In golf’s 500 centuries of existence, there are some golfers who have managed to make history with their fabulous swings and hits. Some have managed to win the Masters and US tour more times than what you thought was possible, while some dominated the sport at such an early age. There’s much debate as to who should take the title as the best golfer in the world. Here are the top 3 golfers to have lived, in a study conducted by golf.com:
1. Jack Nicklaus
All golfers in the world admit that Jack Nicklaus, touted as the “Golden Bear,” is the best in the field. In his 25 years of playing golf, he has managed to win 18 major PGA tours. He also finished second for 12 times, and third 9 times. With 73 wins, Nicklaus is top 2 in the winning list of the PGA tournament.
Nicklaus turned pro in 1962, and won the U.S. Open the following year. Nicklaus won the 1965 and 1966 Masters Tournament, and became the first one to win twice in a row. His mortal enemy in the golf course is Arnold Palmer.
Nicklaus managed to bag the “Most Powerful Person in Golf” citation by the Golf Inc. Magazine from 2004-2007. He was given the PGA tour Lifetime award in 2008.
2. Tiger Woods
Born Eldrick Tont Woods, Tiger Woods is considered as the highest-paid athlete in the world, earning as much as $90.5 million in 2010 alone. He comes in second to Nicklaus with 14 major golf championships and third in rankings with his participation in 71 PGA tour events.
Woods, who went pro in August 1996, is the youngest ever to receive the Grand Slam golf award. He was also considered as the fastest golfer to win 50 tournaments in a row.
He was given the PGA Player of the Year award 10 times. In 2010, he lost the top rank to Lee Westwood, after being plagued with news of infidelity he committed against his wife, Erin. From there, everything seemed to be a sliding slope for Woods. As of November 2011, Woods is on the 58th spot all over the world, which is his lowest ranking ever since he went pro.
3. Bobby Jones
Although he was a lawyer by profession, Bobby Jones was touted as the best amateur golfer to play in competitions in and out of the United States. His peak was from 1923-1930, and during that time, he managed to beat golf legends such as Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen.
In 1930, he managed to win the Grand Slam award after winning four championship tournaments in that year alone.
He was 18 when he managed to play his first US Open. Ten years after, at the ripe age of 28, Jones decided to retire from golf. After retiring, he helped design the Augusta National Golf Club. In 1934, he founded the Masters Tournament, which is one of the four major championships in the sport of golf. He died in 1971 at age 69.