Perhaps the most iconic shot of Jack Nicklaus’ illustrious career came on the 17th green during the final round of the 1986 Masters as he made the crucial birdie that led to his sixth victory at Augusta National.

The greatest players of all-time all seemed to have an amazing ability to hole a crucial putt at exactly the right moment.

When the tournament was on the line, it was remarkable just how often the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods would step up.

But Nicklaus would pick out another legendary figure as the very best he has seen on the putting surfaces.

The player Jack Nicklaus named as the best putter of all-time

Of course, Nicklaus’ record is all the more impressive because of all of the rivals he had.

Gary Player won nine majors, while Tom Watson was just behind with eight. Meanwhile, spare a thought for Bruce Crampton, who finished second to Nicklaus four times in the majors in the 1970s.

But Nicklaus’ most significant rival was the man affectionately known as The King.

As Nicklaus wrote in the book Putting My Way, he was also the greatest he ever saw on the greens.

“The best putter I ever encountered was Arnold Palmer in the late 1950s and 1960s. To this day, however, there is no way Arnie would concede that he was ever more than just decent on the greens. Whenever I’ve tried to tell him differently, his response has always been, ‘Boy, if I could have putted only half as well as you did’,” he said.

“I guess the reason Arnold is so hard on himself about putting is that, during his best years, when to everyone else he seemed to hole everything he looked at, he came to see great putting as never missing. If that’s true, then he has lots of company among tour golfers. In all the years I was out there, I can’t remember one player – myself included – admitting that he was a ‘great’ putter and not many who would go along even with ‘very good’.”

How Arnold Palmer explained his putting system back in 1958

Palmer remains one of the most influential figures within the game – almost a decade on from his passing.

He won seven major titles. Meanwhile, golf has perhaps never had a bigger superstar.

And he previously outlined the two keys to his putting. In comments reported by Golf Digest, he shared back in 1958 what he was always trying to keep in mind when using the flat stick.

“I want the back of my left hand to face the target throughout the stroke,” he said. “I do not want my left wrist to ‘cup,’ or break, on the follow through.”

He added: “I have settled on a style of putting and a putter which feel great to me. I am confident that I will strike the ball in the direction and at the speed I intend. When I miss a putt, I feel that it is because I have mis-read the green. My system hasn’t failed – it’s my system.”

Palmer won his first Masters title in 1958. So he had already proven that his system was set up for success.