Who is the greatest modern golfer?

Nick Faldo shows his trademark focus in front of on-looking cameras / Photo by Chris Bacon/PA

Many hours have been spent at the 19^th hole discussing who the greatest golfer of all time is. And while in the early years there were great pioneers, we’re looking at modern golfers (1960 onwards).

We look at three factors – career wins (major championships only), longevity (how long have they held on to the top spot) and influence. Influence can be anything from style of play or how they influenced the game’s development to off-course impact.

Who is our number one?

5. Nick Faldo

Championship wins

Britain’s best won 6 major championships including 3 Opens and 3 Masters.

Career length

His winning career spanned 9 years between 1987 and 1996.

Influence

Faldo influenced the psychology of the game. He was known for bringing the focus and discipline many other sports had, into golf. His calm under pressure meant he could play his own game and wait for others to make mistakes. His work ethic was also second-to-none, analysing every part of his game.
  

4. Arnold Palmer

Championship wins

The man who started the modern era, he was the first golfer to win the Masters 4 times. He won 7 championships, including 4 Masters, 2 British Opens and 1 US Open.

Career length

Not as long as others; he won all 7 championships between 1958 and 1964.

Influence

Palmer was one of golf’s first big winners. And not just because he was the first to pass $1m in career earnings. He was also one of the first champions to come from a more working class background. Though he had a bit of advantage with his dad being a green keeper. But this everyman attitude opened up the game to thousands of new, white-collar fans.

Off the course, he proved to be equally successful earning an estimated $30m. His likeable personality helped him gain many endorsement deals, well before Tiger signed with Nike.

He was also the first golfer to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the second to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
 

3. Gary Player

Championship wins

Player won 9 Major championships on the regular tour and was the third player ever to win the career Grand Slam. He won 3 Masters, 1 US and 3 British Opens and 2 PGA championships.

Career length

Player’s career stretched for many years, winning his first major in 1959 and continuing to play until 1997, when he won the Senior British Open at the grand old age of 61 – his 9^th senior major championship.

Influence

He was one of the first to truly embrace the fitness aspects of the sport. As a perfectionist, he analysed every part of his game, something now commonplace among modern players. The ‘Black Knight’ was also influential in his golf course design, crafting over 300 courses across the world.

Player was also credited by no less than Nelson Mandela for his part in stopping Apartheid. Mandela said to Golf Digest that Player, through his influence as a great athlete, accomplished what many politicians could not. For his role as an ambassador for South Africa, he was named as one of the 5 most influential people in the country’s history. 
 

2. Tiger Woods

Championship wins

A massive 14 championships wins in total. While it was felt he’d get more, the recent downturn in his fortunes keeps him in second place. He’s won 4 Masters, 3 US and 3 British Opens and 4 PGA championships.

Career length

Tiger dominated the game from the late 90s to the early part of this century, but his personal life hit his game and he’s never quite recovered. A winning streak from 1997 to 2008 is still impressive.

Influence

Some could argue Woods has been more influential than any other modern golfer. His worldwide success opened the door to huge prize money. In 1996, Greg Norman became the first player to top $10m in career earnings. Just 4 years later, Woods won $9m in a single competition. He’s now earned over $170m in prize money. He was also key in bringing Nike into golf through endorsements.

One way to show his influence on the popularity of the game is to look at the number of new courses built. In 1995, just before his career took off, there were around 14,000 golf courses in the US. Between then and 2008 a further 4,000 courses were built – nearly a third of the previous total.
 

Championship wins

The biggest winner of all with a massive 18 championships. This breaks down as 6 Masters, 5 PGA Championships, 4 US Opens and 3 British Opens.

Career length

Nicklaus played in a record 154 consecutive major championships from the 1957 to the 1998 US Open. His winning streak lasted nearly a quarter of a century from 1962 to 1986, with only a few short slumps in that time.

Influence

The ‘Golden Bear’ influenced every aspect of the game, mainly through his consistency and success. He also had a direct influence by suggesting changes to the Ryder Cup selection procedure, which were taken on board in 1977, opening the door to numerous European players.

But he’s also been influential off the course, designing more than 200 golf courses and writing books on the sport. He was also one of the first golfers to partner with computer games designers.