Can Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy become the rivalry that golf so desperately needs? In a game that sees it TV ratings rise and fall by the presence of Tiger Woods, a real rivalry would do wonders for the sport. Back when Tiger was setting TV records, he was doing it all by himself. People watched to see how low he could go. Imagine if he had a worthy adversary with which to share the stage? Golf would have exploded even more than it already did. After all, two is always better than one. After Sunday’s Masters the next great hope is Spieth vs. McIlroy.

But there’s one big question: Has the last half-century of golf ever brought us a great rivalry? It’s not exactly a sport that lends itself to such thing. Golf is too streaky, too random to sustain a long-term rivalry. In tennis, when the world No. 60 defeats the world No. 1, it’s considered a shock upset. In golf, it’s considered a Sunday. The best lose to the mediocre all the time. There are too many variables at play for the best players to always win the best tournaments.

Much of the last 15 years in golf has been spent lamenting the fact that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson never had a true on-course rivalry. Whenever Tiger was winning, Phil was far back. Whenever Phil won, Tiger was out of the race. (The lone exception was the 2001 Masters, when the two Americans were paired together in the final group, but the anticipation for that round quickly fizzled when Tiger pulled ahead early.) If two Americans, both in their prime, couldn’t start a rivalry, can Jordan and Rory really do so?

The similarities are there, minus the shared flag, which could actually be a benefit. Seeing these two compete in the Ryder Cup could solidify a rivalry. Rory is a little more than four years older than Spieth, the same age difference between Mickelson and Tiger. Tiger got out to the quick start with his majors while Phil didn’t. Rory has four majors already, to Spieth’s one but, then again, he’s still only 21 and was never burdened with the “can he win a major” questions like Phil, so it’s not a fair comparison. The big difference between Phil and Jordan is that the youngster doesn’t make crazy decisions on the coures. He’s fearless like Phil, but also sensible enough not to pull out driver on the 18th hole of the U.S. Open while holding a one stroke lead. Rory and Jordan are both very cerebral players, which could lead to some good shootouts in the future.

If there is a rivalry at hand, to which are they aspiring to? Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are generally considered the best rivalry in golf history. That distinction, however, requires the believer to look at history through rose-colored glasses, as the rivalry doesn’t really hold up to the hype given it today.

The 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills is considered the pinnacle, but that was back when Jack was 20 years old. He and Arnie later went 1-2 at consecutive Masters, but Arnie won the ’64 tournament by six strokes, while Jack took the 1965 event by nine. It was never close. In 1967, the pair headed to the back nine within shouting distance at the Open, but Palmer never got closer than three strokes. The greats only made the top 10 at the same major 15 times. Cherry Hills may have been an all-time classic, but so was the 1999 PGA Championship and no one’s ever heard of Bob May Again.

Nicklaus bridged different golf generations and had some epic battles with Tom Watson in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This, in fact, has been the greatest golf rivalry in 50 years. Nicklaus had 10 years on Watson, but they still made 21 top 10s in the same majors and were 1-2 at four, including twice in the same year (1977) and in 1982 when they hit the apex of their rivalry after Watson chipped-in on No. 17 at Pebble Beach to steal the U.S. Open from Jack.

But even the great Nicklaus and Watson rivalry was compacted over just seven years and a few great majors. This isn’t Roger Federer playing Rafael Nadal two dozens times or the Redskins and Cowboys holding grudges for 50 years. Golf isn’t a game of rivalries. It’s a game of individuality. The addition of Spieth to the top of the sport doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll face-off with Rory more, but it lends itself to the possibilities of having battles with other great contemporaries such as Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day. That’s good for the sport nonetheless. So, no, don’t expect Rory and Jordan to be battling for every tournament title over the next 20 years. Just buckle up when they do.