Top 10 best Male Golfers of all time
Golf’s origins can be traced to Scotland in the 15th century, and over the ages, there have been sportsmen who have excelled at the game and are regarded as legends due to their unique biographies and career-long successes. After considering that, you could wonder: “Who is the best golfer of all time?” I have listed the top 10 golfers of all time and emphasized each one’s professional achievements.
Top 10 best Male Golfer all the time
1- Tiger Woods
Best Male Golfers
At the age of 24, Woods became the golfer to achieve the title of youngest golfer and completed the career grand slam (1997 Masters, 1999 PGA Championship, 2000 U.S. Open, and 2000 Open Championship). He became the only golfer to hold all four major trophies at once when he won the 2001 Masters a few months later. At the 2019 Masters, where he defeated several prominent competitors to win by one stroke and won his most recent major championship. Woods had not achieved a major victory in 11 years. With 15 major championships wins overall during his professional career. Woods is second to Jack Nicklaus, who now owns the record with 18. Moreover, Woods has 81 PGA Tour victories to his credit.
First Ever Billion Dollar Athlete
Woods overcame his closest rivals Michael Jordan and Michael Schumacher to become the first billion-dollar athlete by winning the $10 million FedEx Cup championship in 2009. When he turned pro in 1996, Nike offered him a record-setting $40 million contract. His sprint to $1 billion was solidified when he entered 2009 with an estimated $895 million in career earnings. Then, he earned more than $100 million in off-course profits, the FedEx Cup bonus, and $10.5 million in prize money, making his sports business history.
2- Jack Nicklaus
Best Male Golfers
The “Golden Bear,” as he is affectionately nicknamed, is widely regarded as the best golfer in the world. He has won 18 Major Championships, the most of any player won, and 73 PGA Tour victories. Tiger Woods is the only golfer who is frequently compared to Mr. Nicklaus. Moreover, he has the most top 10 finishes (73 time), as well as 56 times top 5 finishes.
But there has always been a discussion on analyst desks, among golf media journalists, critics, and golf enthusiasts. Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus: Who is the best? On paper, Jack Nicklaus is unquestionably more consistent than Tiger over a longer period of time, and his performance in major tournaments proves that. So far, Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer who has ever lived.
3- Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan was a legendary golfer who is widely discussed with other golf’s top names like Tiger Woods, Walter Hagen, and Jack Nicklaus. He is recognized for his “golf swing philosophy” and ball-striking skills and is regarded as one of the finest players in the game’s history. Throughout the course of his career, he wrote a golf instructional book called “Five Lessons: The Modern Foundations of Golf,” which is still widely used by beginners and experts. He was a strong perfectionist with an iron will who had a profound impact on sports and left a lasting legacy.
4- Walter Hagen
Walter Hagen forever altered the golf landscape. He had a significant impact on improving the status of the golf professional. His flair and technique contributed to the initial stage in golf’s popularity in America. Hagen had a vital role in the Ryder Cup’s early years. He was the first golfer born in America to win the Open Championship. He also has won 11 major titles which ranks third in PGA Tour history.
Hagen earned 45 victories in different contests that are now acknowledged as official victories on the PGA Tour. By the time Hagen’s career came to an end, that number was undoubtedly the highest; it currently hits in the Top 10 of all victories on the PGA Tour.
5- Sam Snead
Names like Nicklaus, Jones, Hagen, Hogan, and Woods immediately come to mind when considering the best golfers in history.
The overall major championship victory a player has earned throughout his career is one factor that is looked, when evaluating the excellence of a player’s career.
While analyzing a player’s career, it is essential to take their total number of major victories into account. Majors are commonly considered as the most difficult test of golf there is. Every top golfer on the globe participates in them, and they play on the most difficult courses.
