5 most successful golfers of all time
Over the years, there have been quite a few successful golfers. Golf has been around for a long time, with many estimating the first version of the game to be played in the 15th century. The PGA Tour, on the other hand, has been around for about 90 years.
Over those 90 years, they've been the premier golf league. LIV Golf has sprung up recently, but it doesn't quite compare and it's one of the few alternative golf leagues to even get any traction.
As a result, the PGA Tour has seen its fair share of incredible golfers, but which golfers (from any league) have been the most successful? Here's the answer.
Which golfers have been the most successful?
#5 Walter Hagen
Hagen began golfing a long time ago and is one of the oldest golfers on this list. He was born in 1892 and had a successful run in golf. His 11 professional Majors is third all-time and he has 45 total wins, which places him eighth all time. Simply put, he had a dominant run of success, and is easily one of the most accomplished athletes this game has seen yet.
An argument can be made that the game wasn't as difficult or that the competition simply wasn't all that steep when Hagen was golfing, but his stats and accomplishments speak for themselves.
#4 Ben Hogan
Hogan's nine professional Majors sit right behind Hagen's. He's fourth all time in that category, but also fourth all time in wins with 64. Hogan was born in 1912, so he began golfing in the 1930s, a little bit before Hagen stopped playing. His run of success succeeded Hagen's and is every bit as impressive if not more.
#3 Sam Snead
Snead was a golfer around the same era as the previous two entries on this list. He had a winning span from 1936 to 1965. His 82 total wins rank tied for first all time, so he was clearly one of the best to do it. He also has seven professional Major wins, which is seventh all time.
He's tied for the top spot on the leaderboard thanks to his sheer dominance, but regardless of which metric is used, Snead is one of the greatest to ever do it.
#2 Jack Nicklaus
When it comes to discussing the greatest golfer ever, Jack Nicklaus always comes up in the conversation. That's for good reason, because Nicklaus has more professional Majors wins than anyone else. His 18 are unrivaled and it doesn't look like anyone is going to catch him any time soon.
Not to be outdone, he also has 73 total wins, which is good for third all time. Many people consider him to be the best to ever do it, and there's plenty of evidence to back that claim up.
#1 Tiger Woods
However, Tiger Woods is also widely considered the best golfer of all time. Of all golfers, he has the most wins with 82, tied with Snead. He also has 15 professional Majors to his name - the second most ever.
Woods is probably not going to win any more Majors at this stage in his career, especially with his health issues, so he'll stay second all time. That's nothing to sneeze at, though, and his total wins are still top of the world.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the views of the author.