When we ask about the best golfers we want someone to give us a list, a summary of who to talk about. However, it is difficult to choose between the great golfers and even less would we dare to decide a hierarchy among them. That’s why in this post you will find the golfers who are never missing when we talk about the best, those who are in everyone’s mind for one thing or another. And to be fair, we have placed them in alphabetical order, because, although the achievements are what they are, or were, we each have our favourites.
Arnold Palmer – Pennsylvania 1929
Arnold Palmer is regarded by golf critics as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was nicknamed The King for his incredible style and charisma both on and off the course.
His palmares include:
4 Augusta Masters
1 US Open
2 PGA Championship
Ben Hogan – Texas 1912
Ben Hogan was noted for his perfected technique, great swing and ability to hit the ball. His style is still a model for many beginners. He is one of only five players to win the Grand Slam. In 1953 he made history by winning five of the six tournaments in which he participated and which later became known as the Hogan Slam.
His palmares include:
2 Augusta Masters
4 US Opens
2 PGA Championship
1 Open Championship.
Bobby Jones – Atlanta 1902
In the list of the best golf players in history there is also a place for the best amateur of all time, yes you read that right, amateur, because Robert Tyre Jones, better known as Bobby Jones, never turned professional, because he didn’t want to and because he retired from golf at the age of 28. However, he had already had time to win the four major golf tournaments of his time: US Open, US Amateur, British Open and British Amateur.
His palmares include:
4 US Open
3 British Opens
1 British Amateur
5 US Open Amateurs.
Gary Player – South Africa 1935
Gary Player, known as The Black Knight is considered the greatest non-American golfer. Among his most notable achievements is winning the Grand Slam at the age of 29. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974.
His palmares include:
9 Grand slams
3 Augusta Masters
3 British Opens
2 PGA Championship
1 US Open
Jack Nicklaus – Ohio 1940
Jack Nicklaus nicknamed the “Golden Bear” is for many the greatest golfer of all time. In a career spanning more than 23 years, he won 73 victories. However, he reached his zenith when he won 18 majors, a record that no one has yet been able to equal.
His palmares include:
6 Augusta Masters
4 US Open
5 PGA Championship
3 British Open.
Sam Snead – Virginia 1912
Nicknamed “Slammin’ Sammy” for the power of his shots and his perfect technique, he had an impressive career. He won 82 tournaments on the American Tour, a record only equalled by Tiger Woods in 2019. He also won more than 70 world titles, including seven majors. Interestingly, he never won a US Open.
His palmares include:
3 Augusta Masters
2 PGA Championship
1 British Open
82 PGA Tours
Severiano Ballesteros – Cantabria 1957
Severiano Ballesteros is the greatest Spanish golfer of all time. He won hundreds of championships and was noted for his versatility and ingenuity. Few know that he learned to play by hitting the rocks on the beaches of Pedreña with a home-made 3-iron. He was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 1999 and passed away in 2011. He changed the Ryder Cup forever, giving it the impetus it needed to become the greatest competition in golf.
His palmares include:
2 Augusta Masters
3 British Opens
5 Ryder Cups (European Team, one as captain)
50 European Tour
Tiger Woods – California 1975
He has won 79 titles in his career. He has won 15 majors. And he has already tied Snead with 82 PGA. Tiger Woods has an average winning rate of 25% in the professional tournaments he has played in.
His palmares include:
5 Augusta Masters
3 US Open
3 British Open
4 PGA Championship
82 PGA Tours
Walter Hagen – New York 1892
It is very difficult to make a list comparing players from such different eras, as golf has changed so much over time. In Walter Hagen’s time there was no Masters, but we could consider the Western Open as one of the greats of the time, being champion in 45 PGA tournaments in a time when there were not so many tournaments. He is a figure who deserves to be among the all-time greats.
His palmares include:
2 US Open
4 British Opens
5 PGA Championship
5 Western Open
H2 – Who are the most famous golf players?
It depends on how old you are and how much you like golf, if you are one of those who are not too interested in it, probably the names that most ring a bell are Seve Ballesteros and Tiger Woods, but without a doubt all the names on this list should be on the list of the most famous golfers as they have made history in this sport and have left a legacy behind them.
Now that we know what their careers were, let’s take a look at some fun facts and other reasons why these incredible golfers resonate in everyone’s memory.
Arnold Palmer
Palmer became the most popular golf star of his time thanks to his charisma and television appearances. A golf tournament, an airport and a drink are named after him. This brought golf to the masses like never before.
Ben Hogan
He started at the age of 11 as a caddy and his life was so successful that it was made into a movie “Follow the sun“. He gained fame and recognition thanks to his perfected technique, great swing and ability to hit the ball.
Bobby Jones
One of his contributions has to do with how we know golf today is that this golfer created the Augusta Masters. A competition that, due to its importance today, needs no introduction.
Gary Player
Player is also a renowned golf course architect with more than 300 designs around the world, and has been one of the main disseminators of this sport thanks to, obviously, a prolific literary work on golf.
Jack Nicklaus
He is another professional who has not stopped either: he organises his own PGA Tour tournament, the Memorial Tournament, writes books on playing technique and autobiographical books, as well as designing golf courses.
Seve Ballesteros
This list could not miss the much-missed Seve. The greatest Spanish golfer of all time. Publications and specialists agree that one of his greatest contributions is to have popularised golf in the world. Seve made golf one of the most watched sports on television in our country. He was so important that he made Spain the first European country to host the Ryder Cup.
Walter Hagen
He won 11 major championships during his golf career and was received as a national hero when he became the first American golfer to win a British Open, although he later won three more.
Tiger Woods
He is a player of the 21st century and may be the most famous player on this list, and also the most mediatised, being present in the media for both his private and professional life. He has announced his retirement from the sport several times, but he has always come back to continue winning and playing golf. He suffered a serious traffic accident and multiple operations on his back and legs. So, as he has said, he will continue to compete, but he will not return to the top.
Tom Watson
Watson dominated the world of golf from the 1970s to the 1980s. During his time, the personal professional rivalry between him and Jack Nicklaus served to increase the popularity of golf.
So much for this review of the history of golf. We hope you have found this article with the best golf players of all time useful.