{"id":19991,"date":"2021-04-21T20:10:51","date_gmt":"2021-04-22T01:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=19991"},"modified":"2021-04-21T20:10:51","modified_gmt":"2021-04-22T01:10:51","slug":"tiger-woods-is-the-greatest-golfer-of-all-time-the-goat-of-golf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=19991","title":{"rendered":"Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of all time, the goat of golf."},"content":{"rendered":"
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20 Greatest Golfers of All Time<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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MYBOYSAY Acknowledges the best in the game’s history<\/h2>\n
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Tiger Woods has had his sights set on Sam Snead’s all-time wins record<\/a> since he crossed the 50-win barrier back in 2006. Now that Tiger has matched the Slammer with win No. 82, he has strengthened his grip on the top spot on our list of history’s 20 greatest golfers \u2014 especially since he is showing signs of entering a new phase of achievement, one that is as welcome as it is unexpected.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Woods captured the inaugural ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, beating local favorite Hideki Matsuyama by three shots to win his 82nd PGA Tour title, a total that at various times has seemed both inevitable and impossible. “I went through some rough patches with my back and didn’t play for a number of years, so that record seemed like it was out of reach,\u201d said Woods. \u201cHaving had my fourth back procedure and being able to come back and play at a decently high level again, it put the number back in the conversation again. Lo and behold, here we are tied [with Snead].”<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The win was Woods’ first since the 2019 Masters, the moment that signaled his return to prominence.\u00a0Woods’ 2019 Masters win was such a cultural touchstone that both the current U.S. President and his immediate predecessor celebrated the occasion. Olympic legend Michael Phelps was there in person to cheer him on. The greatest athletes of his generation \u2014 LeBron, Serena, et\u00a0al. \u2014 were moved by the turn-back-the-clock performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Most telling of all, Woods’ fellow competitors were unanimous in expressing their utter joy at being beaten by their greatest nemesis. They lingered in the locker room to watch the spectacle, greeted him afterwards and then took to Twitter to celebrate. Phil Mickelson, the closest thing to a rival to Tiger, tweeted this: “What a great moment for the game of golf. I\u2019m so impressed by @TigerWoods<\/a>‘ incredible performance, and I’m so happy for him to capture another Green Jacket. Truly a special day that will go down in history. Congratulations, Tiger! #rematch<\/a>“<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Woods’ contemporaries know what the rest of the world has come to appreciate: Tiger is the GOAT. He doesn’t just move the needle; he is the needle, and he remains\u00a0atop our ranking of the 20 Greatest Golfers in history. It’s an illustrious list, one that runs the gamut from charismatic swashbucklers (Seve, Phil, Arnold) to methodical technicians (Vijay, Sir Nick) to transcendent figures (Tiger, Jack, Arnold).<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Speaking of Palmer, the King remained the world’s most important golfer until his death, and his legacy will live on as long as there’s televised golf. In fact, were it not for Palmer, you wouldn’t be reading this list, and golf would still be struggling to gain a foothold on the American sports landscape.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The King has his rightful place high on this list, and most of the others who join him here owe him a debt of gratitude for the mammoth purses and endorsement opportunities that followed in his wake. Woods\u00a0had this to say of Palmer via Twitter: “It’s hard to imagine golf without you or anyone more important to the game than the King.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

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As for this ranking, it’s hard if not impossible to compare players across different eras in any sport. In golf, it’s doubly so, given the game’s equipment advances and changing conditions of golf courses over the years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In compiling this ranking, I used two primary criteria: achievement and impact. Who won important golf tournaments, and who transcended the game while doing so? You’ll notice that many of today’s superstars \u2014 Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson \u2014 are missing, but as their achievements accumulate, they’ll no doubt force their way into future rankings. Stay tuned.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Here, then, are the 20 men who have had the greatest careers and most lasting impact on the game of golf. Feel free to tell me where I\u2019m wrong.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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20. Greg Norman<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The star-crossed Norman is better remembered for his spectacular failures than his successes, but we can’t overlook his 20 career PGA Tour wins and his 331 weeks spent as the world’s No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Rankings. A little better luck and a little more clutch play and he would have seven or eight major wins instead of two (1986 and 1993 British Opens).<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Rory<\/strong><\/p>\n

