As a result of Tiger’s February 2021 car accident limiting him to a handful of events a year, his rare appearances on the PGA Tour are now treated differently. The golf world—media and fans alike—has largely transitioned from placing lofty expectations on his play to reflecting on the accomplishments of the 15-time major champion’s remarkable career.

In that vein, as Tiger makes his first official tour start in a non-major since 2020, we’re looking back at Jaime Diaz’s story on “What made Tiger Woods great?” which was first published in January 2018, as Woods was embarking on a comeback from spinal fusion surgery. We posed the question to five of the game's all-time greats: Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo.

Our idea was to exploit a premise that has proved reliable since Woods first came to world renown as an amateur in the mid-‘90s: The better the player, the better the take on Tiger. Five years on, their insights remain as truthful and poignant as they were when the story first ran.

To hear from Tiger himself, be sure to check out our Golf Digest Schools series, “Tiger Woods: My Game.” In this exclusive, 12-part video series, you can watch Tiger’s candid, straight-to-camera commentary and detailed on-course demonstrations on topics like driving, iron play, short game, fitness, strategy, trouble shots and much more.