1 player in the Official World Golf Rankings. We all remember the Masters-record 18-under par total that Woods shot in his first Masters as a pro. While that's certainly a lot of prize money, the golfer with the most career earnings wouldn't even . The story goes that as he stood in the 15th fairway, he turned to his caddie, Stovepipe, and said, Should I play it safe? Noooo. Golf is all about having the lowest score, so a good basis for determining the greatest golfer can be based on average scores. The 25-year-old has one of the best all-around games on tour, and it is just a matter of time before he wins multiple majors. Ballesteros, one of the greatest match-play golfers in history, willed his team to an historic win without firing a shot. The men's major golf championships, also known simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious events in professional golf. Only one leg was left, and it was the easiest. He did seem to turn the corner a bit before the coronavirus shutdown, winning twice in the first eight events of the 2019-20 season with five finishes in the Top 10. She became the No. Which golf major is the most prestigious? On the front nine on Thursday, Woods went out in 40, leaving him 4-over par. Using an unprecedented commitment to physical fitness (for golf, anyway) and an unmatched work ethic, Player has fashioned a remarkable career that has seen him win well over 150 tournaments worldwide, including nine major championships. Not just the 2021 season, but the entire seven-majors-in-11-months extravaganza has ended with Collin Morikawas victory at the 149th Open Championship. So far, only one golfer has reached double-digit wins in senior majors, Bernhard Langer. [1] (from Percy S, Jan 2013), Jack without question! Masters Tournament (4 1958, 60, 62, 64), U.S. Open (1 1960), The Open (2 1961, 62), Masters Tournament (3 1949, 52, 54), PGA Championship (3 1942, 49, 51), The Open (1 1946), U.S. Open (1 1900), The Open (6 1896, 98, 99, 03, 11, 14), Masters Tournament (1 1935), PGA Championship (3 1922, 23, 33), U.S. Open (2 1922, 32), The Open (3 1932), Masters Tournament (3 2004, 06, 10), PGA Championship (2 2005, 2021), The Open (1 2013), Masters Tournament (3 1989, 90, 96), The Open (3 1987, 90, 92), PGA Championship (2 1974, 84), U.S. Open (2 1968, 71), The Open (2 1971, 72), Masters Tournament (2 1980, 83), The Open (3 1979, 84, 88), Masters Tournament (2 1937, 42), PGA Championship (2 1940, 45), U.S. Open (1 1939), PGA Championship (2 1916, 19), U.S. Open (1 1921), The Open (1 1925), U.S. Open (2 1994, 97), The Open (2 2002, 12), Masters Tournament (1 1976), PGA Championship (2 1969, 82), U.S. Open (1 1986), PGA Championship (2 2012, 14), U.S. Open (1 2011), The Open (1 2014), PGA Championship (2 - 2018, '19), U.S. Open (2 - 2017, '18). Opens and two British Opens the Big Easy is a legitimate challenger for the title of second-best player of the Tiger Woods era. I liked to win, Hogan said, but more than anything I loved to play the way I wanted to play., The Hogan File The Nicklaus File 1. It included a legend the Hawk, Ben Hogan. It awarded $10,000 to the first place winner with total cash payouts amounting to $41,000. It tears at your gut, as it always has torn at my gut. The players below are listed in no particular order - once the shortlist is complete then you will be able to vote for who you think is the greatest of all. Winner of seven major titles and a career Grand Slam His career might be tainted on the front end by cheating allegations and on the back end by association with performance-enhancing drugs, but it's hard to deny Vijay a spot in the golf pantheon. 49. Getty Images 8 / 29 Arnold Palmer, 7 Masters Tournament (4 - 1958, '60, '62, '64), U.S. Open (1 - 1960), The Open (2 - 1961, '62) Getty Images 9 /. The Big Three Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player dominated the golf headlines in the 1960s, but the unassuming Casper was as good as anybody in his era. A little better luck and a little more clutch play and he would have seven or eight major wins instead of two (1986 and 1993 British Opens). The 42-year-old Player proceeded to catch fire. His win at the 2021 PGA Championship almost eight years after his last one, at the 2013 British Open was perhaps his most stunning, as he became the oldest major winner in history at 50 years, 11 months, seven days, and the throng that surrounded him on the 72nd hole spoke volumes of his undying popularity as his generation's Arnold Palmer. Brooding, temperamental, focused Ben Hogan was not a charismatic figure who rallied the masses to follow the game a la Arnold Palmer. 15 major championships, second all-time to Jack Nicklaus 18 major championships, more than Hogan and Palmer combined. Lowest scoring average in PGA Tour history Brooding, temperamental, focused Ben Hogan was not a charismatic figure who rallied the masses to follow the game a la Arnold Palmer. The PGA Tour is home to the world's best golfers and has been since its creation in 1929. There have been better players with prettier swings. During his time, golf fans across the world hailed his name thanks to his 11 wins in major championships. The first U.S. Women's Amateur was held at the Meadow Brook Club in Hempstead, New York in 1895, won by Lucy Barnes Brown. His achievements on the course-106 worldwide wins and 15 majors -have mirrored his success off the course as well. There have been better players with prettier swings. And lest we dismiss the accomplishment on the basis of inferior competition, remember that Sam Snead was nearing his prime and a young Ben Hogan was making a name for himself. One of four players Nicklaus, Woods and Nick Faldo are the others to have won the Masters and British Open three times each. Still, it feels like it is just a matter of time as he has been the best golfer in the world for the better part of the past year. Finished in top 5 in majors a record 56 times, in the top 10 a record 73 times 1 is back on top. Woods' 2019 Masters win was such a cultural touchstone that both the current U.S. President and his immediate predecessor celebrated the occasion. Amateur Championship amid a contingent of Marine bodyguards, and the Slam was his. He's totted up 15 wins on the PGA Tour with his only Major win at the Masters Tournament in 