19. Rory McIlroy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

McIlroy is a four-time major champion and is only a Green Jacket<\/a> away from holding a career Grand Slam. Yet there is a nagging suspicion that the best may still be yet to come for the Northern Irishman, who has yet to return to the giddy heights he scaled in 2014, when he won two majors. He’s undoubtedly the player on this list with the most upward mobility.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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18. Vijay Singh<\/strong><\/h3>\n

His career might be tainted on the front end by cheating allegations and on the back end by association with performance-enhancing drugs, but it’s hard to deny Vijay a spot in the golf pantheon. He’s won 34 times on the PGA Tour, including two PGA Championships and a Masters win<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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17. Billy Casper<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Big Three \u2014 Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player \u2014 dominated the golf headlines in the 1960s, but the unassuming Casper was as good as anybody in his era. Casper won 51 PGA Tour events, seventh all time, and earned three majors, including the 1966 U.S. Open, where he denied Palmer a coveted win.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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16. Ernie Els<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With four majors \u2014 two U.S. Opens and two British Opens \u2014 the Big Easy is a legitimate challenger for the title of second-best player of the Tiger Woods era. His smooth, easy swing is the envy of hackers from here to Johannesburg and has led him to 19 PGA Tour victories.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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15. Walter Hagen<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The flamboyant Hagen was the first ultra-successful touring pro and raised the stature of the lowly pro golfer substantially in an era when amateurs like Bobby Jones ruled the sport. Hagen won 11 professional majors \u2014 two U.S. Opens, four British Opens and five PGAs \u2014 to set a record that would stand until the 1960s, and he also won five Western Opens during a time when that tournament was essentially a major.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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14. Nick Faldo<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sir Nick dominated world golf for a time at the expense of chief rival Greg Norman, whom he drubbed in a memorable British Open showdown in 1990 and beat in the 1996 Masters following Norman’s epic collapse. Faldo won six majors \u2014 three Masters and three British Opens \u2014 and earned 30 wins on the European Tour while providing a steadying influence on five Ryder Cup-winning teams.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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13. Lee Trevino<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Merry Mex got a lot out of an unorthodox, self-taught game, winning 29 PGA Tour events and six majors. Four times, Trevino denied Nicklaus at a major championship, adding to his legend as one of the few players who could stare down the Golden Bear. Trevino also brought an unprecedented level of working-man appeal and humor to the Tour, although, as he said, “I played the tour in 1967 and told jokes and nobody laughed. Then I won the Open the next year, told the same jokes, and everybody laughed like hell.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

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12. Byron Nelson<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For a few months in 1945, Byron Nelson played better than anyone ever has. That year, Lord Byron won 11 tournaments in a row, including the PGA Championship. When you consider that Payne Stewart won 11 tournaments in his career<\/em> and is considered one of the all-time greats, you get a sense of the magnitude of that accomplishment. More than one-fifth of Nelson\u2019s 52 career wins came courtesy of the Streak. And lest we dismiss the accomplishment on the basis of inferior competition, remember that Sam Snead was nearing his prime and a young Ben Hogan was making a name for himself. For one incredible spring and summer, Lord Byron invented and patented The Zone. For the year, Nelson won a staggering 18 events and was named AP Athlete of the Year. For his career, he was the game’s greatest gentleman.<\/strong><\/p>\n

