Golf has gradually become one of the world’s most popular sports, and consequently, so did golfers. Golf has brought these professional players wealth as the prize pools are relatively large compared to other sports. Current golfers have the forerunners to thank for paving the way. Here are some of the most famous golf players of all time.
Tiger Woods
When thinking of golf legends, Tiger Woods would probably be the first one to enter your mind. But also, Woods grew more renowned for being an African American player in a sport dominated by white people. Other than being a professional golfer, he’s a famous endorser as well.
Being one of the all-time top golfers, Tiger Woods earned more than $120,000,000 just from playing golf. In addition to his golf earnings, he also earned over $1.5 billion in appearances, endorsements, and golf course designs.
Woods was recognized as the first player to consecutively bag four of the major golf tournaments: British Open, U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and
Masters, after winning the last one in 2001.
Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus, also known as The Golden Bear, is globally considered to be the best golfer. His lengthy and impressive [professional career began in 1962 after winning the U.S. Open at Oakmont, Pennsylvania. However, what made it more special was defeating Arnold Palmer in his domain when Palmer was still considered as the King. Nicklaus won his first Masters tournament in 1963 with just one stroke and won his second one by nine strokes in 1965.
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson, also known as Lefty, made a name for himself from the ’90s to the early 2000s after dominating the PGA Tour. He was a constituent of the Top 50 Official World Golf Ranking for 25 years and was part of the top 10 for over 700 weeks. The highest rank he reached was Top 2 at the peak of his career.
Ben Hogan
As a man of conviction and courage, Hogan’s earlier years took a devastating turn. However, he kept persevering and eventually received the fruit of his labors. It took Hogan almost a decade after turning professional before achieving his first major win. Nevertheless, he won five of six tournaments, which includes three Majors in 1953.
In 1946, he proved his right to be called one of the greatest golfers in history for achieving 13 wins in one year. His victories include the U.S. Open Championship, New Orleans Open, Phoenix Open, Golden State Open, Masters Tournament, and Richmond Invitational.
Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones, a lawyer, was among the most legendary golf players. In addition, he was recognized as the most prolific amateur player who made it to both national and international tournaments. From 1923 to 1930, Jone, who was at the height of his career, played in amateur competitions, shocking the world for beating some of the best professional golfers.
He won his first major golf competition when he was 14 years old, which grabbed the attention of the United States Golf Association. And in turn, it resulted in an invite to play at the U.S. Amateur.
One of his career highlights was in 1930 after winning the four major tournaments: U.S. Amateur, Amateur Championship, Open Championship, and U.S. Open. Jones also became the team captain of the U.S. national golf team, representing the country in the Walker Cup five times.
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer is many things to a lot of people— from being a businessman to a pilot. He joined Woods, Snead, and Nicklaus in the ranks of the best and esteemed golfers in history. He has won several of the most reputable golf tournaments in the world, from Masters to PGA.
Along with his championship trophies, Arnold Palmer also received several prestigious awards, which cemented his status as one of the top 10 golfers in history. The recognition he received includes Sport’s Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, World Golf Hall of Fame, American Golf Hall of Fame, 2009 Congressional Gold Medal, and the 2004 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Sam Snead
Samuel Jackson Snead, admired for his perfect swing, is one of the top 10 golf players of all time. His excellent swing has been subjected to lots of imitations. As a result, he received a few nicknames; this includes The Slammer and The Long Ball Hitter from West Virginia. Snead was a caddy first, and he then earned his way to the top.
Winning the Great Greensboro Open eight times cemented his standing as a contender for the best golf player in history. He was also the first golf player to record 17 wins in just one event, the West Virginia Open.
Gary Player
Gary Player, known as The Black Knight, won 167 global professional tournaments, making him one of the best golfers in history. He was also among the five golf greats to win the Grand Slam.