Best Male Golfers of All Time
Who are the most successful and talented male golfers ever?
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer who is among the most successful golfers of all time. This really isn't a contest. The only reason there's even a debate is because Tiger missed years of his prime with horrible injuries. He'd have well over 100 wins and over 20 majors. The guy was winning over 25% of every tournament he played. Even still, it's about 22%. Jack wasn't half that.
He's won a record 9 Vardon Trophies for the lowest scoring average on tour, including 5 straight. No one else has more than 5. Jack never won one. He never had the lowest average. He held all 4 majors at the same time, for crying out loud.
You can argue that others had comparable careers, but there is no question that Tiger took the game to the highest level it was ever played. Tiger at his best is light years ahead of everyone else. And he is still going. As of now, he's won 3 of his last 14 tournaments - about 21-22%, right at his career average.
To see Tiger over Jack is downright offensive. Jack has eighteen majors vs. only 15 for Tiger. This is despite Jack's competition being light years superior to Tiger's. Jack faced all-time greats like Palmer, Player, Watson, and Ballesteros. Tiger faced no all-time greats, and no, Phil Mickelson is not an all-time great.
On top of that, he has something like twenty more runner-ups in majors, which is amazing. Tiger has about 7. Most people who are voting for Tiger are probably only doing so since he is black.
Best ever, period! Tiger got the luxury of spending all of his time focusing on golf. Jack did not, and he still beat out Tiger in major wins. Plus, the big one for me is who did Tiger ever have as competition? Lefty? Please...
The remainder of the top ten was who Jack played against. I don't see anyone that Tiger has. Less technology, same scores. I can go on and on. Number one is Jack!
Arnold Daniel Palmer was an American professional golfer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport's history. How the hell can you say Arnie is not the best? He did more for golf than any other player. Without him, Tiger Woods would not be a household name. Pro golf may have fallen apart. Also, he was a damn good golfer.
Completed the Grand Slam in a single calendar year as an amateur! It blows my mind that he never officially turned pro but yet accomplished so much.
No question the greatest golfer of all time, winning 50% of all tournaments he played in.
From Wiki:
Player is one of the most successful golfers in the history of the sport, ranking third (behind Roberto De Vicenzo and Sam Snead) in total professional wins, with at least 166, and tied for fourth in major championship victories with nine.
He used to purposely hit the ball into the woods just to give himself a challenge.
Lefty has maybe the best short game ever!
Needs to move up the list to a place more respectful of his accomplishments.
Rory McIlroy, the best golfer.
I love his pose and tee shots.
He will be the golfer whose skill will be more technical than Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus.
Five Open Championships, 8 major wins, and he took down Jack numerous times when Nicklaus was in his prime. Tom is never given enough credit. He deserves to be much higher on this list!
Tom still competes at a high level when he occasionally plays. The man is in his sixties. I think he gets overlooked because he was too nice and had no controversy. A great golfer.
He only won 2 majors, but that's half the story. Norman is Australia's greatest golfer with 88 overall tournament wins. He was the 1995 PGA Tour Player of the Year and once challenged for the 2008 Open Championship at the age of 53.
Five times he won $1 million dollars in the PGA Tour in a single year. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001 and is a great gentleman off the course. Truly one of golf's great men.
Its Joeysworld
Got his head screwed on straight! Almost too good to be true.
Seven major wins and dominated golf up to the First World War. He was the first to write a book on the theory of golf and still has won more majors than any other British player.
Between Tom Watson and Woods, this guy was the best golfer in the world. Yes, at times, the magic of 'Seve' and the sheer talent of 'Greg Norman' were better than Faldo. However, Faldo was better than both of them for longer in the tournaments that mattered.
Faldo, to be fair, should have had an even longer career. His game remained good, but the game changed in the late 1990s. He was never a has-been, but he did become obsolete. The greatest 'thinking/mental' golfer of all time, along with Jack and Tiger.
Nick Faldo played with a steely nerve and a never-say-die attitude. He was always aware of greats before him, i.e., Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, etc. He had what all greats have: an aura on the golf course. And, of course, he is British.