11. Seve Ballesteros<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Maybe we loved him because we could identify with him. We were often hitting out of the woods, from bunkers, from parking lots, just like he was. The difference? Seve Ballesteros would often make a birdie from the woods, or the bunker, or the parking lot, and he\u2019d do it with a style and grace that was impossible not to admire and envy. Almost two decades before Tiger Woods, Ballesteros exploded onto the scene as a precocious 19-year-old, finishing tied for second with the great Jack Nicklaus at the 1976 British Open at Royal Birkdale. Having fashioned his game by hitting rocks on the beaches of Pedrena, Spain, with a homemade 3-iron, Ballesteros was ready to attack any lie, any condition, any circumstance, making him ideally suited for the demanding conditions at Britain\u2019s links courses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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His three British Open titles were triumphs of courage and ingenuity. His 1979 Open title at Royal Lytham and St. Annes was punctuated by a birdie for the ages from the parking lot. His 1984 title at the Old Course at St. Andrews denied Tom Watson his third consecutive Open and fourth in five years. His 1988 title was, in retrospect, the climax of his playing career and featured one of the great final rounds in golf history. His 65 that day included an 11-hole stretch in which Ballesteros made two pars, two bogeys, six birdies and an eagle. It took a chip shot on the final hole that nudged the flagstick to turn back Nick Price. In all, Ballesteros won five majors, adding two Masters titles to his three British Opens, while collecting 65 titles worldwide. His magical short game led him to six European Tour Vardon trophies for low scoring average.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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But in assessing Ballesteros\u2019 career, we can\u2019t overlook his larger impact on golf. Seve was more than a great player. He was Europe\u2019s version of Arnold Palmer, putting a sport on his back and selling it to an entire continent. Almost singlehandedly, Seve made the Ryder Cup an event, transforming a low-key, American-dominated series of exhibitions into one of the greatest spectacles in sports. In fact, Seve\u2019s finest hour may have come not with a golf club in hand, but a walkie-talkie. Because of his legacy and influence, the Ryder Cup was held for the first time on mainland Europe in 1997, at Spain\u2019s Valderrama Golf Club. As non-playing captain, Seve was the fire that ignited the European team against a heavily favored American team. Ballesteros, one of the greatest match-play golfers in history, willed his team to an historic win without firing a shot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Ballesteros File<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Winner of five major championships (2 Masters, 3 British Opens)<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Winner of 50 European Tour events, six European Tour Vardon Trophies for low scoring average<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Earned 20 Ryder Cup points in 37 career matches<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Phil<\/strong><\/p>\n

10. Phil Mickelson<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tagged from the beginning as the Next Nicklaus, Mickelson has always lived with massive expectations, some of them self-imposed, and Phil’s failures are almost as celebrated as his many successes. But there have been plenty of successes \u2014 44 PGA Tour wins (ninth all time) and five majors, including three Masters. He’s also recorded a record six runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open, but that only adds to his everyman appeal. His jaw-dropping 66 in the final round of the 2013 British Open on baked, windswept Muirfield joins the ranks of the greatest rounds in major championship history and vaulted Phil the Thrill into our top 10. As long as he continues to play the U.S. Open, hope remains alive for a\u00a0career Grand Slam, which would be a remarkable achievement for a guy who suffered through countless crushing disappointments just to win his first major.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Mickelson File<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Winner of five major championships (3 Masters, 1 British Open, 1 PGA Championship)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 One of only 8 players with as many as three Masters wins<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 One of only 15 men to hold at least three legs of the career Grand Slam<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Runner-up at the U.S. Open a record six times<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 20 top-3 finishes, 35 top-10 finishes at major championships<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Winner of 44 PGA Tour events, 9th all time<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Remains last amateur to win on the PGA Tour (1991 Northern Telecom Open)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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No. 9: Gene Sarazen<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s a shame, really, that Gene Sarazen is remembered primarily for a single shot, when he meant so much more than that to the game. But what a shot it was. It was his first Masters, 1935. He trailed Craig Wood by three shots on the final day when he came to Augusta\u2019s No. 15, a par-5 that is reachable in two shots. His tee shot left him some 220 yards from the flag. The story goes that as he stood in the 15th<\/sup> fairway, he turned to his caddie, Stovepipe, and said, \u201cShould I play it safe?\u201d \u201cNoooo. Go for it,\u201d was Stovepipe\u2019s response. Knowing he needed to get the ball in the air to carry the small creek guarding the front of the green, Sarazen pulled out his 4-wood and promptly made history, holing his shot for a double eagle that put him in a playoff with Wood, which he won. And Bobby Jones\u2019 little gathering in Augusta was never the same.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sarazen won his first professional title at the age of 19 and never looked back, winning 37 more times in a career that spanned more than four decades. He became the first member of golf\u2019s modern Career Grand Slam club with his Masters win, which he added to his two U.S. Open titles (1922, 1932), his three PGA Championships (1922, 1923 and 1933) and his 1932 British Open win. After 66 years, only four other players \u2014 Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods \u2014 have joined that elite group. He even impacted the way the game is played. Sarazen is widely credited with the invention of the sand wedge in the early 1930s.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Sarazen File<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Winner of seven major titles and a career Grand Slam<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Owner of 38 career PGA titles<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Inventor of the sand wedge<\/strong>
\n\u2022 AP Male Athlete of the Year in 1932<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Won his second U.S. Open (1932) by playing the last 28 holes in an incredible 100 strokes in one of the great performances in golf history<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Struck the Shot Heard Round the World, his 4-wood that nestled in the hole for a double eagle at Augusta National\u2019s No. 15<\/strong><\/p>\n

