Few would have ever imagined that it would be Jack Nicklaus who stole the show at the 1998 Masters, one year after Tiger Woods had announced himself as a superstar at Augusta National’s hallowed turf.

Nicklaus went into the first major of 1998 having not had a top-10 at one of the four biggest events of the year since 1990. Woods, meanwhile, had won the Green Jacket after a stunning performance 12 months earlier, finishing 12 shots clear of the field.

There was a spell where it seemed that Woods may be the one presenting Nicklaus with the Green Jacket on a dramatic Sunday.

How Jack Nicklaus put himself in contention to win the 1998 Masters at the age of 58

Tiger Woods looked to be poised to make a charge at the halfway stage, having ended both of the first two rounds inside the top-five. He would have been the player that many names on the iconic leaderboards would have been most concerned about.

However, a second consecutive round of 72 on Saturday meant that Woods went into the last round tied for 10th, five shots back of Fred Couples.

Alongside him was Jack Nicklaus, with the six-time winner moving into the top-10 with a round of 70.

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As Sunday went on, it became clear that Nicklaus was very much in contention to win at the age of 58. It would have been a victory that would have certainly surpassed his triumph in 1986.

Nicklaus faced a birdie putt on the 16th hole that would have taken him to within one shot of the lead.

Ultimately, he finished four shots adrift of Mark O’Meara with his charge running out of steam in the final stages. Nevertheless, Nicklaus had still managed to produce another stunning performance.

And the rest of the field was very much aware that something special was happening.

What Tiger Woods made of Jack Nicklaus’ charge at Augusta National

Woods was in the group ahead. And, as reported by Golfweek in 2018, Woods admitted that he was largely thinking about not holding Nicklaus up.

“It was ungodly,” he said of the atmosphere. “Davis [Love III] and I were just listening that day. When we got to 12, the two of us were making a mess of things and we just wanted to make sure we didn’t get run over. Jack was making a run and could win the tournament, and the last thing we wanted to do was hold him up.

“We got a great view all day and every hole he was getting standing ovations, at every tee, every green. Down in Amen Corner, the echoes are so much louder and so cool. It was just so great that day, the atmosphere.”

Meanwhile, Ernie Els had the best seat in the house. And in the same article, he explained how surreal it was playing alongside Nicklaus as he rolled back the years one last time.

“It was special,” he said. “I remember Tiger, he was playing in front of us, and we crossed paths and he said to me, ‘Are you having a good time?’ I joked I needed earplugs because it was as loud as I’ve ever heard it.

“Jack was just winking at me the whole day. Every time he made a putt he winked at me. And then he chipped in on 3 and the ball was going over the green if it didn’t go in and that was a huge roar. Then he birdied 6 and 7, and he kept winking and smiling at me.

“You knew he was 58, but the way he was playing and putting, and nobody knows those greens better than he does, you bet I thought he could win.”

Nicklaus would go on to make the cut at The Masters one final time in 2000. In fact, that was the last time he would manage to make it through to the weekend at any of the four majors.

It is somewhat fitting, therefore, that the 2000 Masters was the final event Woods did not win before going on to complete the Tiger Slam over the next 12 months.