In the game of golf, players hit balls into a series of holes around a golf course. The aim is to use the least number of strokes in each round. This is not as easy as it sounds, and it takes the highest level of fitness, concentration, and skill to excel at this game. Which is why, in this write-up, we'll have a look at who all can be termed as the most famous golf players the world has seen.
Golf is supposed to have been invented in the 15th century in Scotland. But the Chinese claim to have played a similar game way back in 943 AD.Most people don't know much about golfers except for a few celebrities like Tiger Woods. But besides him, there are and have been many others who have gone on to become all-time-greats in this popular sport.
Unlike what many believe, golf is a game that needs tremendous skill, stamina, concentration, besides other useful traits. Millions around the world play this game, most as a means of meeting up with friends. Those who dive into it professionally need to up their game to a whole new level, so as to survive the tough competition around. Here are the names of some of the most famous golfers in the history of the game.
Tom Watson
Gary Player
Jack Nicklaus
Tiger Woods|◄ ►|
Tiger Woods
United States
Born: December 30, 1975
Turned Pro: 1996
Major Championships: 14
Tour Titles: 106Jack Nicklaus
United States
Born: January 21, 1940
Turned Pro: 1961
Major Championships: 18
Tour Titles: 115Arnold Palmer
United States
Born: September 10, 1929
Turned Pro: 1954
Major Championships: 7
Tour Titles: 95Annika Sörenstam
Sweden
Born: October 9, 1970
Turned Pro: 1992
Major Championships: 10
Tour Titles: 93Kathy Whitworth
United States
Born: September 27, 1939
Turned Pro: 1958
Major Championships: 6
Tour Titles: 98Mickey Wright
United States
Born: February 14, 1935
Turned Pro: 1954
Major Championships: 13
Tour Titles: 90Nick Faldo
England
Born: July 18, 1957
Turned Pro: 1976
Major Championships: 6
Tour Titles: 40Byron Nelson
United States
Lived: February 4, 1912 - September 26, 2006
Turned Pro: 1932
Major Championships: 5
Tour Titles: 64Tom Watson
United States
Born: September 4, 1949
Turned Pro: 1971
Major Championships: 8
Tour Titles: 71Bobby Jones
United States
Lived: March 17, 1902 - December 18, 1971
Turned Pro: -
Major Championships: 13
Tour Titles: 9Sam Snead
United States
Lived: May 27, 1912 - May 23, 2002
Turned Pro: 1934
Major Championships: 7
Tour Titles: 165Gary Player
South Africa
Born: November 1, 1935
Turned Pro: 1953
Major Championships: 9
Tour Titles: 165Walter Hagen
United States
Lived: December 21, 1892 - October 6, 1969
Turned Pro: 1912
Major Championships: 11
Tour Titles: 75Ben Hogan
United States
Lived: August 13, 1912 - July 25, 1997
Turned Pro: 1930
Major Championships: 9
Tour Titles: 68Greg Norman
Australia
Born: February 10, 1955
Turned Pro: 1976
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 90Babe Didrikson Zaharias
United States
Lived: June 26, 1911 - September 27, 1956
Turned Pro: 1947
Major Championships: 10
Tour Titles: 48Nancy Lopez
United States
Born: January 6, 1957
Turned Pro: 1977
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 52Seve Ballesteros
Spain
Lived: April 9, 1957 - May 7, 2011
Turned Pro: 1974
Major Championships: 5
Tour Titles: 91Michelle Wie
United States
Born: October 11, 1989
Turned Pro: 2005
Major Championships: Best 2nd
Tour Titles: 3Phil Mickelson
United States
Born: June 16, 1970
Turned Pro: 1992
Major Championships: 5
Tour Titles: 51Peter Alliss
England
Born: February 28, 1931
Turned Pro: 1947
Major Championships: -
Tour Titles: 21Tommy Armour
Scotland & United States
Lived: September 24, 1894 - September 11, 1968
Turned Pro: 1924
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 27Willie Anderson
Scotland
Lived: October 21, 1879 - October 25, 1910
Turned Pro: -
Major Championships: 4
Tour Titles: -Tommy Bolt
United States
Lived: March 31, 1916 - August 30, 2008
Turned Pro: 1946
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 18David Duval
United States
Born: November 9, 1971
Turned Pro: 1993
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 19Vijay Singh
Fiji
Born: February 22, 1963
Turned Pro: 1982
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 58Jim Barnes
England
Lived: April 8, 1886 - May 24, 1966
Turned Pro: 1906
Major Championships: 4
Tour Titles: 25Padraig Harrington
Ireland
Born: August 31, 1971
Turned Pro: 1995
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 28Jack Burke Jr.