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8. Gary Player<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Before Seve Ballesteros, before Greg Norman, before Ernie Els, there was Gary Player, golf\u2019s first great international ambassador. Before the diminutive South African packed his wife and kids and a few suitcases and set out on his five-decade international odyssey, golf was primarily dominated by British and American players. Then along came the little man in black. Over a career than began in the mid-1950s, Player has logged more air miles than the Space Shuttle, and he has saved many of his greatest achievements for his trips to the States.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Using an unprecedented commitment to physical fitness (for golf, anyway) and an unmatched work ethic, Player has fashioned a remarkable career that has seen him win well over 150 tournaments worldwide, including nine major championships. He is one of only five players to own all four of golf\u2019s modern majors, and one of only four players \u2014 Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo are the others \u2014 to have won the Masters and the British Open three times apiece.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Augusta was the scene of his greatest win. It was 1978, and Player hadn\u2019t won a major championship in four years. His career seemed to be in decline, and he found himself seven shots out of the lead heading into the final round of the Masters. The 42-year-old Player proceeded to catch fire. Playing well ahead of the leaders, Player blistered Augusta National with a final-round 64, then waited as the leaders faltered down the stretch, giving him his third green jacket. His 64 remains the greatest final-round Masters performance in history, matched in drama only by Nicklaus\u2019 sixth Masters title eight years later.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Player File<\/strong>
\n\u2022 One of five players \u2014 Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods are the others \u2014 to own a career Grand Slam.<\/strong>
\n\u2022 One of four players \u2014 Nicklaus, Woods and Nick Faldo are the others \u2014 to have won the Masters and British Open three times each.<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Recorded wins on the PGA or Senior Tours in a record five decades \u2014 the 1950s, \u201960s, \u201970s, \u201980s and \u201990s.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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7. Tom Watson<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Watson won eight majors and dominated golf\u2019s oldest tournament, the British Open, like no one else, winning five times in a nine-year span and coming close to a historic sixth win in 2009 at age 59. Like Trevino, he won four memorable duels with Jack Nicklaus in major championships, including the 1977 British Open, the greatest head-to-head duel in golf history. Watson and Nicklaus so distanced themselves from the rest of the field on that baked, windswept surface that Hubert Green, who finished third, remarked, \u201cI won the tournament I was playing. I don\u2019t know what tournament they were playing.\u201d For the weekend, Nicklaus shot 65-66 \u2014 and lost. Watson\u2019s 65-65 gave him his second British Open title.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In 2009, Watson was the beloved elder statesman at the British Open at Turnberry, the sentimental choice of an emotional and appreciative crowd that very nearly willed him to the most improbable win in the history of golf\u2019s most storied tournament. But instead of Nicklaus accompanying him down the 18th<\/sup> fairway, he had four days of fatigue, crushing pressure and the hopes of a watching world weighing him down. Standing over the eight-foot par putt that would have provided an improbable capper to his Hall of Fame career, his 59-year-old nerves finally betrayed him. \u201cIt would have been a hell of a story, wouldn’t it? It would have been a hell of a story,\u201d he said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t to be. And yes, it\u2019s a great disappointment. It tears at your gut, as it always has torn at my gut. It\u2019s not easy to take.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

