WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Would you rather be Tiger or Phil?
Would you rather have been — excusing the past tense for the strict purpose of golf itself — Jack or Arnie?
Perhaps your answer is based mostly, or even solely, upon those players' accomplishments, which favor Mr. Woods ahead of Mr. Mickelson and Mr. Nicklaus ahead of Mr. Palmer.
Or perhaps your answer is based mostly, or even solely, on the displays of affection shown those players by fans, which favor Mr. Mickelson ahead of Mr. Woods and Mr. Palmer ahead of Mr. Nicklaus.
The dynamics involving Woods vs. Mickelson aren't quite the same as they apparently were when Nicklaus and Palmer existed as the sport's grandest protagonists, but they're close enough to invite comparisons these decades later. Palmer, as is Mickelson in comparison to Woods, was more loved than Nicklaus. Nicklaus, as is Woods in comparison to Mickelson, was more respected as the greater talent.
The recent U.S. Open at Bethpage Black brought the Woods-Mickelson scene into sharper focus, albeit the outpouring of sympathy for Mickelson as his wife, Amy, battles breast cancer, surely exaggerated the situation. But it was raucous by any perspective Monday afternoon when Mickelson played himself into a share of the fourth-round lead, and the crowd's disappointment was palpable when Mickelson quickly played himself out of the race with two late bogeys.
Woods inspires awe; Mickelson inspires devotion.
It was much the same with Nicklaus and Palmer.
Woods seems to enjoy the work; Mickelson seems to enjoy the experience.
It was much the same with Nicklaus and Palmer.
lmost certainly, of course, it has much to do with personality. But it might also have something to do with status. It's simply easier, and maybe even more natural, for an underdog — Mickelson and Palmer, respectively — to be engaging and relate more closely with the masses.
Woods, though, fights a different fight than did Nicklaus, who bumped aside a legend in Palmer.
Palmer, who is 10 years Nicklaus' elder, was well established as the game's best player of his era when Nicklaus arrived full-time on the scene in 1962. Palmer had won four major championships by then, and, in fact, won two more — Masters and British Open — that year while winning eight times overall. Nicklaus announced his presence with a U.S. Open triumph that year, and quickly surpassed Palmer as golf's best player.
Palmer, for example, won the last of his seven majors in 1964; Nicklaus won his seventh major at the 1967 U.S. Open on his way to the record 18 that Woods now chases.
Mickelson, on the other hand, is six years older than Woods and hadn't won any majors when Woods showed up full-time in 1997 and promptly won the Masters himself. Woods, in fact, won eight majors before Mickelson won his first one at the Masters in 2004.
Nicklaus usurped a legend, and antagonized Arnie's Army in the process.
Woods did no such thing, but his surpassing greatness — and let's not kid ourselves about race not having something to do with it as well given deep-rooted prejudices in golf and real life — has generated its own animosities.
The Nicklaus-Palmer rivalry simply didn't endure at the highest level, because it became a lopsided count so quickly. Nicklaus pursued Palmer, and then left him far behind.
Neither does a Woods-Mickelson rivalry really exist at the highest level, because never has Woods targeted anyone except Nicklaus.
Nicklaus finished with the 18-7 advantage against Palmer in majors won, and the most interesting aspect of Woods-Mickelson in the same category will be seeing if Mickelson, down by a 14-3 margin at the moment, can keep it that close.
Nicklaus, though never as beloved as Palmer, did become more popular as he aged, and his Masters triumph in 1986 as a 46-year-old legend will stand as one of the game's great moments.
Will the 33-year-old Woods someday be more thoroughly embraced by fans even if he's never beloved? Probably.
But it's a sure thing neither Nicklaus nor Woods would trade their playing records against Palmer and Mickelson, respectively, for their popularity.
And my guess is that Palmer and Mickelson would make the deal in less time than it takes to lift a trophy.
Greg Stoda writes for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: greg(underscore)stoda(at)pbpost.com.