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.
Tiger Woods (United States)
Born: December 30, 1975
Turned Pro: 1996
Major Championships: 14
Tour Titles: 106
Jack Nicklaus (United States)
Born: January 21, 1940
Turned Pro: 1961
Major Championships: 18
Tour Titles: 115
Arnold Palmer (United States)
Born: September 10, 1929
Turned Pro: 1954
Major Championships: 7
Tour Titles: 95
Annika Sörenstam (Sweden)
Born: October 9, 1970
Turned Pro: 1992
Major Championships: 10
Tour Titles: 93
Kathy Whitworth (United States)
Born: September 27, 1939
Turned Pro: 1958
Major Championships: 6
Tour Titles: 98
Mickey Wright (United States)
Born: February 14, 1935
Turned Pro: 1954
Major Championships: 13
Tour Titles: 90
Nick Faldo (England)
Born: July 18, 1957
Turned Pro: 1976
Major Championships: 6
Tour Titles: 40
Byron Nelson (United States)
Lived: February 4, 1912 – September 26, 2006
Turned Pro: 1932
Major Championships: 5
Tour Titles: 64
Tom Watson (United States)
Born: September 4, 1949
Turned Pro: 1971
Major Championships: 8
Tour Titles: 71
Bobby Jones (United States)
Lived: March 17, 1902 – December 18, 1971
Major Championships: 13
Tour Titles: 9
Sam Snead (United States)
Lived: May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002
Turned Pro: 1934
Major Championships: 7
Tour Titles: 165
Gary Player (South Africa)
Born: November 1, 1935
Turned Pro: 1953
Major Championships: 9
Tour Titles: 165
Walter Hagen (United States)
Lived: December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969
Turned Pro: 1912
Major Championships: 11
Tour Titles: 75
Ben Hogan (United States)
Lived: August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997
Turned Pro: 1930
Major Championships: 9
Tour Titles: 68
Greg Norman (Australia)
Born: February 10, 1955
Turned Pro: 1976
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 90
Babe Didrikson Zaharias (United States)
Lived: June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956
Turned Pro: 1947
Major Championships: 10
Tour Titles: 48
Nancy Lopez (United States)
Born: January 6, 1957
Turned Pro: 1977
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 52
Seve Ballesteros (Spain)
Lived: April 9, 1957 – May 7, 2011
Turned Pro: 1974
Major Championships: 5
Tour Titles: 91
Michelle Wie (United States)
Born: October 11, 1989
Turned Pro: 2005
Major Championships: Best 2nd
Tour Titles: 3
Phil Mickelson (United States)
Born: June 16, 1970
Turned Pro: 1992
Major Championships: 5
Tour Titles: 51
Peter Alliss (England)
Born: February 28, 1931
Turned Pro: 1947
Tour Titles: 21
Tommy Armour (Scotland & United States)
Lived: September 24, 1894 – September 11, 1968
Turned Pro: 1924
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 27
Willie Anderson (Scotland)
Lived: October 21, 1879 – October 25, 1910
Major Championships: 4
Tommy Bolt (United States)
Lived: March 31, 1916 – August 30, 2008
Turned Pro: 1946
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 18
David Duval (United States)
Born: November 9, 1971
Turned Pro: 1993
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 19
Vijay Singh (Fiji)
Born: February 22, 1963
Turned Pro: 1982
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 58
Jim Barnes (England)
Lived: April 8, 1886 – May 24, 1966
Turned Pro: 1906
Major Championships: 4
Tour Titles: 25
Padraig Harrington (Ireland)
Born: August 31, 1971
Turned Pro: 1995
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 28
Jack Burke Jr. (United States)
Born: January 29, 1923
Turned Pro: 1940
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 18
Ernie Els (South Africa)
Born: October 17, 1969
Turned Pro: 1989
Major Championships: 4
Tour Titles: 66
James Braid (Scotland)
Lived: February 6, 1870 – November 27, 1950
Major Championships: 5
Tour Titles: 15
Gay Brewer (United States)
Lived: March 19, 1932 – August 31, 2007
Turned Pro: 1956
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 17
Julius Boros (United States)
