Golf Resource

Golf has had its fair share of superstars whom many critics feel that, if given the technology available today, they may even outshine the likes of Tiger Woods or Big Easy Ernie Els. It may be true as in those days, graphite shafts were unheard of, steel or titanium heads were unimaginable and the balls are not what they are today. This is the top five greatest golfers of all time which will not include modern day golfers as they are yet to earn a status of a legend.

1. Jack Nicklaus

The Golden Bear is considered by most golfers and others as the best golfer ever to grace the game. In his illustrious career, Nicklaus won a total of 18 majors in the PGA Tour, a record that stands today, the closest golfer to beat this glorious record is Tiger Woods, who has already won 13 and counting. Later on in his career on the Champions Tour, a senior version of the PGA Tour, between 1990-1996 Nicklaus won 8 times, both these records still stand today. Together with Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, they were considered as The Big Three, credited with turning golf into a major spectator sport it has become. While it was mainly Palmer who drove golf into the television era, it was the Nicklaus-Palmer-Player rivalry that brought subsequent interest. During his peak, no on can match golfing abilities of the Golden Bear, a great figure in golf, on and off the course, this man truly deserves a status of a true legend.

Personal Information

• Birth: 21^st January 1940
• Height: 5ft 1 in (1.78m)
• Nationality: American

Career

• Turned Pro: 1961
• Tours: PGA, joined in 1962 and Champions Tour, joined in 1990
• Professional Wins: Total of 113, PGA Tour-73, Other-21, Champions Tour-10, Other Senior Tours 9

Major Championship Wins

• Major Championship Wins: 18
• Masters: (6) 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986
• U.S Open: (4) 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980
• The Open Championship: (3) 1966, 1970, 1978
• PGA Championship: (5) 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1970

Awards (PGA Tour Awards only)

• PGA Tour Rookie of the Year: 1962
• PGA Tour Money Winner: 1964, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976
• PGA Tour Scoring Average Leader: 1964, 1965, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
• PGA Player of the Year: 1967, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976
• World Golf Hall of Fame: 1974

2. Gary Player

The ‘Black Knight’ from South Africa is also one of the greatest golfers ever lived, and in total he won 9 majors. Player was not the biggest of golfers but he made it up with his talent and a strong determination to win. He is the only player to lift The Open Championship trophy in three different decades and in 1965 he was the third player to complete the game’s Grand Slam. Not only this, but he is the second multi time majors winner from South Africa, after the great Bobby Locke and is currently succeeded by Big Easy Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. In his time, Gary Player played an exceptionally busy schedule earning himself the title of World’s Most Traveled Athlete, clocking up an astonishing 14million miles! His last Masters victory was an epic one, with seven strokes behind the leaders in the final round, Player birdied the seven of the last ten holes to claim a one stroke victory. In 1998 he broke another record, the oldest golfer to make the cut at the Masters, breaking Sam Snead’s 25year record. Even though he was one of the Big Three, Player never competed in such prestigious tournament like the Ryder Cup because he is a South African and the Ryder Cup is between America and Europe.

Personal Information

• Birth: 1^st November 1935
• Height: 5ft 7in (1.70m)
• Nationality: South African

Career

• Turned Pro: 1953
• Tours: PGA Tour, joined in 1957, Champions Tour, joined in 1985
• Professional Wins: Worldwide- 163, PGA Tour- 24, Champions Tour- 19, Other-120

Major Championship Wins

• Major Championship Wins: 9
• Masters: 1961, 1974, 1978
• U.S Open: 1965
• The Open Championship: 1959, 1968, 1974
• PGA Championship: 1962, 1972

Awards (PGA Tour Awards only)

• PGA Tour Money Winner: 1961

3. Sam Snead

Slammin’ Sammy was one of the top golfers in the world for most of his career of four decades, holding the record for Most PGA Tour Victories, he has 82 under his belt. He was known for his so-called perfect swing and being a veteran of the game which he showed his class at the 1974 PGA Championship, aged 62 years old he was still good enough to clinch 3^rd place behind younger men who were Lee Trevino and The Golden Bear Jack Nicklaus, the old man still had his swing going for him. Although he was one of the greatest, he had one flaw in his entire career, Snead has never won the U.S Open, and he shares the record for the most 2^nd place finishes in the U.S Open with four second place finishes, along with Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson. Famed for his folksy image, he liked to wear a straw hat and playing some tournaments bare-footed. Younger generations who do not know much about Slammin’ Sammy would over look him but if you have a chance, watch old footages of him at his peak, you’ll understand the nickname Slammin’ Sammy.

