The 25 Best Golfers of All Time (2022)

The Best Golfers of All Time has been a long debated and ever-changing topic. Golf has been a sport for over a century, and with that, there have been many great golfers.

There are many ways to judge the best golfers of all time, You can look at their records, their tournament wins, their major victories, or their impact on the game.

There are many great golfers who have made their mark on the sport in different ways.

The game has changed over the years and new golfers are making their way to the top. So, who are the best golfers of all time?

Here is a look at some of the most accomplished and talented male and female golfers to ever play the game.

The 25 Best Golfers of All Time

In terms of the history of the top 25 players in golf history the sport covers far more times than most popular sports. Some great golfers lived long before most people were born.

Of course, there are contemporary golfers who deserve to be listed among the top golfers of all time. Jack Nicklaus has a great deal on his books and Tiger Woods deserves his list of the greatest golfers because of the number of championships he has won during his career. Those lists have a certain subjectivity though.

1. Jack Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus is considered by many to be the absolute best golfer of all time. Nicknamed the “Golden Bear” he has won 18 majors, which is more than any other golfer. He has also been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

He is a popular golfer with the famed “Gold Bear”. Jack Nicklaus holds the world record for most wins with 73 PGA tour victories and 10 Championship trophies.

Tiger Woods is the only golfer that is often categorized with Jack Nicklaus (15 majors) followed by Walter Hagen (11 majors) and Gary Player (9 majors).

2. Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer is one of the most popular and successful golfers of all time. He has won 62 tournaments, including seven majors in 1958-1964. Four of these victories came at the Masters. He was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Arnold Palmer has had a huge impact on the game of golf and is considered to be one of the most influential and likable golfers of all time.

3. Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan is considered by many to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won nine majors, which is tied for fourth all-time. He also won 64 tournaments, which is sixth all-time. Hogan was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Ben Hogan has had a huge impact on the game of golf and his swing is still studied by many golfers today.

PGA Tour victories: 64 Major wins. 9 (1946 PGA Championship, 1948 United States Open, 1948 PGA Championship, 1950 United States Open, 1952 US Open. Hogan won a career-best 13 tournaments in 1947 alone, including his ninth major. He won over 30 tournaments from 1946 to 1948 and won the 1948 PGA Player of the Year, winning the US Open and PGA Championships. Hogan won POYs in 1952, 1951 and 1952 as well.

4. Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is one of the most popular and successful best of all time. He has won 14 majors, which is second only to Jack Nicklaus. He has also been ranked as the number one golfer in the world for a total of 11 years. Tiger Woods has had a huge impact on the game of golf and has inspired many people to take up the sport. Tiger Woods is still sidelined from injuries sustained in his car crash early this month and will not make it to the top 10 in his career.

5. Gary Player

Gary Player is one of the most successful and popular golfers of all time. He has won 9 majors, which is tied for fourth all-time. Player also won 63 tournaments in South Africa and is known for his career win in several Tours from 1955 through 2015.

He has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and is also one of the five players to complete a career Grand Slam. Gary Player has had a huge impact on the game of golf, both in South Africa and around the world.

6. Byron Nelson

Byron Nelson is considered by many to be one of the best golfers of all time. He won 11 majors, which is tied for third all-time. He also won 52 tournaments, which is ninth all-time. Byron Nelson has had a huge impact on the game of golf and his swing is still studied by many golfers today.

7. Tom Watson

Tom Watson is one of the most successful and popular golfers of all time. He has won 39 tournaments, including eight majors. He was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Tom Watson has had a huge impact on the game of golf and is considered to be one of the most influential golf.

3 of 11 PGA tour victories – 39 Majors won by a player: eight (75 British Open, 1977 Masters, 1977 British Open, 1980 Masters, 1982 British Open). Watson won that event five times between 1976 and 1983 and finished second at No. 10 in 1984, forcing an incredibly tough playoff until finishing second in 2008.

8. Walter Hagen

Walter Hagen is considered by many to be one of the best golfers of all time. He won 11 majors, which is second all time. He also won 45 tournaments, which is ninth all time. Hagen was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Walter Hagen has had a huge impact on the game of golf and is considered to be one of the most influential golfers of all time.

9. Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson is one of the most popular and successful golfers of all time. He has won 42 tournaments, including five majors. He was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Phil Mickelson has had a huge impact on the game of golf and is considered to be one of the most influential golfers of all time.

10. Bobby Jones

Bobby Jones is considered by many to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 13 majors, which is a record that still stands today. He also won 62 tournaments, which is sixth all-time. Bobby Jones was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Bobby Jones has

The Masters didn’t take place until 1937—four years after Jones retired. Jones played Masters in exhibitions from 1934 to 1948. It is the only tournament he participated in beyond 1930, but he did not get into the top ten. Jones was also not allowed to participate in the PGA tournament.

Seven wins were made: 1923 U.S. Open, 1926 British Open, 1926 United States Open, 1927 United States Open, 1929 United States Open, 1930 USA Open. The Masters didn’t take place until 1937—four years after Jones retired. Jones played Masters in exhibitions from 1934 to 1948. Its the only tournament he participated in beyond 1930, but he did not get into the top ten. Jones was also not allowed to participate at the PGA tournament.