1992 with a score of 275 (-13). Only player to win Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in same year Why he's ranked: McIlroy won four majors in 3.5 years but hasn't lifted the trophy in one since 2014. They do not include team events, unofficial events, or official wins on other professional tours, of which a few of the golfers listed, such as Laura Davies and Annika Srenstam, have many. Nicklaus brought out greatness in his opponents Palmer, Player, Watson, Trevino. By signing up, you agree to the For a few months in 1945, Byron Nelson played better than anyone ever has. Tiger Woods is a standout player, but how does he compare to the greats of the past? Whitworth holds the record for the most professional golf wins with 88, six more than Sam Snead and Tiger Woods, who are tied for the top spot among men. The list is complete through the 2022 season. A record 82 PGA Tour wins, spanning 1936 to 1965 US Open in 1962 and Masters in 1986.Also, when history looks at Jacks and Tigers competition one has to look at their fellow competitors. After a few months off due to the coronavirus pandemic, the PGA Tour returns this week with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth, Texas. He won and lost with more flair than any other athlete. Once Tiger matched the Slammer with win No. T1 S. Cink -4 10. He's also recorded a record six runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open, but that only adds to his everyman appeal. Winner of the 1930 Grand Slam the U.S. and British Opens and U.S. and British Amateurs [2] Second on the list is Tiger Woods, who has won 15 majors to date; his most recent major victory was at the 2019 Masters. Player 1 is an American professional golfer who has won more than 20 events on the PGA Tour. Only player ever to win four consecutive majors More than one-fifth of Nelsons 52 career wins came courtesy of the Streak. He posted wins in four different decades, from the 1936 West Virginia Closed Pro to the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open (his eighth title in that event), when he was 52 years old. Nicknamed the Golden Bear, Nicklaus gained 73 victories in his career, including 18 major golf championships. Jones was a fixture at Augusta each spring, but his golf was confined to the friendly kind. Jones waltzed to the U.S. His win at the 2021 PGA Championship almost eight years after his last one, at the 2013 British Open was perhaps his most stunning, as he became the oldest major winner in history at 50. Only Miguel ngel Jimnez and Phil Mickelson have ever won a European Tour event after turning 50, [2] and only three golfers of that age have won on the PGA Tour since 1975. Tell us what you think, leave us a review. He was Europes version of Arnold Palmer, putting a sport on his back and selling it to an entire continent. The five major championships of senior golf are the U.S. Senior Open, Senior British Open, Senior PGA Championship, Senior Players Championship and The Tradition. Whenever there is a debate, at the 19th hole, about which are the world's most important professional golf tournaments, there is always going to be a personal bias towards which competitions are enjoyed most, by each individual. Only five golfers have won all four Majors at any time during their career (a Career Grand Slam). In 1997, when Woods won, the number jumped to 14.1. Most all-time PGA TOUR victories PGA TOUR STANDINGS FedExCup Standings 1 S. Power 788 2 M. Homa 743 3 T. Kim 711 4 J. Rahm 673 5 K. Bradley 663 Stats Report STATS REPORT EQUIPMENT REPORT STYLE. That, apparently, is when the stars aligned and the golf gods smiled. As for this ranking, it's hard if not impossible to compare players across different eras in any sport. [3] [4] H signifies members of the World Golf Hall of Fame . The two-time major champion had three Top-8 finishes in the majors in 2019 and had the fifth-best scoring average on tour. Won his second U.S. Open (1932) by playing the last 28 holes in an incredible 100 strokes in one of the great performances in golf history Golfers listed in bold are active on the LPGA Tour as of 2022. document.write(" CITE THIS PAGE: "+ author + ", "" + document.title + "." Topend Sports Website, "+ published + ", "+ url + ", Accessed " + md.getDate()+" " + months[md.getMonth()] + " " + md.getFullYear()); If winning is the standard for determining excellence, there is no greater player in golf history than Sam Snead. But instead of Nicklaus accompanying him down the 18th fairway, he had four days of fatigue, crushing pressure and the hopes of a watching world weighing him down. Won a pro tournament in six different decades. Some of the best (and worst) looks from Day 1 of The 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews. Not only have they done it once, Woods and Nicklaus have won each of the four Majors three times. Gene Sarazen, 39 wins (7 Major wins), T-16. Why he's ranked: Thomas is one of the best all-around golfers in the world, but that has only translated into one major championship (the 2017 PGA Championship) and one win during the 2018-19 season. This is a list of the fifty golfers who have won the most official (or later deemed historically significant) money events on the PGA Tour. Jack Nicklaus. While he downed his tools way before most fans could spell the word golf, he ranks third for having the most golf majors. The star-crossed Norman is better remembered for his spectacular failures than his successes, but we can't overlook his 20 career PGA Tour wins and his 331 weeks spent as the world's No. Rheins round included 2 eagles and 12 birdies, and the rest of the holes were par for the course. Tiger (Eldrick) Woods, born December 30, 1975, is a professional golfer and entrepreneur. Tom Kennedy won the tournament and took home the top prize, which would have the same buying power as over $38,000 today. Trevino also brought an unprecedented level of working-man appeal and humor to the Tour, although, as he said, "I played the tour in 1967 and told jokes and nobody laughed. These are Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. Obviously, Jones crowning achievement came in 1930 with his unprecedented and so far unduplicated Grand Slam. Harry Cooper, 31 wins (No Major wins), T-16. 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