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Fore! Join us as we count down our picks for the most legendary players to ever set foot on the fairway! From pioneers who defined the sport's early era to modern-day icons who brought golf to the global stage, this list covers the best of the best. Whether you're a seasoned fan or a casual observer, these names are synonymous with greatness. Who do you think deserves the top spot?
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00:00Bobby Jones wasn't just a champion, he was the conscience of golf.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 greatest players
00:09to ever grace the sport of golf.
00:30This would be my year to break out and win my first major.
00:33Hailing from Northern Ireland, McElroy's illustrious career undoubtedly lands him amongst the
00:38greats of his sport.
00:39McElroy came from humble origins, but proved his talents early.
00:42As the story is told, he hit a 40-yard drive at the age of three.
00:46Rory, if you could go back in time and see yourself, what would you say?
00:50Keep believing.
00:51He went on to become the first European to complete a career Grand Slam, and the sixth
00:54man ever to achieve such a feat.
00:56Known for his aggressive, long drive, yet graceful, effortless swing, McElroy proves
01:00time and again that the process is as important as the end result.
01:04The shadow of a lifetime!
01:06Number 9.
01:07Tom Watson
01:08Winning at my age is a rarity.
01:11Tom Watson's reputation as one of the greatest Lynx players of all time has held up for decades
01:15now.
01:16Despite competing in an era alongside the legend Jack Nicklaus, Watson still managed to have
01:20an all-time level career, with eight majors including the Masters in 1977 and 1981.
01:30He even managed to stretch his shelf life way longer than expected, coming agonizingly
01:35close to becoming the oldest Masters winner of all time in 2000 at the age of 59.
01:40Over the eight-year period between 1975 and 1983, Watson won five Open Championships and
01:46even got the better of the mighty Nicklaus on occasion, proving his quality.
01:49Picks it clean with the eight-iron.
01:51Be right.
01:51Be right.
01:52Be right.
01:53Just a fabulous looking shot.
01:54Number 8.
01:55Walter Hagen
01:56In the 1920s, Walter Hagen was truly an unmissable attraction.
01:59He was the first American to win the British Open.
02:04He was a founding member of the PGA.
02:07He was a captain of the Ryder Cup team.
02:10I think he was a visionary.
02:12Even though some might question the strength of the game in that period of time relative
02:15to today, Hagen was still a standout player.
02:18His tally of 11 pro majors has only been beaten by Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, making him
02:23the third most decorated majors champion of all time.
02:25A flamboyant pioneer of modern professional golf.
02:29All sports need their pioneering figures, and to this day, Hagen is regarded as the father
02:33of professional golf.
02:34A man who brought much-needed publicity, money, and prestige to the game during an important
02:38time for its expansion.
02:39He was far from alone as the only great golfer of the 20s, but Hagen was certainly one of
02:43the very best of his time.
02:44In terms of a player, what he achieved was sensationalism.
02:48Number 7.
02:48Sam Snead
02:49The best golfer that I ever saw.
02:51Any conversation about Sam Snead should begin with the fact that he has a total of 82 PGA
02:56Tour wins.
02:57A tally that puts him up there with Tiger Woods for the most of all time.
03:00Snead won 7 majors, which caps off a top 10 worthy career.
03:03But on paper, the greatest thing about his run in the game was his longevity.
03:06Experts say that Snead has the smoothest swing of any golfer who ever lived.
03:11There were almost 30 years between his first ever PGA Tour victory and his last.
03:15You can't get a more concrete signifier of longevity than that.
03:18The only player to approach Snead's strength of schedule is Phil Mickelson.
03:21And he has only 45 PGA Tour wins in the same span of time.
03:24It's hard to imagine that we'll ever see someone quite like Sam Snead again.
03:28On the tee from USA, Sam Snead.
03:34Number 6.
03:35Gary Player
03:36One quick look at Gary Player's resume will be enough to tell you that he's in a very exclusive
03:40club of players.
03:41The young scratch golfer from South Africa put in countless hours and relentless hard work
03:46to become a worldwide champion.
03:47Of his 165 professional victories, 73 came on the South African Tour.
03:53His career total included 24 PGA Tour wins.
03:56He's one of only six modern era golfers to win all four majors.
04:00And he's in a group of four that have managed to win the Masters and the Open Championship
04:03three times each.
04:04His total of nine major championships put him in any greatest of all time conversation.
04:09But he also gave a lot to the sports community outside of his playing.
04:12Player struck a perfect nine iron that soared over the willow tree and the water to within
04:17a few feet of the hole.
04:25He was a course architect on over 400 projects worldwide.
04:28Wrote or co-wrote 36 books on the sport.
04:30And is considered a pioneer in golf fitness.
04:32As evidenced by his nickname, Mr. Fitness.
04:35That shot would decide the tournament as player hold his birdie putt.
04:38And claimed the Wanamaker Trophy by two strokes.
04:42Number five, Arnold Palmer.
04:43We can't hit a normal shot.
04:45So we're gonna have to go on the water.
04:47If you're looking for the first major superstar of golf in the television era.
04:50Arnold Palmer played a huge role in popularizing the sport.
04:53Having charisma is all well and good.
04:55But you also need to back it up in competition.
04:57Palmer was nicknamed the king for a reason folks.
04:59Here we go.
