The greatest 10 golfers of all-time, ranked
Over the years, the PGA Tour has featured a good number of exceptional players. However, these ten deserve to be called legends. These are players who are identifiable, regardless of one’s level of golf expertise.
It’s unfair to compare Old Tom to Jack Nicklaus or even Tiger Woods. Like every other sport, golf has changed since its inception and is very hard to compare between different eras.
The following list was assembled from several sources. A few factors taken into account while ranking these individuals are their Ryder Cup performances, major championships won, and victories on the PGA Tour. Historical achievements and other ways they have influenced golf are other aspects.
Nick Faldo
The man who dominated golf in the 1990s, Sir Nick Faldo, just made the cut. According to Golf Channel, Faldo was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2009 in recognition of his contributions to golf.
Six majors, three Masters, and three Opens were won by him. Faldo was a member of five European Ryder Cup winning teams. His reputation as one of the world’s greatest players was solidified by those Ryder Cup victories
Seve Ballesteros
Seve Ballesteros is another international player who was among the most relatable figures in the game. He amassed five major titles, including three Open Championships, and 65 victories overall. Ballesteros’s ability to escape from any situation or deception is one of his many admirable qualities.
Gary Player
Gary Player is among the greatest golfers of all time and a global ambassador for the game. He cleared the path for additional possibilities on the PGA Tour for players from other countries. Player has 24 PGA Tour victories, 150 wins overall, including nine major championships. Just five players have triumphed in every modern major tournament. He is one of them.
Phil Mickelson
The seventh player on this list is Phil Mickelson, also known as “Lefty.” By a significant margin, he became the oldest player to win a major in 2021. At the age of fifty-one months, he won the PGA Championship.
With the victory, Mickelson’s career total of 45 PGA Tour wins was increased to six majors. Lefty has participated in 47 games and a record 12 Ryder Cups.
Had it not been for his incredible win at the PGA Championship, he might not have made this list.
Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones, who won 13 major titles, was the early Nicklaus. He achieved the career grand slam as the only player to win all four majors in 1930. Two of the four majors at the time were the American and British Amateurs.
Still, it’s amazing to have won 13 of those competitions in an eight-year period (1923–1930).
His most significant contributions to the game, however, came from co-founding Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament alongside Alister MacKenzie and Clifford Roberts.
Arnold Palmer
Not only is Arnold Palmer ranked fifth due to his skill on the course, but he is also recognized for having contributed to the growth of player prize money.
Palmer was beloved by the audience, and his enduring fame is still acknowledged today. He took home seven majors. He excelled most at Augusta, where he won four Masters titles. But his 1960 U.S. Open comeback victory will rank among his best achievements. That week, he defeated Nicklaus and Hogan.
Sam Snead
At 82 victories on the PGA Tour, Sam Snead and Tiger Woods share the record for most ever. In addition, he holds seven major championships.
Snead is ranked No. 4 on this list because he never won the U.S. Open, which prevented him from completing the career grand slam. Still, none can dispute Snead’s excellence. He was a five-decade competitor with an easy-to-master swing.
Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan was a legendary ball striker who won nine national titles. Golfers still use his swing book as a resource for studying the game. He is ranked third because, despite that horrific vehicle accident, his perseverance kept him playing golf. After that incident, Hogan won six major championships, three of which came in 1953: the Open Championship, the Masters, and the U.S. Open.
Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus was only pipped from the top spot on our ranking.
With 18 majors under his belt, the Bear holds the record for most ever. There are six green jackets in all. Nicklaus has 73 PGA Tour victories, which is third most. In addition to captaining the US teams in 1983 and 1987, he participated in six Ryder Cups.
Nicklaus was a force to be reckoned with on the golf course thanks to his amazing power and consistency. It was in his prime that he was so dominant. At 46 years old, he defeated numerous competitors, including Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman, to win his final green jacket in 1986.
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods has changed golf significantly, making him the top player on our list. He accomplished a great deal as an African American that helped minorities in a sport dominated by white men.
In addition, he was a driving force behind the introduction of technology in golf.
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