Any attempt to list the 10 greatest golfers of all time is bound to lead to arguments. How do you choose? Purely by statistics, or by those who have made the greatest impact on the game?
In compiling our list of the ten greatest golfers of all time, we’ve considered major victories, longevity, world rankings, number of wins and finally, the impact they had on the sport of golf.
Many of today’s stars of the game, such as Jason Day, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson, don’t make the cut – but they will surely be in future top ten greatest golfers as their achievements accumulate.
So, for your consideration and debate, here’s our assessment of the ten greatest golfers of all time.
10. Phil Mickelson
Phil is a golfer whose failures are more famous than his successes. Labelled the ‘Next Nicklaus’ from a young age, the weight of expectation was heavy on the shoulders of’ ‘Lefty.’
Mickelson is ninth on the all-time list of PGA Tour wins with 44, and he has three Masters in his collection of five majors.
The highlight of Mickelson’s career was undoubtedly his great final round 66 on a gusty 2013 Muirfield to win the British Open. That round alone could arguably have got him close to a top ten list of the best golfers ever.
It hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows for Phil, though, with a record six runner-up finishes at the U.S Open. As long as he keeps playing it though, he still has a chance of completing what would be a remarkable career Grand Slam.
9. Tom Watson
Tow Watson has an incredible record of at least ten top-ten finishes in all four majors. The only golfer to have achieved the same feat is none other than the great Jack Nicklaus.
Five wins over nine years meant Watson dominated the British Open like nobody else ever has. He famously came close to a historic sixth win at the age of 59 in 2009.
8. Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen was only 20 years of age in 1922 when he won both the PGA Championship and the U.S Open. Not only did Sarazen enjoy a great career throughout the 1920s and 1930s, but he also invented the sand wedge, a must-have in the bag of all golfers today.
Sarazen is best remembered for a spectacular hole-in-one at the ‘Postage Stamp’ at Troon in Scotland at The Open Championship in 1973 aged 71.
7. Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones’ short but remarkable run started at age 20 with a win at the 1923 U.S Open. He got his hands on twelve more majors before walking away from the sport aged 28. The thirteen major championships Jones won was a record that stood for 40 years until a certain Mr Nicklaus appeared on the scene.
1930 was the year Bobby Jones won his unprecedented and still unduplicated Grand Slam. Only two months after winning the U.S. Amateur Championship to complete the quartet Jones walked away completely from competitive golf, his legendary status secure.
6. Arnold Palmer
Arnold ‘The King’ Palmer popularized and revolutionized golf as a sport. Palmer has seven major championships to his name alongside his 62 PGA Tour victories.
‘Arnie’s Army’ grew exponentially throughout the 1960’s and Palmer was followed and adored by fans whenever he played at a tournament.
Arnold Palmer was awarded the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.