Creating a list of the best golfers ever is a tough task, especially as it is hard to compare players from different eras. Every era is different in terms of the equipment and technology available, as well as the standard of competition and the number of tournaments that are played.
However, some golfers stand out so much from the crowd, due to their status, influence and record in the game, that it would be obvious to place them as the greatest of the sport to most neutral observers.
Here is our list of 5 of the best golfers ever:
- Gary Player
South Africa’s Gary Player is a local sporting legend and source of national pride, having won more than 150 times around the world during his playing career. He is one of only 5 men to win all 4 majors, totalling 9 major titles across 21 years. Player is also one of only 4 players to have won the US Masters and British Open Championship 3 times each. After his playing career, Player has designed over 400 golf courses across five continents, including the Lost City Golf Course.
- Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones differs from other golfers on this list in that he only had an 8-year career, after deciding to walk away from competitive golf at the age of 28 (and played during the amateur era). But what he achieved in those 8 years undoubtedly places in as one of the greatest golfers in history, and he is also considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of golf.
In the 31 major championships that Jones played in, he won an astounding 13 of them. This included the 1930 “Grand Slam”, where he won all 4 titles in one year. Yet, only 2 months after this achievement, Jones retired and decided to practice law in Atlanta. Jones considerable achievements during his too-short career (which included founding the Masters in 1934 with investment banker Cliff Roberts and graduating from Harvard and Emory College) places him firmly in the pantheon of greatest golfers of all time.
- Ben Hogan
Known as perhaps the purest ball striker ever, Ben Hogan’s record of 9 majors and 64 Tour event wins would undoubtedly place him as one of the greatest golfers ever. But Hogan’s contribution to golf goes beyond mere titles, as he also profoundly influenced golf swing theory.
Hogan was one of only 5 men to win all four majors, and is still the only player to ever win the U.S. Masters, U.S. Open and British Open Championship in the same year. He also holds the record for most consecutive Top10 major finishes (18) and also set the U.S. Open scoring record in 1948 with a record score of 8- under 276.
After Hogan sustained near-fatal injuries after a head-on collision with a bus in 1949, he had a remarkable recovery, winning 6 majors from 8 starts.
- Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods was a trailblazer in golf, becoming the first non-white golfer to dominate the sport. And this dominance had never been so apparent in golf, as Woods has racked up 15 Major victories and 82 Tour wins with the lowest career scoring average in Tour history. He’s also the only player in the modern era to ever win four consecutive Majors.
Woods was also able to separate himself from competition in unfathomable ways—breaking the Masters scoring record in 1997, recording a season stroke average south of 6 and winning the 2000 U.S. Open by 12 shots are achievements that no other golfer has been able to claim. He was the top-ranked golfer in the world from August 1999 to September 2004 (264 consecutive weeks) and from June 2005 to October 2010 (281 consecutive weeks). During this time, he won 13 of golf's major championships
Were it not for a sex/cheating scandal and injuries that derailed his career, his domination could have been even greater.
- Jack Nicklaus
The “Golden Bear” is often ranked by pundits as the greatest golfer of all time thanks to his astounding 18 major championships, which remain the most major titles won, and 117 professional tournament wins.
The longevity and enormity of Nicklaus’s career is hard to fathom; he won a record 6 Masters titles, had 56 top five major finishes and finished runner-up another 19 times in majors, among his 73 Tour victories. Nicklaus also recorded the lowest scoring average on the Tour 8 times. Nicklaus’s first and last major wins were achieved 24 years apart—the 1962 U.S. Open and 1986 U.S. Masters —displaying a longevity that the modern game may never see again.
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