JUPITER ISLAND, Fla. — For Gary Player, there is no debate on who is the greatest golfer of all time.

Player, who turns 90 on Nov. 1, looks at the records, and Jack Nicklaus is his choice.

“How I judge the best players of all time is I say, ‘there’s the record book,’ ” Player, the Jupiter Island resident, said about the 85-year-old Nicklaus, who lives in North Palm Beach. “That’s the only way. It’s the record book that’s on paper. And Nicklaus has got the best record. There’s no question.

“If Tiger Woods had made the right choices, he would have been the greatest player that ever lived. But the worst saying in athletics, in sports, is if. Because if is immaterial. It’s the bottom line.”

Player cites Nicklaus’ edge in major championships (18-15), major runner-ups (19-7), major top 10s (73-41), PGA Tour top 10s (286-199) when giving him the edge over Woods.

Woods’ 82 career PGA Tour wins are nine more than Nicklaus.

As for the best of the rest, Player puts himself No. 3.

“When they judge players, it’s quit interesting, they put Bobby Jones and Arnold (Palmer) ahead of me,” the South African said. “You can’t tell me that an amateur golfer has a record that I have in golf. His record is not close to mine. You look at Arnold’s record, it’s not close to mine. I won more majors than Arnold. I won more tournaments than Arnold. I won more senior majors. My stroke averages were better. He didn’t have the record, and he was my brother.

“But I love the fact, in a way, that they do that, because what he did for golf, and I grew up with him, he was supreme.”

Player’s nine major championships are tied for third most and two more than Jones and Palmer.

Player won 24 times on the PGA Tour in 449 starts and more than 160 professional wins worldwide, the most of any golfer. Palmer won 62 times on the PGA Tour in 703 starts and has just under 100 titles worldwide.

Nicklaus, Palmer and Player were golf’s ‘Big Three’ in the 1960s.

“Jack is number one, Tiger number two, and I’m number three,” Player said. “There’s not even a question.”

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].