With the end of the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine and the relevant portion of men’s professional golf headed to the BMW Championship, it’s time to ask a provocative question about golf history.

A question that I am stealing.

Jamie Kennedy, the director of digital content for Golf Digest, recently compiled a chart of top-three finishes by the greatest modern golfers, a chart that asks this: Would we look at the game’s historical figures differently if gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded at each tournament, instead of the second- and third-place finishers receiving nothing more than a check and condolences?

The longer answer: heck, yes.

The longest-running modern golf debate is whether Jack Nicklaus should be considered the greatest golfer of all time because he won 18 majors, or whether Tiger Woods, who won 15 majors, supplanted him because no one was more dominant than Woods in his prime and Woods at least theoretically played against deeper fields.

It’s a great debate because each player can make a strong case.

Now look at that debate through the prism of the podium (counting majors played since 1945).