Personal Information

• Birth: 27^th May 1912
• Death: 23^rd May 2002
• Height: 5ft 11 in (1.80m)
• Nationality: American

Career

• Turned Pro: 1934
• Retired: 1979
• Professional Wins: Total of 165, PGA Tour- 82, Senior- 14, Other- 70

Major Championship Wins

• Major Championship Wins: 7
• Masters: 1949, 1952, 1954
• U.S Open: Never won
• The Open Championship: 1946
• PGA Championship: 1942, 1949, 1951

Awards

• PGA Tour Money Winner: 1938, 1949, 1950
• PGA Player of the Year: 1949
• Vardon Trophy: 1938, 1949, 1950, 1955

4. Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan was one of the greatest strikers of the ball to ever play golf, a journalist once asked Jack Nicklaus if he thought Tiger Wood’s was the best ball striker he had ever seen, the Golden Bear’s replay was as simple as “no, no- Ben Hogan, easily”. He manufactured and went on to perfect a swing that brought him to virtually pin point accuracy that earned him the nickname The Hawk. He became a master student and tactician of the game, notable for his profound influence on the golf swing theory and his legendary ball striking ability. Hogan believed that a solid, repeatable golf swing involved only a few essential elements, which, when performed correctly and in sequence, were the essence of the perfect swing. His book Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf is perhaps the most widely-read golf tutorial ever written. Ben Hogan’s Modern Fundamentals: The Five Lessons of Golf was initially released as a five part series beginning in the March 1957 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine, and was printed in book form later in that same year. It is currently in its 64th printing. Even today it continues to maintain a place at or near the top of the Amazon.com golf book sales rankings. His greatest season in his professional golf career came in 1953 where he won five out of the six tournaments entered, including the first three majors of the season, a feat known today as the Hogan Slam. Many critics feel that, if Hogan was given the technology of today’s golf, his swing and ball striking abilities would surpass the current world number one Tiger Woods.

Personal Information

• Birth: 13^th August 1912
• Death: 25^th July 1997
• Height: 5ft 7 in (1.70m)
• Nationality: American

Career

• Turned Pro: 1929
• Retired: 1971
• Professional Wins: Total of 64, all on the PGA Tour

Major Championship Wins

• Major Championship Wins: 9
• Masters: 1951, 1953
• U.S Open: 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953
• The Open Championship: 1953
• PGA Championship: 1946, 1948

Awards

• PGA Player of the Year: 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953
• PGA Tour Money Winner: 1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1948
• Vardon Trophy: 1940, 1941, 1948

5. Arnold Palmer

At the time when golf attracted less media coverage than today, Arnold Palmer changed all that becoming the first golf superstar of the sport’s television age, he turned golf into somewhat a dynamic sport for all people. He almost single-handedly brought golf out of elite country clubs into the consciousness of mainstream America, incapable of being dull he was the man who set the stage for the popularity golf enjoys this very day. Palmer’s game was unique, he liked taking risks that got the crowd biting their nails, he strikes the ball with great punishment, his inimitable cavalier follow through, he had a style of his own, a power game with solid all round skills with great putting touch and an incredible self belief. In his time, many if not almost all American golfers did not take much notice of the Open Championship in the United Kingdom due to travel requirements, small prize money and the style of a links course which is a big difference to the course in America. Palmer was credited by many for securing the status of the Open Championship among American golfers as Palmer’s successive Open wins in the early 1960s convinced many American pros that a trip to Britain would be worth the effort. Although he won nearly all the major championships, the only one missing in his prolific career is the PGA Championship, the closest he ever got was second place. We can understand why his nickname was The King, a deserved nickname. A definite legend in world golf, we have him to thank for the widespread of golf in this world.

Personal Information

• Birth: 10^th September 1929
• Height: 5ft 10in (1.78m)
• Nationality: American

Career

• Turned Pro: 1954
• Tours: PGA Tour, joined in 1955, Champions Tour, joined in 1980
• Professional Wins: Total of 94, PGA Tour- 62, other regular- 17, Champions Tour- 10, other Senior- 5

Major Championship Wins

• Masters: 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964
• U.S Open: 1960
• The Open Championship: 1961, 1962
• PGA Championship: Never won

Awards

• PGA Tour Money Winner: 1958, 1960, 1962, 1963
• PGA Player of the Year: 1960, 1962
• Vardon Trophy: 1961, 1962, 1964, 1967