With the PGA Tour finally resuming once again, what better way to get yourself back into the golfing mood than visiting the most debated subject in golf of who is the greatest of all time. When ranking the greatest of all time, many will focus on the amount of major wins and although this an important measure, other factors have go into this, success on the PGA Tour as a whole has to be accounted for as well as external factors like World War II, which effected the careers of several golfers on this list. Here is my attempt of trying to solve the aged old debate of who is the greatest of all time. An honourable mention goes to Byron Nelson, who just misses out on the top 10.
10) Gene Sarazen
Turned Professional: 1920
Professional Wins: 49
PGA Tour Wins: 39 (tied 11th all time)
Major Wins: 7 (Tied 7th (1x Masters, 3x PGA, 2x US Open, 1x The Open))
Gene Sarazen is one of five players (along with Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods) to win a career Grand Slam. Sarazen is believed to have been the inventor of the modern sand wedge, he debuted the club in the practice rounds of the 1932 Open Championships, which he went on to win. Despite being just 5ft 5, Sarazen was one of the longest hitters of his era.
9) Gary Player
Professional Wins: 163
PGA Tour Wins: 24 (25th)
Major Wins: 9 (Tied 4th, 3x Masters, 2x PGA, 1x US Open, 3x The Open Championship
The only non-American on this list, ‘the Black Knight’ had an incredible career in which he won 163 tournaments on six continents over seven decades, studies believe that no athlete in history has flown further than the South African did during his career. His ranking on the all time list for PGA wins is low in comparison to others on this list but he played vastly less events on the PGA Tour as he spent more time playing on the Sunshine Tour, the fact he ranks inside the top 25 considering the number of PGA Tour Events he played in is impressive. His 163 total professional wins put him third in the all time list and is often renowned as of “The Big Three” golfers of his era (alongside Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus) in which golf saw a huge boom in popularity and extended television coverage around the world.
8) Tom Watson
Professional Wins: 70
PGA Tour Wins: 39 (Tied 11th)
Major Wins: 8 (6th)
PGA Player Of The Year: 6 (2nd all time)
PGA Tour leading money titles: 5 (Tied 3rd)
Vardon Trophy Winner: 3 (Tied 6th)
There was not a better golfer in the world in the late 1970s - early 1980s period than Tom Watson, he was named the PGA’s Player of the Year for 4 consecutive years in between 1977-1980. Despite his American background, Watson excelled in links golf, winning five Opens and finishing runner up on two occasions, the second of which came in 2009, at the age of 59. Watson is arguably the greatest links golfer of all time. Despite winning 8 major championships, he was unable to complete the Grand Slam with the PGA Championship alluding him throughout his career. Watson would come close to completing the grand slam finishing inside the top 10 of PGA championship tournaments on 10 occassions.
6) Walter Hagen
Professional Wins: 57
PGA Tour Wins: 45 (8th all time)
Major Wins: 11 (3rd all time)
What makes Hagan’s major championship record even more impressive is that he was past his prime before the Masters was established in 1934 and it was just the three majors that existed, coupled with the fact there was just one major every year during World War I. He won the Western Open on 5 occasions which had near-major championship status at the time, a strong argument could be made that Hagen would have won a few more majors in a later era. In 1922, ‘The Haig’ became the first American to win the Open Championship in the then 62-year history of that tournament. Historians believe that Hagan became the first sportsman to earn a million dollars.
6) Bobby Jones
Tournament Wins: 34
Major Wins: 7 (Tied 7th (4x US Open, 3x The Open))
Like Walter Hagan, Bobby Jones didn’t get to play in all four major championships in the peak of their careers, making his total of modern major wins more impressive. In 1930, Bobby Jones managed to win every golf major championship of that year in a single calendar year. Bobby Jones who was a part-time lawyer, is undoubtedly the greatest amateur golfer of all time, he finished in the top 10 27 times out of the 31 majors of that time that he played during his career. Jones was the founder and co-designer of the Augusta National and co-founded the Masters Tournament, his legacy can still be felt in today’s golf with the blueprint of the Masters being copied by many golf tournaments around the world.
5) Arnold Palmer
Professional Wins: 95
PGA Tour Wins: 62 (5th)
Major Wins: 7 (Tied 7th)
PGA Tour leading money titles: 4 (5th)
Vardon Trophies: 4 (Tied 4th)
Arnold Palmer is often regarded as the trailblazer of the sport, his charismatic persona captivated audiences around the world and saw him hailed as ‘the King’. Jack Nicklaus once said “His dashing presence single handedly took golf out of the country clubs and into the mainstream. Quite simply, he made golf cool.” Palmer was at his peak between 1960-63, he won 29 of his PGA Tour events in that period which included 4 of his major wins and a Sports Illustrated “Sportsman of the Year” award. His battles with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, remain the most iconic in the history of the sport. He has won a PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award, has a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame and in 2004 was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush.
4) Sam Snead
Professional Wins: 142
PGA Tour Wins: 82 (Tied 1st)
Major Wins: 7 (Tied 7th (3x Masters, 3x PGA, 1x Open))
Vardon Trophies: 4 times (Tied 4th)
Sam Snead is the only golfer in history to finish inside the top 10 in at least one major championship in 5 different decades, an achievement that is likely to never be matched. His career longevity was astounding, he holds the records for being the oldest player to win a PGA Tour event, the oldest player to make the cut at a major and the oldest player to make a cut on the PGA Tour. The Slammer’s 142 professional wins puts him second in the all time list for total professional wins behind only Roberto de Vincenzo, who won the majority of his titles on a less renowned Argentine Tour. Both Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus have stated that they believe Sam Snead had the greatest golf swing of all time. He is tied at the top with Tiger Woods for all-time PGA Tour wins.
