Best player to never win a major? They don't talk about this after Phil won.

[Shorty]

id say right now it would be bubba watson.based on current abilities no win record but just this season hes playing really good.

Are you serious?

[golfyboy4]

yes

[Shorty]

He has won a tournament, granted but apart from that, nothing at all.  He played a great back 9 this morning.  That's it.

You need to have a look at his results.  Hardly BPNTHWAM territory.  Not even close 5 starts before WGC and 4 finishes outside top 24.

T25

CUT

1

T29

W/D

http://www.pgatour.com/players/r/?/02/58/04/results

[The Recreational Golfer]

I thought about this question a little more. (Thinking - what a concept!) It seems to me that when this subject came up years ago it was said about a player who had won everything in sight except a major and there wasn't any reason for it. It was to say, "This guy was won everything--why hasn't he won a major, too?" A real head-scratcher. Good example: Monty. All those Orders of Merit, the Ryder Cup, and no major. I don't see a player in that category today--an established dominant player who has yet to win his first major championship. Maybe that's why we're not hearing about it.

[bwdial]

You are all [U]wrong[/U] ! :-P The Best Player to Never Win a Major albatross isn't something that should be hung around a player's neck until they have had a long, relatively prosperous career. It isn't something that is based on a player's World Golf Ranking week-to-week. My list is based on [U]professional[/U] wins and age, and is as follows: 1. Lee Westwood - 37 years old - 33 wins 2. Darren Clarke - 42 years old - 20 wins 3. Sergio Garcia - 31 years old - 20 wins 4. Steve Stricker - 44 years old - 17 wins 5. Ian Poulter - 35 years old - 13 wins Paul Casey is 33 years old and has 12 wins, but Poulter has him both in age and wins. Luke Donald is 33 years old and has won 8 times so he'd be even further down the list. Bubba is only 32 years old, so he'd be a stretch, and Dustin Johnson (26) and Rory McIlroy (21) don't even merit consideration... [U]yet[/U] . Their day may come, but right now they are simply too young and inexperienced to be mentioned in the same breath as those I've listed above. Also, Colin Montgomerie would, of course, be at the top of any list if he were still what I consider "active". He hasn't played a full major schedule in several years now, and I sort of consider him to be semi-retired.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by The Recreational Golfer

I thought about this question a little more. (Thinking - what a concept!)

It seems to me that when this subject came up years ago it was said about a player who had won everything in sight except a major and there wasn't any reason for it. It was to say, "This guy was won everything--why hasn't he won a major, too?" A real head-scratcher.

Good example: Monty. All those Orders of Merit, the Ryder Cup, and no major.

I don't see a player in that category today--an established dominant player who has yet to win his first major championship.

Maybe that's why we're not hearing about it.

100% correct.  We have all given up on Garcia and Scott because they never reached their potential.  No one has taken their place. Right now, the ones you'd bet money on winning majors at some point in the next decade would be Fowler and McIlroy.  But they are years away from the millstone/monkey/albatross.

The BPNTHWAM title goes to someone who has won so much but would have been expected to have won one by now.

At the moment, no one is in that category.

To suggest someone like Bubba Watson is just plain ridiculous.

[mcfc_nick]

the next 'young' players who will win a major will be DJ, Rory, AK and Manassero. The first 3 have all come close already (DJ twice last year at the US Open and the PGA, Rory at The Open and the PGA, AK at the Masters) and Manassero will win a Masters.

Lee Westwood will win a major this year though and at the minute he is the best without a major!

[Chilli Dipper]

The "Best Player Without a Major" title is applied to players with with a strong resume of regular tour wins and consistent finishes in contention at the majors. At this moment in time, it's obviously Lee Westwood: 20 career European Tour wins (tenth all-time on that Tour; only Monty and Sam Torrance have more European wins without a major), and five top-three finishes in majors since 2008 (covering all four events, no less).

It's certainly not a U.S.-based player; with Kenny Perry having migrated to the Champions Tour, every active PGA Tour member with at least 10 career wins (Woods, Mickelson, Singh, Love, Els, Furyk, Duval, Leonard, Toms, Elkington) have a major to their credit. Furthermore, extending that wins threshold to six (and weeding out seniors-to-be Brad Faxon, John Huston, Steve Pate, and Rocco Mediate) reveals only six players without a major title: Steve Stricker, Stuart Appleby, KJ Choi, Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, and Rory Sabbatini. Garcia and Scott were considered sure bets before their respective recent slumps; Stricker actually has nine top-tens in majors, but only really came close to victory in the 1998 PGA (sharing the 54-hole lead with Singh); Appleby was part of that massive playoff at Muirfield in '02 that Els eventually won; Choi has a pair of top-fives at the Masters, but only three other top-tens elsewhere in majors (none higher than sixth); and a back-door runner-up at the '07 Masters aided by preferable weather conditions is Sabbatini's only major finish of note.