United States
Born: January 29, 1923
Turned Pro: 1940
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 18Ernie Els
South Africa
Born: October 17, 1969
Turned Pro: 1989
Major Championships: 4
Tour Titles: 66James Braid
Scotland
Lived: February 6, 1870 - November 27, 1950
Turned Pro: -
Major Championships: 5
Tour Titles: 15Gay Brewer
United States
Lived: March 19, 1932 - August 31, 2007
Turned Pro: 1956
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 17Julius Boros
United States
Lived: March 3, 1920 - May 28, 1994
Turned Pro: 1949
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 24Ben Crenshaw
United States
Born: January 11, 1952
Turned Pro: 1973
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 29Henry Cotton
England
Lived: January 28, 1907 - December 22, 1987
Turned Pro: 1924
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 17Fred Couples
United States
Born: October 3, 1959
Turned Pro: 1980
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 57Bob Charles
New Zealand
Born: March 14, 1936
Turned Pro: 1960
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 68Billy Casper
United States
Born: June 24, 1931
Turned Pro: 1954
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 69Craig Wood
United States
Lived: November 18, 1901 - May 7, 1968
Turned Pro: 1920
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 27Tom Weiskopf
United States
Born: November 9, 1942
Turned Pro: 1964
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 28Lanny Wadkins
United States
Born: December 5, 1949
Turned Pro: 1971
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 31Art Wall, Jr.
United States
Lived: November 25, 1923 - October 31, 2001
Turned Pro: -
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 24Doug Sanders
United States
Born: July 24, 1933
Turned Pro: 1956
Major Championships: -
Tour Titles: 23Denny Shute
United States
Lived: October 25, 1904 - May 13, 1974
Turned Pro: 1928
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 17Gene Sarazen
United States
Lived: February 27, 1902 - May 13, 1999
Turned Pro: 1920
Major Championships: 7
Tour Titles: 43Horton Smith
United States
Lived: May 22, 1908 - October 15, 1963
Turned Pro: 1926
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 35Jyoti Randhawa
India
Born: May 4, 1972
Turned Pro: 1994
Major Championships: -
Tour Titles: 10Payne Stewart
United States
Lived: January 30, 1957 - October 25, 1999
Turned Pro: 1982
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 24Mike Souchak
United States
Lived: May 10, 1927 - July 10, 2008
Turned Pro: 1952
Major Championships: -
Tour Titles: 18Digvijay Singh
India
Born: January 30, 1972
Turned Pro: 1999
Major Championships: -
Tour Titles: 13Jeev Milkha Singh
India
Born: December 15, 1971
Turned Pro: 1993
Major Championships: -
Tour Titles: 20Curtis Strange
United States
Born: January 30, 1955
Turned Pro: 1976
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 28Adam Scott
Australia
Born: July 16, 1980
Turned Pro: 2000
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 27Inbee Park
South Korea
Born: July 12, 1988
Turned Pro: 2006
Major Championships: 4
Tour Titles: 17Rory McIlroy
Northern Ireland
Born: May 4, 1989
Turned Pro: 2007
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 12Justin Rose
England
Born: July 30, 1980
Turned Pro: 1998
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 14Sergio García
Spain
Born: January 9, 1980
Turned Pro: 1999
Major Championships: Best 2nd
Tour Titles: 26Shanshan Feng
China
Born: August 5, 1989
Turned Pro: 2007
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 11Stacy Lewis
United States
Born: February 16, 1985
Turned Pro: 2008
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 12Karrie Webb
Australia
Born: December 21, 1974
Turned Pro: 1994
Major Championships: 7
Tour Titles: 57Bubba Watson
United States
Born: November 5, 1978
Turned Pro: 2003
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 8Suzann Pettersen
Norway
Born: April 7, 1981
Turned Pro: 2000
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 21Ryu So-yeon
South Korea
Born: June 29, 1990
Turned Pro: 2007
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 12Anna Nordqvist
Sweden
Born: June 10, 1987
Turned Pro: 2008
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 7Lexi Thompson
United States
Born: February 10, 1995
Turned Pro: 2010
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 6Cristie Kerr
United States
Born: October 12, 1977
Turned Pro: 1996
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 23
These famous golfers rose up to the highest level through sheer hard work, practice, self-belief, and determination. The level of this game only increases as the decades go by, and there will be many more famous names in the game of golf in the future who will make the world stand up and notice. As for now, enjoy watching some of these famous golf players currently playing in tournaments all around the world.
