By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. -- Tom Watson knows a little something about history.

He won 39 times on the PGA TOUR, including eight major championships, and another 14 times on the Champions Tour.

Given that resume, there are few players who can assess the careers of Tiger Woods an the late Sam Snead better than the man who’s played with and against both.

Woods has 14 career major championships, which puts him four shy of Jack NIcklaus’ record. Woods also has 74 career wins on the PGA TOUR, second all-time to Snead’s 82.

So which is the more impressive record?

“They're two separate animals,” Watson said. "The importance you put on the majors make that record probably the most important record, but the way I look at it, how many times have you won and have you won majors.”

Woods has won three times this season. None of those were majors, however. His last victory in a major came at the 2008 U.S. Open.

The last time Woods won at Bay Hill, Muirfield Village and Congressional in the same year, 2009, he went on to record six victories that season. Again, however, none at a major championship.

“It's how many tournaments you win,” Watson said. “Look at the majors, the last nine majors won by first-timers. Golf goes through cycles. You had the dominance of Woods for all these years, the resurgence of Woods now. When I look back at somebody's record, I'll say, first of all, how many tournaments did they win. That's number one. Did they win more than 20 tournaments? Then I'll say how many majors did they win, did they win more than three or four majors? Then that puts them up in the great category.”

Woods, of course, has done both, and if he keeps playing the way he has this season, he might surpass both records, too.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sam Snead won a PGA TOUR record 82 times during his remarkable career. Recently, Ben Crenshaw provided his thoughts on the legend in our Century Celebration series. We're also wondering if you have any memories to share on Sam Snead. Write your thoughts in the comments section below.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead were each born 100 years ago, and their lives eventually intersected as three of golf's legendary players. PGATOUR.COM asked another golfing great, Ben Crenshaw, to provide his thoughts on each of the three as part of our Century Celebration. Besides writing about Byron Nelson this week for the HP Byron Nelson Championship, Crenshaw also shares his thoughts below about the three players collectively. Let us know your memories and thoughts about Nelson, Hogan and Snead By Ben Crenshaw, Special to PGATOUR.COM Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead. What you have are three fascinating and very different players who came along at the same time who possessed higher skills than anyone else at the time. I suppose you classify them collectively picking up the mantle after the Jones era. And that they happened to all three be born in 1912 -- at a time when so much was changing -- that is fascinating in itself. When you stand back and see all three of them, they shaped our game until Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer and Gary Player came along. I suppose there is one argument that’s for the ages -- which one of these players impressed you most -- and there are always different camps. Ben Hogan hit the ball better than anybody. Byron Nelson had his camp too. It’s hard to believe that anybody would hit the ball better than what he did. How consistent he was. Consistency, no question, marked his performances. But ability-wise and shot- making they say Sam Snead. They were just astounding, astounding players. I don’t think there’s any question in my mind that it wouldn’t matter what era they were playing in, they would have made it work despite the equipment. They were that good. I’ve seen a lot of golfers in my time, but there have never been three players who have impressed me more. Not only in the way they played and their records, but what they meant to the game. They sort of burst onto the scene in the mid 30s and took over for so long -- through the late ‘50s when their names were on everybody’s lips. What they accomplished-- individually and collectively -- was unbelievable. CLICK HERE FOR CRENSHAW’S THOUGHTS ON BYRON NELSON CLICK HERE FOR CRENSHAW’S THOUGHTS ON BEN HOGAN CLICK HERE FOR CRENSHAW'S THOUGHTS ON SAM SNEAD