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But Watson’s triumphs far outnumber his disappointments. His Augusta exploits are overshadowed by his dominance at the British Open, but between 1975 and 1988, no one was better at The Masters \u2014 two wins, three runner-ups and 12 top-10 finishes. He outdueled Nicklaus at the 1982 U.S. Open on the strength of one of the greatest shots in golf history \u2014 his chip-in on the 71st hole that led to a two-shot win, perhaps the most satisfying of his 39 career wins.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Watson file<\/strong>
\n\u2022 39 career PGA Tour wins, including eight major championships<\/strong>
\n\u2022 5 British Open wins, trailing only Harry Vardon<\/strong>
\n\u2022 6-time PGA Tour Player of the Year<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Made at least one cut per year from 1971\u20132007, a streak of 37 years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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6. Bobby Jones<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the Golden Age of sports, nobody shone brighter than Bobby Jones. Not Babe Ruth, not Red Grange, not Jack Dempsey. From 1923-30, a nation that was truly embracing sports on an epic scale watched in awe as Jones won everything in sight. Then, having no more worlds to conquer, he walked away from competitive golf, at age 28. No sports legend accomplished more in a shorter period of time, and no sports legend walked away at such a young age.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A golf prodigy at age 14, Jones really didn\u2019t find his game until the ripe old age of 20, when he began his remarkable run. He took the 1923 U.S. Open in an 18-hole playoff, then ripped off another 12 majors before calling it a career. His record of 13 major championships would stand for 40 years, before a youngster named Nicklaus came along.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Obviously, Jones\u2019 crowning achievement came in 1930 with his unprecedented and so far unduplicated Grand Slam. That year, Jones, bore the incredible weight of expectations. Fans and media fully expected him to sweep the majors, which at the time included the U.S. and British Opens and the U.S. and British Amateurs. His run to the Slam almost ended before it began, as Jones sweated out three one-up matches in the British Amateur. He won the British Open by two strokes, then took the U.S. Open by a similarly slim margin.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Only one leg was left, and it was the easiest. Jones waltzed to the U.S. Amateur Championship amid a contingent of Marine bodyguards, and the Slam was his. Less than two months later, Jones retired from competitive golf, his legend secure.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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But his contributions to the game didn\u2019t end. A few years later, he organized a gathering of friends that came to be known as the Masters. Jones was a fixture at Augusta each spring, but his golf was confined to the friendly kind. The Georgia Tech and Harvard graduate instead practiced law in Atlanta.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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His later years were unkind. He suffered from syringomyelia, a painful and crippling disease that confined him to a wheelchair and finally ended his life on Dec. 18, 1971. The legendary golf writer Herbert Warren Wind eulogized him this way: \u201cAs a young man, he was able to stand up to just about the best that life can offer, which is not easy, and later he stood up with equal grace to just about the worst.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Jones file<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Winner of the 1930 Grand Slam \u2014 the U.S. and British Opens and U.S. and British Amateurs<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Played in 31 majors, won 13 and finished in the top 10 27 times<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Founder of Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters<\/strong><\/p>\n

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5. Ben Hogan<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Brooding, temperamental, focused \u2014 Ben Hogan was not a charismatic figure who rallied the masses to follow the game a la Arnold Palmer. Instead, he was all about golf shots. The Hawk remains the greatest shotmaker golf has ever produced. Rather than relying on today\u2019s technologically advanced equipment, Hogan used an uncanny ability to control the flight of his ball to win nine majors \u2014 and a greater percentage of majors entered than even Jack Nicklaus. To\u00a0 Hogan, \u201cthe Hawk,\u201d \u201cBantam Ben,\u201d who was 5\u20197\u201d, 140 pounds when he was at the peak of his game, striking a ball well was more important than scoring.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Hogan\u2019s life was one struggle after another. The early years, when Hogan couldn\u2019t control the hook. The later years, when he battled back from a terrible 1949 auto crash that nearly killed him. But he never gave in or gave out until suffering a major stroke after his mind and his body had been ravaged by Alzheimer\u2019s and colon cancer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Others played a golf course; Hogan studied it. He didn\u2019t write down yardages. He interpreted them. \u201cI have to feel a shot,\u201d he said. He squinted from under that familiar white hat, surveyed the land, reached into a bag held by a caddy usually afraid to utter a word and then made that flat, repetitive swing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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He is one of five players to win all of the Grand Slam events. In 1953, he became the first to win as many as three majors in one year, the Masters and both Opens. He didn\u2019t enter the PGA that year, fearing his legs weren\u2019t up to the challenge. The \u201953 British Open at Carnoustie, the only British Open he entered, would be his last major.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Hogan\u2019s last tournament was the 1971 Houston Champions International. Playing poorly, bothered by a sprained knee, 58-year-old Ben Hogan walked off the course during the first round and never played again. \u201cI liked to win,\u201d Hogan said, \u201cbut more than anything I loved to play the way I wanted to play.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Hogan File<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Winner of 64 PGA Tour events, including 9 majors<\/strong>
\n\u2022 One of five players to possess a modern career Grand Slam<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Only player to win Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in same year<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Also a towering figure in equipment manufacturing and golf instruction<\/strong><\/p>\n

