Top ten golfers of all time!!

[Big Lex]

1. Jack Nicklaus

2. Tiger Woods

3. Ben Hogan

4. Arnold Palmer

5. Gary Player

6. Sam Snead

7. Phil Mickelson

8. Tom Watson

9. Bobby Jones

10. Lee Trevino

I base my judgements on total wins, major wins, and the competition they faced. There are probably players better than Jones and Trevino by those criteria, but I have special reasons for including both. Jones, for his Grand Slam achievement of course. Trevino for his success following a later, disadvantaged start compared to his peers, as well as his performance in the toughest tournament of all. 

[bkuehn1952]

We should probably put at least one additional parameter to the list.  Limit the list to those who played after 1900.  Hard to evaluate Young Tom Morris and most of the golfers pre-dating 1900.

 

Anyone think the list might include 1-2 women if we ignore the fact that they play essentially different games?  

Poor Gene Sarazen not getting a lot of love on the proposed lists.  One of only 5 men to have a career professional grand slam.  39 wins. 7 majors.

[Divot Master]

I think if Byron Nelson hadn't retired at 34 he'd be on the list for sure.

Payne Stewart is another one who likely would have made the list if his life hadn't tragically been cut short.

[iacas]

1. Jack Nicklaus

2. Tiger Woods

I base my judgements on total wins, major wins, and the competition they faced.

Then why do you have Tiger below Jack? Tiger has faced significantly stronger competition, and has won a ton of WGCs, more PGA Tour events, etc. He's three or four behind on majors (Jack once counted U.S. Ams), but he also won by a TON more strokes in many of his wins than Nicklaus.

No need to answer, just adding it here… Because it's not enough that it's already in two other threads…

[elsandito]

I'm not married to top tens. I'll take Tiger and Jack as 1 and 1a and then 15 guys tied for 3 including the rest of the most mentioned guys mentioned in this forum. 

[turtleback]

All fair points. I could've put Phil anywhere between fourth and eighth, but I genuinely feel that he is a top-four all-timer. Vardon's selection is more than a little fanboyish on my part, as he is one of my golfing heroes who I relate to very strongly. If I were to replace him, I'd put Jones in that spot, or Nelson. You could talk me into removing Vijay, too, but it wouldn't be easy. 

I would drop Phil before Vijay.  Dominance and being, even for just a year or two, the best player in the game, outweighs a lot in my book.  Vijay had it in the 2004 Tiger swing change period.  Phil never has.

...

This is the top ten in winning majors.

 

then trevino and faldo.

I would add daly, singh and  boumboum 

Kind of completely killed any seriousness or credibility by putting Daly in there, IMO.  There are probably a lot of top 100 lists (certainly top 50 lists) he doesn't make.  I do not know who boumboum is, but if you mean Couples, then you are really waaaaaay off the main seam with him as well, IMO, as he would be flattered by anyone putting him in a top 50 list (although he would have a lot more business being there than Daly would).

[inthehole]

1. Tiger Woods
2. Jack Nicklaus
3. Phil Mickelson
4. Tom Watson
5. Gary Player
6. Arnold Palmer
7. Ben Hogan
8. Sam Snead
9. Lee Trevino
10. Vijay Singh

Good enough :) 

I'd switch # 1&2.   And include Bobby Jones right about where Phil is listed and drop Vijay for Nelson.   Phil & Vijay don't make my list.

Edited October 20, 2015 by inthehole

[saevel25]

I'd switch # 1&2.  

I wouldn't :)
 

 

And include Bobby Jones

I wouldn't. He might be an iconic golfer. He's not the top 10 golfer of all time. 
 

Phil & Vijay don't make my list.

Phil might have 10 less wins than Nelson, but he has the same amount of Majors and he did it against tougher competition by far. 
 

 

 

[ncarlsongolf]

Nicklaus

woods

hagen

player

watson

Sarazen

Palmer

Snead

Jones

Vardon

 

This is the top ten in winning majors.

 

then trevino and faldo.

I would add daly, singh and  boumboum 

 

 

 

 

There is absolutely no chance you add John Daly to your top 10... he doesn't crack the Top 50.

[skydog]

I would drop Phil before Vijay.  Dominance and being, even for just a year or two, the best player in the game, outweighs a lot in my book.  Vijay had it in the 2004 Tiger swing change period.  Phil never has.

And Phil came within one stupid drive of winning 3 straight majors during prime Tiger years (not in 2004 when Tiger was transitioning).

I'll honestly never understand the Vijay>Phil talk that a few guys on here espouse. With the exception of the 'Phil never reached #1' narrative, I don't see how it's even a debate, and IMO, OWGRankings are pretty meaningless (as we're having demonstrated now with the Day/Spieth/Rory weekly rotation). I understand that there are plenty of plenty of folks that just don't like Phil, and that's fine, but c'mon. And for the Vijay fans out there, I've got a couple stories I could tell that might change your opinion of him based on my interactions over the years.

Edited October 20, 2015 by skydog

[elsandito]

The OWG rankings are maybe the most objective measurement ever. I can accept that there's no perfect formula and that they don't always get it right, but to call them meaningless, doesn't make sense either. If you're saying Phil retained a top 3 ranking for 5 straight years, as an example, I would accept that as supporting your point. 

[Elmer]

Since it is subjective:

1. Jack Nicklaus

2. Tiger Woods

3. Ben Hogan

4. Arnold Palmer

5. Phil Mickelson

6. Sam Snead

7. Vardon

8.  Tom Watson

9. Bobby Jones

10.  Francis Ouimet

But this is my opinion so....Flame on!

 

Edited October 20, 2015 by Elmer

[skydog]

The OWG rankings are maybe the most objective measurement ever. I can accept that there's no perfect formula and that they don't always get it right, but to call them meaningless, doesn't make sense either. If you're saying Phil retained a top 3 ranking for 5 straight years, as an example, I would accept that as supporting your point. 

Objective does not equal accurate. It accurately computes whatever the inputs are-yes, but it's a two year rolling formula that doesn't necessarily reflect who the best player in the world is at any given time. It's not meaningless but it's far from perfect. It's a player's results- not what a formula does with the results- that matter IMO when assessing someone's place in the game.

Edited October 20, 2015 by skydog

[Broke100Once]

It's hard to use majors as the main ranking criteria since the 'four majors' as we know them have only really been the measuring stick for 50-55 years since Arnie revived the British Open as a huge event for all the world's big players.  Also, old-timers like Vardon or Hagen posted those huge major win totals despite the Masters not existing until 1934.

Then again, this is all pretty subjective anyway.  :)

My top ten....Nicklaus and Tiger are the top two.  After that I've got Hagen, Hogan, Snead, Player, Palmer, Nelson, Casper (most underrated player ever, IMO), Vardon.

[Aflighter]

1.Hogan (stats dont tell everything)

2.Nicklaus

3.Woods

4.Palmer

5.Watson

6.Jones

7.Mickelson

8.Hagen

9.Snead

10.Nelson

[ncarlsongolf]

1.Hogan (stats dont tell everything)

2.Nicklaus

3.Woods

4.Palmer

5.Watson

6.Jones

7.Mickelson

8.Hagen

9.Snead

10.Nelson

How do you possibly have Hogan above Nicklaus and Woods?  Just want to know you reasoning?

[skydog]

Not really seeing anyone put up Faldo or Trevino. I don't know where they should fit in but seems like they should make some lists.

Edited October 21, 2015 by skydog

[saevel25]

Not really seeing anyone put up Faldo or Trevino. I don't know where they should fit in but seems like they should make some lists.

I would put Faldo in the top 25 somewhere, same with Lee.