Heck, he may get there in 2004. He just took Phil Mickelson's and David Duval's best shots. He left Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Colin Montgomerie gasping for air. Tiger is great for golf. Look at the TV ratings.
Tiger is the one guy in sports who makes the needle jump.
Nicklaus's greatness is measured in the majors he won, and the rivals he defeated. He overcame Palmer, Player and Trevino, and outlasted Watson. But Tiger is better right now than Nicklaus ever was. He is further under par in comparable victories. And he's beating a deeper field.