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4. Arnold Palmer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There have been better players with prettier swings. But there has never been a more important golfer than the King, Arnold Palmer. He quadrupled purses, brought golf away from the country clubs and into our living rooms, and assembled an Army of devoted followers. He won \u2014 and lost \u2014 with more flair than any other athlete.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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From 1958 to 1968, Palmer reigned amid the azaleas and pines of Augusta National, where Arnie\u2019s Army first mustered. With the lone exception of 1963, he was in contention at every Masters during that epic stretch, winning four times, finishing second twice, third once and fourth twice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Although he made his reputation at The Masters \u2014 and made the tournament what it is today \u2014 it was the 1960 U.S. Open that truly captured the King at the peak of his powers. The leaderboard on that final day included a chubby 20-year-old amateur named Jack Nicklaus. It included a legend \u2014 the Hawk, Ben Hogan. The third member of this historic trio lit a cigarette, stalked to the tee of the 318-yard, par-4 first hole at Cherry Hills and drove the green on his way to a historic final-round 65, erasing a seven-stroke deficit for the greatest comeback in Open history.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Palmer File<\/strong>
\n\u2022 60 PGA Tour wins<\/strong>
\n\u2022 7 Major Championships<\/strong>
\n\u2022 4-time PGA Tour money champ<\/strong>
\n\u2022 1st PGA Tour millionaire<\/strong>
\n\u2022 15 consecutive years with at least one victory<\/strong><\/p>\n

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3. Sam Snead<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If winning is the standard for determining excellence, there is no greater player in golf history than Sam Snead. Using a smooth, syrupy swing that looked as natural and effortless as breathing, Slammin\u2019 Sammy won more golf tournaments than any other player \u2014 a staggering total of 82\u00a0PGA Tour titles, and anywhere from 135 to 165 victories worldwide, depending on whom you ask. He posted wins in four different decades, from the 1936 West Virginia Closed Pro to the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open (his eighth title in that event), when he was 52 years old.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Snead won three Masters, including a 1954 playoff triumph over friend and rival Ben Hogan. He won three PGA Championships and a British Open.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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There is one hole in the Slammer\u2019s resume that prevents him from staking a legitimate claim to being the greatest player in history. Somehow, Snead never won the one tournament that seemingly should have been his by birthright. He never won a U.S. Open. But his near-tragic failures at the Open do not diminish his accomplishments.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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His swing was such an efficient device that it served him well into his golden years and remains the gold standard for golf swings. In 1979, he offered golf fans one final glimpse of his greatness, as he became the first player to score below his age, shooting 67 and 66 in the Quad Cities Open at the age of 67. By then, and for the rest of his life, Snead was a beloved ambassador and advocate for the game.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Snead File<\/strong>
\n\u2022 A record 82 PGA Tour wins, spanning 1936 to 1965<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Seven major championships, including three Masters and three PGA Championships<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Oldest player to win, make a cut and shoot his age in PGA Tour history<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Posted top 10s in majors in five different decades<\/strong><\/p>\n