Lived: March 3, 1920 – May 28, 1994
Turned Pro: 1949
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 24
Ben Crenshaw (United States)
Born: January 11, 1952
Turned Pro: 1973
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 29
Henry Cotton (England)
Lived: January 28, 1907 – December 22, 1987
Turned Pro: 1924
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 17
Fred Couples (United States)
Born: October 3, 1959
Turned Pro: 1980
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 57
Bob Charles (New Zealand)
Born: March 14, 1936
Turned Pro: 1960
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 68
Billy Casper (United States)
Born: June 24, 1931
Turned Pro: 1954
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 69
Craig Wood (United States)
Lived: November 18, 1901 – May 7, 1968
Turned Pro: 1920
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 27
Tom Weiskopf (United States)
Born: November 9, 1942
Turned Pro: 1964
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 28
Lanny Wadkins (United States)
Born: December 5, 1949
Turned Pro: 1971
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 31
Art Wall, Jr. (United States)
Lived: November 25, 1923 – October 31, 2001
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 24
Doug Sanders (United States)
Born: July 24, 1933
Turned Pro: 1956
Tour Titles: 23
Denny Shute (United States)
Lived: October 25, 1904 – May 13, 1974
Turned Pro: 1928
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 17
Gene Sarazen (United States)
Lived: February 27, 1902 – May 13, 1999
Turned Pro: 1920
Major Championships: 7
Tour Titles: 43
Horton Smith (United States)
Lived: May 22, 1908 – October 15, 1963
Turned Pro: 1926
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 35
Jyoti Randhawa (India)
Born: May 4, 1972
Turned Pro: 1994
Tour Titles: 10
Payne Stewart (United States)
Lived: January 30, 1957 – October 25, 1999
Turned Pro: 1982
Major Championships: 3
Tour Titles: 24
Mike Souchak (United States)
Lived: May 10, 1927 – July 10, 2008
Turned Pro: 1952
Tour Titles: 18
Digvijay Singh (India)
Born: January 30, 1972
Turned Pro: 1999
Tour Titles: 13
Jeev Milkha Singh (India)
Born: December 15, 1971
Turned Pro: 1993
Tour Titles: 20
Curtis Strange (United States)
Born: January 30, 1955
Turned Pro: 1976
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 28
Adam Scott (Australia)
Born: July 16, 1980
Turned Pro: 2000
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 27
Inbee Park (South Korea)
Born: July 12, 1988
Turned Pro: 2006
Major Championships: 4
Tour Titles: 17
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
Born: May 4, 1989
Turned Pro: 2007
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 12
Justin Rose (England)
Born: July 30, 1980
Turned Pro: 1998
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 14
Sergio García (Spain)
Born: January 9, 1980
Turned Pro: 1999
Major Championships: Best 2nd
Tour Titles: 26
Shanshan Feng (China)
Born: August 5, 1989
Turned Pro: 2007
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 11
Stacy Lewis (United States)
Born: February 16, 1985
Turned Pro: 2008
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 12
Karrie Webb (Australia)
Born: December 21, 1974
Turned Pro: 1994
Major Championships: 7
Tour Titles: 57
Bubba Watson (United States)
Born: November 5, 1978
Turned Pro: 2003
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 8
Suzann Pettersen (Norway)
Born: April 7, 1981
Turned Pro: 2000
Major Championships: 2
Tour Titles: 21
Ryu So-yeon (South Korea)
Born: June 29, 1990
Turned Pro: 2007
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 12
Anna Nordqvist (Sweden)
Born: June 10, 1987
Turned Pro: 2008
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 7
Lexi Thompson (United States)
Born: February 10, 1995
Turned Pro: 2010
Major Championships: 1
Tour Titles: 6
Cristie 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.
