In every sport, one of the most exciting – and endless- debates is to name the very best players of all time. Professional sports, as we know them, started throughout the 20th century, which means there is a significant number of athletes and the historic conditions changed. In football, it’s getting hard to compare Pele with Ronaldo, not to mention pre-war talent, basically un-heard of today (have you ever heard about Josef Bican?).
Golf is no different. If you consider that the sport’s origins can be traced back to 1457, it is impossible to define. But let’s take what is measurable: the 20th century. The site Bleacher Report tried to c
reate a 10-best list.
- Gary Player: 9 Majors wins, 24 PGA Tour wins
- Tom Watson: 8 Majors, 39 PGA Tour wins
- Byron Nelson: 5 Majors, 52 PGA Tour wins
- Arnold Palmer: 7 Majors, 62 PGA Tour wins
- Sam Snead: 7 Majors, 82 PGA Tour wins
- Bobby Jones: 7 Majors, 9 PGA Tour. Retired in 1930, when he won the pre-Masters Grand Slam in a single year.
- Walter Hegan: 11 Majors, 45 PGA Tour wins
- Ben Hogan: 9 Majors, 64 PGA Tour wins
- Tiger Woods: 14 Majors, 79 PGA Tour
- Jack Nicklaus: 18 Majors, 73 PGA Tour wins