11. Sam Snead

Sam Snead is another amazing golfer which must be recognized as one of the greatest golfers of all time. Snead won a total of 82 PGA Tour events, which is still a record today. He also won seven major championships throughout his career. Snead was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 and he passed away in 2002.

Snead was known for his smooth swing and his ability to make difficult shots look easy. He was also known for his love of the game of golf and his outgoing personality. Sam Snead has had a huge impact on the game of golf and is considered to be one of the most influential golfers of all time.

12.Byron Nelson

Several top-10 golfers had to face ill health or death as a result of World War One. Byron Nelson had 51 victories on the PGA Tour over the past 52 years. His winnings included a total of eight tournaments over the past 12 years, as well as a record-setting 18 for the one-year period. Sadly, the only major tournaments between 1943 and 1945 were the 1944 and 1945 PGA competitions. Nelson finished second in 1944 and won in 1946.

13. Walter Hagen

Walter Hagen is one of the most successful golfers in history. Hagen is an 11-time major winner and has won a total of 45 PGA Tour events. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 and passed away in 1969.

Hagen was known for his showmanship on the golf course and his flamboyant lifestyle off the golf course. He was also known for his amazing ability to come from behind and win tournaments. Hagen has had a huge impact on the game of golf and is considered to be one of the most influential golfers of all time.

14. Babe Zaharias

Babe Zaharias was one of the most dominant athletes of her era, excelling in both golf and track and field. She won 10 major championships during her career, including five in golf and five in track and field. She remains the only woman to have won Olympic gold medals in both sports.

Zaharias was also a pioneer for women’s golf, helping to found the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1951, just four years after her death at the age of 45.

15. Annika Sorenstam

Annika Sorenstam is widely regarded as one of the greatest female golfers of all time. She won 10 major championships during her career, including eight LPGA majors. She also holds the record for most wins in a single season, with 13 in 2002.

Sorenstam retired from professional golf in 2008, but she remains active in the game as a course designer and instructor. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2014.

16. Karrie Webb

Karrie Webb is one of the most successful players on the modern LPGA Tour. She has won seven major championships during her career, including the Kraft Nabisco Championship (now known as the ANA Inspiration) three times. Webb has also won a total of 41 LPGA Tour events, which ranks sixth all-time.

Webb was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2005 and remains active on the LPGA Tour. She is currently a member of the Legends Tour, a professional tour for golfers over the age of 50.

17. Nancy Lopez

Nancy Lopez is one of the most successful players in LPGA history. She won 48 LPGA Tour events during her career, including three majors. She was also named LPGA Player of the Year a record five times.

18. Gene Sarazen

Sarazen had dominated most of the PGA Tour in the 1930’s before his death. From 1934 till 1936, he won one major.

19. Harry Vardon

Harry Vardon won six times and placed ninth or better during this competition 19 times from 1894 to 1914. He became the first player to break 70 on all four courses in a single tournament and was the runner-up at The Open Championship five times.

20. Patty Berg

Patty Berg was one of the 13 founders of the LPGA Tour and one of the most successful players in the early years of the tour. She won a total of 15 major championships during her career, including 10 LPGA majors. Berg was also the first woman to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, in 1976.

Berg continued to be involved in golf after she retired from competitive play. She served as the president of the LPGA from 1950 to 1951 and remained active in promoting the game until she died in 2006.

21. Mickey Wright

Mickey Wright is widely regarded as one of the greatest female golfers of all time. She won 13 major championships during her career, including 11 LPGA majors. She also holds the record for most wins in a single season, with 13 in 1963.

Wright retired from competitive golf in 1969 but remained active in the game as a teacher and course designer. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1976.

22. Louise Suggs

Louise Suggs is one of the founders of the LPGA Tour and one of the most successful players in the early years of the tour. She won a total of 11 major championships during her career, including six LPGA majors. Suggs was also the first woman to break 60 in competition, shooting a 59 at the

Suggs continued to be involved in golf after she retired from competitive play. She served as the president of the LPGA from 1964 to 1966 and remained active in promoting the game until her death in 2015.

23. Betsy Rawls

Betsy Rawls is one of the most successful players in LPGA history. She won eight major championships during her career, including the U.S. Women’s Open four times. She also holds the record for most wins in a single season, with 13 in 1963.

24. Lee Trevino

Lee Trevino is one of the most successful players in PGA Tour history. He won 29 PGA Tour events during his career, including six major championships. He is also one of only four players to win the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship.

Trevino retired from competitive golf in 2005 but remains active in the game as a course designer and instructor. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981.

25. Billy Casper

Billy Casper is one of the most successful players in PGA Tour history. He won 51 PGA Tour events during his career, including two major championships. He is also one of only four players to win the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship.

Final Thoughts on the Best Golfers of All Time

So there you have it, the list of the best golfers of all time! Did your favorite player make the list? Let us know in the comments below.