05:03He holds 62 victories on the PGA tour.
05:06The fifth highest of all time.
05:07And over the course of six exceptional years.
05:09Between 1958 and 1964.
05:11He took home four masters championships.
05:14He was a bold player.
05:15A daring golfer who was the perfect attraction for the masses.
05:18In an era when the sport truly needed it.
05:20And to this day he remains a top five all-timer in most people's books.
05:28There we go.
05:29And a one putt for a birdie.
05:32Number four, Bobby Jones.
05:33But several years ago I made a change in my putting grip which has helped me a great deal.
05:38If you'd like to try it I'd be very happy to show it to you.
05:40Bobby Jones was and is the most successful amateur golfer to ever play at both a national and international level.
05:46He had his best years between 1923 and 1930.
05:49And often made easy work of some of the game's best pros of the era.
05:52A little looseness in my knees.
05:54I don't try to putt with my body.
05:58But I never try to keep my body still.
06:01I like it to be free so it can move if the stroke demands it.
06:04But after taking home a legendary Grand Slam in 1930 he decided to retire at the age of 28.
06:09Jones only played golf part time and relied on his career as a lawyer for income.
06:13Perhaps his greatest contribution outside of his talent came in 1934 when he had a hand in creating the Masters
06:18Tournament.
06:19When all was said and done he bowed out of the sport gracefully after proving he was much better than
06:23his contemporaries.
06:24What I like to see is a long smooth unhurried stroke which literally sweeps a ball along the green.
06:32Number 3. Ben Hogan.
06:34He would squint at his prey and he usually took it down.
06:39Has there ever been a greater pure striker of the ball than Ben Hogan?
06:42Well the Hawk was more than just a hard hitter.
06:44And over the course of his 9 majors and 64 tour wins he truly changed the game.
06:48Hogan applies his skill to a long try.
06:51And brother that's tantalizing.
06:53Hogan was known for his revolutionary approach to swing theory.
06:56And he remains the only player to have won the Masters, US Open and Open Championship in the same calendar
07:01year.
07:01On top of that he overcame getting hit by a bus head on in 1949 to win the US Open
07:06in 1950.
07:07A feat described as the miracle at Marion.
07:09You'd be hard pressed to find any top 5 without his name firmly in the mix.
07:12On the verge of his second open title.
07:19Number 2. Tiger Woods.
07:35Tiger Woods is truly the most impactful superstar golf has ever produced.
07:39Almost like a kindred spirit to Michael Jordan in basketball.
07:41His 82 tour wins remain the joint greatest tally in the sports history.
07:45And his 15 majors are a number that has only ever been surpassed by one man.
07:49Despite all of the personal drama and injury strife that consumed his life in the 2010s.
07:53He pulled off one of sports greatest comebacks when he took home gold in the 2019 Masters.
07:58Ending an 11 year drought.
07:59His name is almost synonymous with the sport.
08:00And if anyone had Tiger as their number 1 GOAT pick.
08:03It'd be hard to argue with them.
08:04Tiger Woods perseveres through Torrey Pines.
08:08And wins a third US Open Championship.
08:11Before we unveil our top pick here are a few honorable mentions.
08:15Phil Mickelson.
08:15Six time major champion known for legendary short game.
08:18He's got a lot of nerve and a lot of imagination.
08:21Green is behind him.
08:23That doesn't stop Phil.
08:27That's why he's so exciting to watch.
08:29Lee Trevino.
08:30Excellent fundamentals that lead to great consistency.
08:34In the hole!
08:36In the hole!
08:41Seve Ballesteros.
08:42Charismatic five time major winner and Ryder Cup icon.
08:45Yeah, this is...
08:46Could be Mickey Rooney playing this one, but fantastic.
08:50Improvisation from...
08:51Nick Faldo.
08:52Six majors won through precision, patience and strategy.
08:55I'm gonna try and hit a good old solid fade.
08:57So a bit of belly.
08:59Bit of left shoulder and...
09:02And fire it through.
09:03Gene Sarrazin.
09:04Popularized the modern sand wedge.
09:06You know that I didn't even line that part up.
09:09Because I was so afraid that I might miss it.
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09:29I know.
09:30No.1.
09:34I love you.
09:34I love you.
09:35I love you.
09:36I love you.
09:36I love you.
09:37When I rise you fill my head.
09:40In every dream it's you I've made.
09:44Number 1, Jack Nicklaus
09:51He's the most decorated golfer of all time, the golden bear himself, Jack Nicklaus.
09:56It's coming right at the flagstick.
10:00What a shot.
10:01That was almost the third hole in one of the open.
10:04In his quarter century in the sport, he won a frankly insane 18 major championships,
10:09a record that might never actually be beaten.
10:11This includes a whopping 6 Masters tournaments and 5 PGA championships over a 25-year period.
10:16He was the perfect combination of consistency, longevity, and technical mastery,
10:20all tied together with an inimitable killer instinct and level of calm under pressure.
10:24During his time in the sport, he became the game's aspirational figure, the benchmark.
10:29To this day, he remains the gold standard in golf and with very good reason.
10:32I wasn't sure that I could get a one iron there.
10:37But I flushed it.
10:40And I carried the bunker.
10:44It hit the pin and bounced down like that.
10:46But who do you consider the goat within the sport of golf?
10:48Let us know in the comments below.
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