourth play-off hole but Woods’ record of 15 majors to Mickelson’s six, will always give him the edge in the eyes of many golf fans.
Nick Faldo vs Greg Norman
Another rivalry that defined a generation was Nick Faldo’s seemingly ongoing spat with Greg Norman, two men at the top of their game, who wouldn’t give an inch to their competitors.
Englishman Faldo had a knack for being abrasive with his opinions and while he could back it up on the course, his style wasn’t to everybody’s liking.
Norman meanwhile was even more brash, both in terms of his playing style and his persona and these two greats of the game were always on a collision course.
With world number one status changing hands between the pair frequently between the 1980’s and the early 1990’s, arguably the most iconic showdown between the pair came in 1996.
The normally unflappable Norman gave away a six shot lead at the Masters, handing Faldo his third and final green jacket, with the Australian left to rue what might have been.
Brooks Koepka vs Bryson DeChambeau
In a modern era of golfing conflict, defined by the LIV tour breakaway and power struggles on the PGA Tour, no rivalry has encapsulated the potential breakup in the game in the way that Brooks Koepka vs Bryson DeChambeau has.
While this pair have had to share Ryder Cup dressing rooms, their relative discontent for each other has been visible for over a decade and is showing no sign of slowing.
Differing in playing style and personality is one thing but Koepka and DeChambeau have clashed on many occasions, both on and off the course.
Koepka clinched the spoils in ‘The Match’ between the pair back in 2021 and also boasts a five to two record in major titles over DeChambeau.
With Koepka announcing his return to the PGA Tour in 2026 and Bryson sticking it out on the LIV Tour moving forwards, their rivalry looks set to continue on the biggest stages of all.
