5. Ben Hogan
The ‘Wee IceMan’ was one of the best ball strikers ever to swing a golf club. In 1953 Hogan won three consecutive majors, the U.S Open, the British Open and The Masters. He didn’t play the fourth major that year, the PGA Championship. Hogan chose to stop playing the PGA after a near-fatal car accident in 1949, after which he limited his schedule. The gruelling match-play format of the PGA was the reason for him choosing to omit it from his schedule.
Despite the serious car crash in 1949 and serving as a U.S Air Force pilot during WW2, Hogan amassed 63 titles in his career.
4. Sam Snead
Sam Snead had an incredible career, winning three PGA Championships, three Masters and a British Open, as well as a staggering 82 PGA Tour Titles.
Snead was renowned for his effortless swing, which helped him post wins on tour in four different decades, culminating in the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open.
3. Gary Player
Known as ‘The Black Knight’ due to his love of black golf attire, South African golfer Gary Player’s career saw him win over 160 tournaments worldwide, including nine major championships.
Player was known for his immense physical fitness and intense and unmatched work ethic. He is one of only five players to have won all four of golf’s modern majors.
2. Tiger Woods
Let’s start with this and just let it sink in for a minute. Tiger Woods has won 25% of the tournaments he has played in, with our number ten golfer Phil Mickelson next on that list with 8%.
Tiger’s unparalleled mental strength has led him to 15 major championships, and 82 PGA Tour wins. Without any shadow of a doubt, he is the best golfer ever to grace the fairways and greens. At his peak, he won the British Open by 11, the Masters by 12 and the U.S Open by an incredible 15 shots.
In 2018 Tiger stunned the world by rising from 656th to 13th in the world in one season before winning the U.S Masters in 2019 to secure his 15th major, three short of the greatest golfer ever.
1. Jack Nicklaus
The accomplishments are already known—18 major championships. Win or lose, ‘The Golden Bear’ always bought out the best in his opponents. Watson, Palmer, Player, then later, the greats of the game that narrowly missed out on the list, Norman, Faldo and Ballesteros all fell to Nicklaus despite playing him at their peak.
Tiger Woods played the best golf the world has ever seen from 2001 to 2008, but he still has a bit of work to catch Jack Nicklaus in both majors and longevity.
Nicklaus continues to shape the game of golf today with his golf course design company.