The Top Five Golfers In History
Top five winning golfers on PGA Tour, have you ever stopped to think who they might be? Some of the obvious names will probably pop into your head pretty quickly, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Those two golfers are definitely on the list, but who else is and what order do they rank? This list is not a fixed list because Tiger is still an active player and adding to his win total every year. Here is the list to date in the order of numbers of victories starting with number one down to number five.
Number One on the list is Sam Snead with a total of 82 official PGA Tour victories he claims to have over 140 victories worldwide. Snead was born May 27, 1912, in Ashwood, VA. For the sake of simplicity we are counting only official tour victories for all these great players. Sam’s career stretched out over a fifty years as an active competitor on Tour. Sam was a truly gifted athlete not just a great golfer; in high school he ran the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds flat. Well into in his later years he could still kick the top of a seven foot door from a dead standstill. Sam Snead won three Masters, three PGA’s and the British Open in 1946 at St. Andrews. He led the money list three times, won the Vardon Trophy four times, and played on seven Ryder Cup teams. The one major he didn’t win was the U.S. Open finishing second four times once missing a 30” putt on the final hole of a playoff. Sam is the oldest player to ever win on tour 52 years and 10 months the age when he won the Greater Greensboro Open for the eight time. He was forth in the PGA Championship at age 60 in 1972, third in 1974 at age 62.
Number two on the list is Edrick “Tiger” Woods with a total of 74 victories and counting. Woods was born December 30, 1975, in Cypress, CA. Tiger’s accomplishments are well documented and most people would be able to recall them because he is still a current player on tour. Tiger was a child prodigy wining 3 Junior U.S. Amateurs in a row followed by 3 US Amateurs from 1994 through 1996. Some of his accomplishments are four Masters, three U.S. Opens, three British Opens, and four PGA Championships. Nine time PGA Tour money leader, eight time PGA Vardon Trophy winner, ten times PGA Player of the year. He was a member of seven Presidents Cup Teams, seven Ryder Cup Teams. Tiger has many records on tour, youngest ever to achieve the career grand slam winner in 2000, at the age of 25. Youngest winner of the Masters at age 21 years, three months, 14 days. Woods was the youngest (15) ever to win the Junior U.S. Amateur and the youngest (18) to win the U.S. Amateur. Only time will tell can if he can overtake Sam Snead as the player with the most wins on tour.
Number three on the list is none other than Jack Nicklaus with 73 victories on the PGA Tour. Nicklaus was born January 21, 1940, in Columbus, OH. Jacks accomplishments are mind numbing to even think about but where Jack excelled was the major championships. With 18 professional majors to his credit (2-U.S. Amateurs not included), a record six Masters, record tying four U.S. Opens, three British Opens and record tying five PGA’s. He completed the career grand slam three full cycles. Jack was also a child prodigy, at the age of sixteen he won the Ohio State Open, three years later he won the U.S. Amateur for the first time, backed that up with another victory 1961 at the famed Pebble Beach course. Nicklaus’s game was built to win major championships where conditions are the most penile. Jack became the longest controlled driver of the golf ball hitting that high controlled fade. A devastating long iron player and reliable putting stroke that was extra deadly inside of six feet. That was a deadly duo ideally designed to take on those narrow fairways and rock hard greens. Nicklaus won the money list eight times and twice while only playing in sixteen tournaments. One of Jack’s most memorable victories came at the 1986 Masters when at the age of 46 he scorched Augusta National with a final round of 65, which included a blistering 30 on the back side with a typical Nicklaus charge. One of Jack’s accomplishments which often go overlooked was that he finished second 19 times in major’s championships. Jack always gave credit to the victor and win or lose he did it with dignity.
Number four on the list is Ben Hogan with 64 victories on the PGA Tour. Hogan was born August 13, 1912, in Dublin TX. Hogan had a code: work, study, endure-that he never betrayed. Hogan won his first tournament in 1939 at the Hershey Four Ball and the last the 1959 Colonial. He won nine majors and is one of only five men to win the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open and the PGA at least once. In 1953, he won all three majors he played in, missing the PGA because the dates conflicted with his only journey to the British Open. Hogan won the U.S. Open four times and never finished out of the top 10 at any U.S. Open. Hogan was a slight man 5’-7” tall weighing 140 pounds but was still a long hitter for those days because of his strong hook swing. Hogan didn’t really take off until he found secret move in his golf swing, he weakened his grip and changed to the power fade which gave him the game to compete in the majors. Hogan was on top of the golf world until February 2, 1949 when a Greyhound bus crossed the center divider crash head onto to Hogan and is wife, Valarie. Hogan nearly died and suffered permanent leg injuries, unbelievably; Hogan won the 1950 U.S. Open the next year. Hogan’s best years were still ahead of him; in 1951 he won the Masters for the first time and the U.S. Open. In 1953, he had his greatest year, winning his second Masters, his fourth U.S. Open and his only British Open. Hogan played his last official event in 1971.
Last but not least and anyway number five on the list is Arnold Palmer with 62 victories on the PGA Tour. Palmer was born September 10, 1929, in Latrobe PA. Known to most people as “The King” Palmer did more than pretty much anyone to grow the game of golf in the 1960’s in the age of Television. Palmer was so well liked he even had his own army “Arnie’s Army”. It became famous do to those back nine charges through the field on a Sunday afternoon. Palmer won seven major championships, four Masters, one U.S. Open and two British Opens. He led the PGA Tour’s money list four times, and in 1963 became the first player to win more than $100,000 in one season. He played on six Ryder Cup teams, and was the winning captain for two teams. Palmer’s defeats were almost as dramatic as his victories; he lost the Masters by one stroke when he double bogeyed the last hole. He lost three U.S. Opens in playoffs, the last one in 1966 to Billy Casper when Palmer blew a seven stroke advantage on the back nine at The Olympic Club. Palmer’s best finish in the PGA Championship was second, three times, which kept him from attaining the career Grand Slam. Arnold to this day is a figurehead for the game of golf still loved by all his fans, and makes new ones every day.
These are the top five wining male players of all time in the game of golf. All of them are Hall of Famers or soon to be. The only story left to be told is whether or not Tiger will surpass Snead’s all time win record and Nicklaus’s major victory totals.
By Mike Hallee “History With Hallee“
