He's got everything. He' not a great player yet because he

When Nick Price, the humble champion from Zimbabwe, said of a younger rival, “He’s got everything. He’s not a great player yet because he hasn’t won any major championships, but it’s a matter of time. He’s an outstanding talent. I didn’t realize how tall he is,” he spoke not only as a competitor, but as a seer of destiny. These words capture the eternal truth that talent alone does not make greatness. The gifts of nature—strength, height, skill, elegance—are foundations, but greatness is forged only in the fires of trial, in the conquest of moments that history remembers.

The origin of this remark lies in Price’s reflections on the rise of Tiger Woods, whose shadow soon stretched across all of golf. Woods, even as a young man, displayed a blend of physical gifts and technical mastery that astonished seasoned champions. Yet Price, wise from years upon the course, knew that greatness in golf is not measured in raw ability, but in victory upon the crucible of major championships. A player may dominate fairways and intimidate rivals, but until he triumphs under the fiercest pressure, his talent remains promise, not yet fulfillment.

The ancients would have understood this distinction well. In the tales of Homer, Achilles is not great merely because he is strong, nor Odysseus merely because he is clever; they are great because they prove themselves in the trial of war, where the eyes of men and gods alike are upon them. Talent is the seed, but only victory under pressure waters it into immortality. Price, with clarity, declared that the young man before him had “everything,” yet still awaited the trials that would confirm him as more than a prodigy.

History soon proved Price correct. Tiger Woods, in 1997, shattered the golf world at the Masters Tournament, winning by twelve strokes in a performance that seemed superhuman. In that moment, talent was transfigured into greatness. The height, the strength, the brilliance Price once marveled at had found their true purpose. Tiger was no longer a promising youth—he had stepped into legend. Price’s remark became prophetic: greatness is never a matter of if, but of when, for those who possess both gift and will.

The lesson here is profound: do not mistake potential for achievement. Many are gifted, but few transform gift into greatness. The world is full of men and women with “everything,” yet only those who endure the weight of expectation, who rise in the decisive hour, who seize the crown when the world is watching—these alone become immortal. Promise is a beginning, but fulfillment demands proof.

What then must we do? First, cultivate our gifts with humility, knowing that talent is only the seed. Second, prepare for the great tests of life, for they will come—moments when all eyes are upon us, when pressure mounts, when the chance to prove ourselves is at hand. Third, embrace those moments not with fear, but with courage, for they are the doors through which talent walks into immortality.

Thus, Nick Price’s words endure not only as praise for a rising champion, but as wisdom for all: “He’s got everything… but it’s a matter of time.” They remind us that greatness lies not in what we possess, but in what we prove. Let us then live not merely as bearers of potential, but as doers of deeds, ready to seize the moment when destiny calls our name. For in that moment, talent is crowned, and promise becomes eternal.