Messi Settles the 'GOAT' Debate... "Who is the GOAT of Golf?"

First Grand Slam Messi and Youngest Career Grand Slam Tiger Woods
Player's Career Not Smooth Due to Growth Hormone Deficiency and Vehicle Overturn Accident

The 'Golf Emperor' of the United States, Tiger Woods. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seohee Lee] Messi, who filled the only career gap at the Qatar World Cup, has joined the ranks of football’s ‘GOAT’ (Greatest Of All Times). GOAT is an acronym for ‘Greatest Of All Times,’ meaning ‘the greatest player in history’ or ‘the best player.’

With Messi’s World Cup victory, the GOAT debate about who is the best in various sports has become a hot topic once again. In football, names like Pel?, Maradona, and Messi are mentioned, while in basketball, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are the first to come up.

So who is the GOAT in golf? Although formidable players such as Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and Bobby Jones are candidates, the undisputed living GOAT is ‘Tiger Woods.’ We looked back at the achievements and commonalities of Messi, who has become a legend in football, and Tiger Woods, a legend in golf.

‘First and Youngest’ Grand Slammer

Tiger Woods and Messi are famous as ‘Grand Slammers’ who have won all the major tournaments in their respective sports.

In golf, a Grand Slam means winning all the major tournaments held in a single year. A career Grand Slam means winning all the major tournaments over several years, not necessarily in one year.

Tiger Woods achieved a career Grand Slam early at the age of 25 in 2000. He conquered all four major tournaments: The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, and The Open Championship. Woods is the only player to have achieved a career Grand Slam at age 25. Gene Sarazen became a career Grand Slammer at 33, Ben Hogan at 41, Gary Player at 30, and Jack Nicklaus at 26.

Since then, Woods has won 15 major championships and a total of 82 PGA Tour victories. His 82 tour wins tie the record held by Sam Snead (1912?2002), and his 15 major wins rank second only to Jack Nicklaus.

Messi also completed his Grand Slam with his Qatar World Cup victory. He became the first player to achieve Ballon d’Or awards, UEFA Champions League (UCL) titles, an Olympic gold medal, and a World Cup victory.

Even before winning the World Cup, Messi was known for having lifted all the major trophies a footballer could aspire to. He has won the Ballon d’Or seven times, the most prestigious honor, and with his clubs, he has won the Spanish La Liga 10 times, the French Ligue 1 once, the Champions League four times, the Copa Am?rica once, and the Copa del Rey seven times. He was also the top scorer in La Liga for five consecutive seasons.

Legends Who Overcame Disabilities and Misfortunes

Both players did not have an easy path. They faced congenital disabilities and misfortunes but overcame them to reach the pinnacle.

Messi is well known for suffering from a growth hormone deficiency during his childhood. During the critical growth period, he grew less than 4 cm per year and was diagnosed with difficulty surpassing 150 cm even as an adult. Being smaller and frailer than others, he had to receive growth hormone injections costing over $900 per month while continuing his training. Messi’s parents sought help from Argentina’s River Plate club but were rejected. It was FC Barcelona in Spain that recognized Messi’s potential and promised full support. Later, Messi led Barcelona to 35 titles.

Tiger Woods experienced a life-threatening car rollover accident in February last year. Just a month before the accident, he had undergone back surgery due to injury and was focusing on rehabilitation when misfortune struck again. The accident caused fractures to Woods’ right tibia and fibula, and he underwent major surgery involving the insertion of metal rods into the bones and screws and pins to stabilize his foot and ankle bones.

Although Woods only played three events and nine rounds this year due to leg pain, he recently showed noticeable improvement. On the 18th (local time), he participated in the PGA Champions Tour PNC Championship alongside his son Charlie Woods and tied for second place on the first day. Moreover, he has expressed a strong will to make a comeback, reportedly telling those around him, “I will find any way to continue playing golf.” Even before the car accident, Woods had faced setbacks due to several back surgeries that kept him from competing, but he has not been discouraged and continues to give his all.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.