Best golfers from down under

Jason Day at the Masters. Image credit AP Photo/David J Philip

With the vast open spaces, great weather and rolling green hills, both Australia and New Zealand are perfect places to host golf courses. Yet despite this, and their connection to Britain, they’ve not produced the numbers of golfers that their northern cousins have. But what they’ve lacked in quantity, they’ve made up in quality, with some of the world’s greatest golfers (some might say the best of all time) coming from this part of the southern hemisphere.

Greg Norman
One of the world’s most famous golfers, the Great White Shark was born in the small city of Mount Isa in Queensland to a golf-loving mother who taught him in his teens how to play. Since those early days, Norman has become one of the most successful golfers ever.

Over his long career, he spent a total of 331 weeks as the world number 1 through the 1980s and 90s, winning a massive 91 international tournaments. Among these were 20 PGA Tour wins and two majors.

But it isn’t just his success – and near misses – that make him so famous. He brought style and personality to the game with his striking blonde hair and aggressive game.

Jason Day
One of the current crop of top golfers, Australian-born Day only broke into the top 10 world rankings in 2011 but hit number 1 just 4 years later in September 2015. Although it took him time to win his first championship (the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship 2014), he’s since gone on to his first major – the 2015 PGA Championship with a record round of 20 under.

At just 29, he’s still got plenty of time ahead of him to add to this total and cement his reputation as one of Australia’s great modern golfers.
   

Adam Scott
This Australian-born golfer made his name by becoming the first Australian to win the Masters in 2013. But he should be remembered for more than that – he clocked up a total of 29 tournament wins, was ranked world number 1 for a significant chunk of 2014 and equalled the course record at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club at the 2012 Open Championship. He was also the youngest ever player to win the Players Championship in 2003 at just 26, beating Padraig Hamilton by a single shot.

Peter Thompson
One from the history books, Peter Thompson should be better remembered on these shores – after all, he did win the Open 5 times. The Australian was also the only man to win the tournament three times in a row in the 20th Century.

Despite his success, he was a product of golf at the time. This meant he didn’t travel as far afield as modern golfers, preferring to compete in his own back yard. Much of this was down to a lack of prize money available, which meant the round the world trip simply didn’t make financial sense. While he won the New Zealand Open 9 times, he only competed on the PGA Tour twice, with little success.

Michael Campbell
Some golfers have a long and varied career – some shine bright for a moment. And while New Zealander Campbell had a number of successes, he’ll be remembered for his amazing 2005, in which he won both the US Open and the £1m HSBC Match Play Championship.

The US Open win was a story in itself. He went through sectional qualifying to get through to the event itself, sinking a 6-ft putt on his last shot to squeeze through. When there, he faced a battle with Retief Goosen, keeping pace with him throughout. On the last day, Goosen had a disaster, playing an 81 to Campbell’s 69 final round. But there was another issue to deal with – Tiger Woods, who’d come through the pack and was just one shot off Campbell. But bogeys on the 16th and 17th meant Campbell was free to win by two shots.

While a proud Māori, he also liked to big up his connection with the home of golf – his great-great-great-grandfather was a Scottish emigrant.
   

Sir Bob Charles
There are few golfers held in such regard down under as Sir Bob. The New Zealander, who played over 5 decades from the 1960s, is classed as the most successful leftie in golf.

His successes include wins in the New Zealand PGA Championship and the Open in 1963.

His career is a long one as well – as recently as 2007 he became the oldest golfer to make the cut at the European Tour and actually beat his age (71) by three strokes in the second round with a score of 68.