But, there are situations when we place too much emphasis on a player’s overall number of major victories and neglect to take into account their multiple other victories, most notably the number of PGA Tour events they have won. When looking at the list of names most previously recognized as being the best golfers of all time, this is the fundamental reason why a player like Sam Snead has been lost in history. On another ranking, which receives far less attention, Snead’s name does appear at the very top.
With 82 victories over the course of a 30-year career, Sam Snead holds the record for the most PGA Tour victories ever.
To put that performance into perspective, Snead has 73 more career victories than Bobby Jones, who more or less retired from professional play at the age of 28, but has 9 more victories than Jack Nicklaus, 18 more than Ben Hogan, 38 more than Hagan, and 58 more victories than Gary Player.
6- Arnold Palmer
One of the most talented and famous golfers in history was Arnold Palmer. Beginning in the 1950s, he contributed to the expansion of golf’s appeal. Palmer won 62 times on the PGA Tour before going on to win 10 more times on the Champions Tour after turning 50. Prior to joining the PGA Tour, Palmer only achieved one major amateur victory, the 1954 U.S. Amateur. Palmer won seven major championships while playing professionally, including the British Open in 1961 and 1962, the U.S. Open in 1960, and The Masters in 1958, 1960, 1962, and 1964.
7- Bobby Jones
One of the legends in golf’s history is Bobby Jones. He co-founded Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters. He is the only golfer with a single-season “Grand Slam” to his name. He was also the most successful player of the 1920s. He also found time to pursue a law degree and engage in legal work.
He participated in 31 tournaments and finished as a winner and runner up for more than half of the tournaments.
Amazingly, nine of Bobby’s 13 years of significant competition were spent as a high school or college student. At that time, he participated in 52 events (four on average per year), and won 23 of them. His putter, which he called Calamity Jane, was created in Scotland prior to 1900 and quickly became popular. Even Jeannie Deans, his driver’s name, was used.
In the British and U.S. Amateurs, as well as the British and U.S. Opens, Bobby Jones won all seven of his professional major titles (while competing as an amateur).
8- Gary Player
Golfer from South Africa named Gary Player is regarded as one of the sport’s all time best. He achieved the “Grand Slam of Golf,” which consists of the PGA championship, the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the British Open, being the only non-American to do so. He is one of the most successful players in the game, with a career spanning almost six decades and more than 160 victories on six different continents.
He began playing golf in his teen age, and each victory drove his desire to rise to the top of the sport. He became a professional at the age of 17, and four years later, he was a member of the PGA tour. He is frequently referred to as Mr. Fitness and is well-known for the strict diet and training regimen he adheres to. He is admired not only for being a great golfer, but also for being an incredible human being. He is well known not only for his successes on the golf course, but also for being a man of morals and values.
9- Tom Watson
American golfer Thomas Watson performs professionally. He gained his greatest fame when actively playing on the PGA Tour in the 1970s and 1980s. Watson was one of the top golfers during this time and even received the top player in the world ranking. Tom Watson is clearly not a force to be reckoned with, that is obvious.
The six-time PGA Player of the Year award, which led to Watson’s in 1988 to get into the World Golf Hall of Fame, is his most notable success. He won his 39th PGA championship ten years later, and the following year, he joined the Champions tour. Throughout his professional career, Watson has amassed a total 70 professional victories, which is really outstanding. He was noted for his putting and chipping skills in terms of talent.
10- Byron Nelson
One of the top golfers in the 1930s and 1940s was Byron Nelson. Who took an early retirement but remained the member of golf community through PGA tour into the twenty-first century. He is frequently referred to as the pioneer of the modern golf swing and is regarded as one the best of the all-time.
In golf competitions that are now recognized as PGA Tour events, Nelson won 52 times. Nelson now holds the sixth-best career win total on the PGA Tour. Only seven golfers have won 50 or more PGA Tour events, including Nelson.
Five of those victories came in important championships. Nelson won the PGA Championship in 1940 and 1945, the U.S. Open in 1939, and The Masters in 1937 and 1942, respectively.