[perfectswing]

IMHO it would have to be Westwood,   has had quite a few close calls as of late.

[lumpuckeroo]

Originally Posted by bwdial

You are all wrong!

The Best Player to Never Win a Major albatross isn't something that should be hung around a player's neck until they have had a long, relatively prosperous career. It isn't something that is based on a player's World Golf Ranking week-to-week.

My list is based on professional wins and age, and is as follows:

1. Lee Westwood - 37 years old - 33 wins

2. Darren Clarke - 42 years old - 20 wins

3. Sergio Garcia - 31 years old - 20 wins

4. Steve Stricker - 44 years old - 17 wins

5. Ian Poulter - 35 years old - 13 wins

Paul Casey is 33 years old and has 12 wins, but Poulter has him both in age and wins. Luke Donald is 33 years old and has won 8 times so he'd be even further down the list. Bubba is only 32 years old, so he'd be a stretch, and Dustin Johnson (26) and Rory McIlroy (21) don't even merit consideration... yet. Their day may come, but right now they are simply too young and inexperienced to be mentioned in the same breath as those I've listed above.

Also, Colin Montgomerie would, of course, be at the top of any list if he were still what I consider "active". He hasn't played a full major schedule in several years now, and I sort of consider him to be semi-retired.

I would agree with that top 5 whole hearted, with one exception Sergio.  I'm not sure I would consider him a good player anymore, I think he has lost his desire to play and not only will he never win a major, he will never win another tournament.

[mcfc_nick]

im gonna go out on a limb and say that i believe, within the next five years, sergio will win a major!

[jldavis73]

Lee Westwood.  I believe the most appropriate phrase would be "most accomplished player...", in which case Lee fits the bill perfectly.  Bubba, DJ and the others are really just beginning to become noteworthy players, while Lee has been one of the world's best for quite a while.  If he can figure out how to putt, he'll take home a major trophy this year.

[Thrash13]

Lee Westwood is definitely the best golfer without a major right now, and the fact he has come so close the last couple years will add more pressure until he wins one.  He had a great Masters last year, and he will be a factor again if he can figure out his putting over the next few weeks.  Sergio was at the head of the list for awhile, but it looks like it may be awhile before he even plays well in a major.  I still hold out hope he gets things back together because he was as fun to watch as anyone when his iron game was on.  Others on the list include Paul Casey, Luke Donald, and Steve Stricker.

As far as the best golfer to never win one, it almost has to be Colin Montgomerie.  I know he might still end up playing in a couple, but he probably won't contend again.  It's a shame because he definitely put himself in position to win one on more than one occasion.  I'm not sure why, but I always wanted him to win a major.

[Stretch]

Anyone else think Luke Donald is starting to sneak onto this list?

[the19thhole]

Originally Posted by The Recreational Golfer

The best player in the game today who has not won a major is Dustin Johnson. He's much better than Stricker or Westwood. Those guys are in the Best Player Who Has Been Around For a Long Time who has not won a major category.

Why, just because he's gone close. He's a good player that's not won enough tournaments to have that label. Unfair on him as he's still young. You might as well have picked any guy in the top 20 that hasn't won a major.

There is only one answer and that's Westwood as non of the rest have won (winning) enough regular tournaments. Donald may start to come into this if he continues to win week in week out with no major. The current crop of good players mentioned are good just now, top tens don't count. It has to be based on established career and wins. The OP stated Mickelson as the last because he was winning regularly and knocking on the door before he eventually won his first. The ultimate was Monty.

[Acropo]

I think the long-term record will be Monty's. He made the European order of Merit his own for years; he won the British (now BMW) PGA Championship 3 times on the bounce, he has a load of wins and his record at the Ryder Cup is, really, unmatched (yes, I know Faldo amassed more points). I don't see him winning a Majornow - maybe a Seniors' Major but not a regular one. He will retire with that soubriquet and it will porbably be written on histombstone.

As for the current crop, who realistically have a chance: I think it's a toss-up between Lee Westwood and Luke Donald.

[rossvanwyk]

I'm sorry but Luke Donal is a putz? That made me laugh. Really. The guy is a heeluva golfer. i don't care what anyone says. And I am mighty sure he's gonna win a major in his time. And pretty sure it'll be before Johnson does.

On topic, Sergio definitely springs to mind in a big way. Maybe not so much today but certainly when he was playing his best. it's painful to look back and see how close he came on occasions. One putt that just wouldn't drop and how different things could have been.

[sean_miller]

Have you guys considered finding a unique avatar?  You can even use a ball and tee sitting on a scorecard, but mix it up, eh?!?  Even when almost everyone had a Seve avatar (that was neat yet sad) they were all different photos.