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2. Jack Nicklaus<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Nicklaus brought out greatness in his opponents \u2014 Palmer, Player, Watson, Trevino. But more importantly, he made golf a greater game through his physical skill and strength, his mental toughness, his sustained level of excellence and his genius for strategically dismantling golf courses around the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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You know the litany of accomplishments. 18 major championships, more than Hogan and Palmer combined. A mind-boggling 37 top twos in majors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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And lest we think the Tour of the 21st Century outshines the Tour in Jack\u2019s prime, consider this: Nicklaus fought many of the game\u2019s greatest at their very peak and beat them all. And when he didn\u2019t beat them, he coaxed their very best out of them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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As if to prove the point, at age 46, Nicklaus was able to muster enough of his old-time wizardry to outduel names like Ballesteros, Kite, Norman \u2014 all of them at the peak of their powers \u2014 to win his sixth Masters in 1986 in one of the greatest sports moments of all time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In his golden years, the Golden Bear has continued to shape the game with his prolific golf course design company.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Nicklaus File<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Winner of 73 PGA Tour events, including a record 18 major championships<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Winner of a record six Masters<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Finished in top 5 in majors a record 56 times, in the top 10 a record 73 times<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Posted lowest scoring average on Tour eight times<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Won PGA Tour money title eight times<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Won at least two PGA Tour events in 17 consecutive seasons (1962-78)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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1. Tiger Woods<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In April 1997, Woods began a trajectory that led him directly to the top of this list. He so dominated the most storied and tradition-steeped tournament in golf that the sport was changed forever. We all remember the Masters-record 18-under par total that Woods shot in his first Masters as a pro. We remember his incredible 12-shot margin of victory. (Runner-up Tom Kite\u2019s 282 total would have been good enough to win 17 previous Masters, but it only got him within 12 shots of Tiger.) We remember the way his mammoth drives turned the par-5s into pitch-and-putts. What many people don\u2019t remember about the 1997 Masters is how badly Tiger started the tournament. On the front nine on Thursday, Woods went out in 40, leaving him 4-over par. That, apparently, is when the stars aligned and the golf gods smiled. Over the next 63 holes, Woods swept through Augusta National like a tornado, toying with the course and demoralizing the greatest players in the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Tiger\u2019s runaway, far from putting a crimp into the television ratings, instead gave golf its greatest ratings winner to date. In 1996, before Woods turned pro, the ratings were 9.2 on Sunday. In 1997, when Woods won, the number jumped to 14.1.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The rest, as they say, is history \u2014 15 major championships, 82 PGA Tour wins, the lowest career scoring average in PGA Tour history, 10 Player of the Year awards, and, yes, scandal and disgrace. But the impact and the level of achievement are undeniable and unprecedented. Quite simply, at his best, Woods has played the game better than it’s ever been played. And now that he’s won the long-awaited 15th major, Jack’s record of 18 is back in play. Don’t ever count him out.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Woods File<\/strong>
\n\u2022 82 PGA Tour wins, tied for most all-time with\u00a0Sam Snead<\/strong>
\n\u2022 15 major championships, second all-time to Jack Nicklaus<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Only player ever to win four consecutive majors<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Lowest scoring average in PGA Tour history<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Scoring average of 67.79 in 2000 the lowest single-season average in Tour history<\/strong>
\n\u2022 PGA Tour Player of the Year a record 10 times<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Career achievements<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Woods has won 82 official PGA Tour<\/a> events, including 15 majors<\/a>. He is 14\u20131 when going into the final round of a major with at least a share of the lead. Multiple golf experts have heralded Woods as “the greatest closer in history”.<\/sup> He owns the lowest career scoring average and the most career earnings of any player in PGA Tour history.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Woods’s victory at the 2013 Players Championship<\/a> also marked a win in his 300th PGA Tour<\/a> start.\u00a0 He also won golf tournaments in his 100th<\/a> (in 2000) and 200th<\/a> (in 2006) tour starts.<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

Woods has spent the most consecutive and cumulative weeks atop the world rankings. He is one of five players (along with Gene Sarazen<\/a>, Ben Hogan<\/a>, Gary Player<\/a>, and Jack Nicklaus<\/a>) to have won all four major championships in his career, known as the Career Grand Slam, and was the youngest to do so. <\/sup> Woods is the only player to have consecutively won all four major championships open to professionals, accomplishing the feat in the 2000\u20132001 seasons.<\/strong><\/p>\n