3) Ben Hogan
Professional Wins: 69
PGA Tour Wins: 64 (4th all time)
Major Wins: 9 (4th (2x Masters, 2x PGA, 4x US Open, 1x The Open))
PGA Player Of The Year: 4 (4th)
PGA Tour leading money titles: 5 (Tied 3rd)
Vardon Trophy Winner: 3 (Tied 6th)
Hogan’s career is probably the most fascinating and inspiring of anyone on this list. Just on his achievements alone, he should be ranked among one of the greatest of all time but if you delve into his back story more, they become even more impressive. Hogan in the peak of his career served in the US Army Air Forces as a lieutenant during World War II and then four years whilst driving home from finishing runner up in the 1949 Phoenix cup, Hogan was involved in a head on collision with a bus. The accident left Hogan with a double- fracture of his pelvis, a fractured collar bone, a left ankle fracture, a chipped rib and near-fatal blood clots. The doctors said he may never walk again. He proved the doctors wrong and returned to golf just 11 months after his accident. Incredibly despite limping for the rest of his career due to the effects of the crash, he managed to win six more majors before retiring. In 1953, he truly defied the odds becoming the only player to win the Masters, US Open and the Open Championship in the same year. Hogan has been credited by many as the golfer who had the biggest influence on the golf swing in the history of the sport. When you consider the time lost through injury and the war, plus the physical toll the injuries took on Hogan, it makes his achievements across his career even more impressive and worthy of a spot in the top 3 on this list.
2) Jack Nicklaus
Professional Wins: 117
PGA Tour Wins: 73 (3rd all time)
Major Wins: 18 (1st (6x Masters, 5x PGA, 4x US Open, 3x The Open))
PGA Player Of The Year: 5 times (3rd)
PGA Tour leading money title: 8 times (2nd)
There is very little to separate no.1 and no.2 on this list but there is no disputing that they are the two greatest of all time. 'The Golden Bear' was named the PGA Tour’s Golfer Of The 20th Century, his major championship record is staggering, he holds the all time major record for wins but also incredibly holds the record for runner-up finishes with 19. He also holds the records for most top 5 finishes and most top 10 finishes with 73 across his career, which is 25 more than second place Sam Snead. No one has won more Masters, US Open and PGA Championship titles than Nicklaus and despite seeing the least success in the Open he managed to win that event on three occasions and holds the record for most runners up along with several more records that still stand to today. The amount of records that Nicklaus still holds today is astounding, it’s also worth noting that he managed to set these records in an era that was filled with golfers in this Top 10 list.
1. Tiger Woods
Professional Wins: 110
PGA Tour Wins: 82 (Tied 1st all time)
Major Wins: 15 (2nd)
PGA Tour Player Of The Year: 11 times (1st)
PGA Tour leading money winner: 10 times (1st)
Vardon Trophies: 9 times (1st)
Tiger Woods was my hero growing up, no one could come close to his winning mentality and toughness as he just dominated the field like no man has ever done before or since. Tiger is not just the greatest golfer in the world but one of the greatest sportsmen of all time. No one defines the term 'child prodigy' better than Tiger Woods, he made his TV debut at just 2 years old and was playing in his first tournament at 5 years old. He may be second on the all time list of major wins behind Nicklaus but the accolades and records Woods has achieved during his career simply can not be overlooked. Within a year of going pro he became the youngest ever winner of the Masters, winning by a record breaking 12 strokes. Two months later Tiger was ranked no.1 in the Official World Golf Rankings, the fastest anyone has ever achieved this feat, he now holds the record for the most consecutive and cumulative weeks as no.1 in the world. Woods also became the youngest golfer in history to win a Career Grand Slam, winning all 4 majors at the age of 24 beating the record previously held by Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus’ record in the majors is currently significantly better than Tiger’s, especially when you factor in runners up and top 5 finishes into the equation, however Woods has a significant edge over Nicklaus when factoring in the PGA Tour as a whole and Tiger’s achievements could continue to improve with him still being an active player on tour. No one in history has won more PGA Tour events than Woods, he has nearly double the amount of PGA Player Of The Year awards than second place on the all time list Tom Watson, he has finished top of the money list on the tour 10 times, which is two more times than Nickalus. Something that really sets both Woods and Nickalus apart is the number of times they have won the Vardon Trophy. The award is awarded to the golfer with the lowest adjusted scoring average for the year, Tiger has won the award on 9 occasions whilst Jack Nicklaus never won the award throughout his career. Nicklaus’ major record is outstanding but Tiger did manage to do one thing that Nicklaus didn’t manage to do in his entire career. In between 2000-01, Tiger won all four major championships in a row, a feat that has never been repeated to this day and is now affectionately referred to as the ‘Tiger Slam’. No sportsman in history has been named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year on more occasions than Woods and he is one of two men (along with Lebron James) to be named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year on more than one occasion. In 2009, after winning the FedEx Cup, Forbes confirmed that Woods had become the world’s first sportsman to earn over a billion dollars in their career. His incredible victory in the 2019 Masters, showed there is still some gas left in the tank, so don’t be surprised if he breaks more records and solidifies himself as the undisputed greatest golfer of all time.
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