Famous 20th Century Golfers

Tiger Woods is considered as one of the greatest golfers of all time. He had a great run throughout the first decade of the 21st century. Later he had to deal with infidelity issues, marital problems and divorce and injuries, but was able to make a comeback. He holds numerous golf records and has won many World Golf Championship.

Jack Nicklaus, also known as “The Golden Bear,” has 18 major golf championships to his credit. He has been part of 164 major golf tournaments and has won 117. He now designs golf courses through his company, Nicklaus Design. He has also authored many golf-related books, including an autobiography.

Brooks Koepka is an American golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. A former world number one, Koepka won two consecutive U.S. Open titles in 2017 and 2018. In 2018 and 2019, he won the PGA Championship, becoming the first player to hold consecutive titles in two majors concurrently. He also won the 2018 CJ Cup.

Arnold Palmer was an American golfer who won 62 PGA Tour titles in a career spanning over 60 years. Nicknamed The King, Palmer is considered one of the most charismatic and greatest players in the history of professional golf. He is seen as the first superstar who helped popularize the sport in the television age, which started in the '50s.

Bobby Jones was an American amateur golfer and lawyer. One of the most important personalities in the history of golf, Jones founded or co-founded the Augusta National Golf Club as well as the Masters Tournament. He also helped design the Augusta. Bobby Jones’ innovations, which he brought to the Masters Tournameny, have been used in professional golf tournaments around the world.

Payne Stewart was a professional golfer famous for winning eleven PGA Tour events. He won his first major title at the 1989 PGA Championship and went on to win several other titles. He was much admired for his gracefully stylish and fluid golf swings. He died in an airplane accident at the age of 42. 

Tom Watson is a retired professional golfer considered one of the leading golf players in the world in the 1970s and 1980s. During his illustrious career, he won eight major championships and headed the PGA Tour money list five times. He is counted among the greatest links players of all time and has won three Senior British Open Championship titles. 

Lee Trevino who dominated the golf course in the 1970s has six major championship titles to his credit in his prolific career. The Mexican-American who is affectionately nicknamed Supermex for his exploits with the golf club and The Merry Mex for his humour, features in the World Golf Hall of Fame. He appeared in a sports comedy film.

Ben Hogan was a professional golfer who is considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He won nine career professional major championships, tying with Gary Player for fourth all-time. He had a deep influence on golf swing theory. Famous for his legendary ball-striking ability, he also possessed fierce determination and an iron will.  

Francis Ouimet was an amateur golfer often referred to as the "ather of amateur golf. He became interested in golf at an early age and won his first significant title when he was 20 years old. He went on to win the US Open in 1913. He was posthumously inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. 

Fred Couples is a professional golfer who is a former World No.1. He has competed on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions and has won 64 professional tournaments. He is known for his long and accurate driving ability off the tee. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013. 

Known to fans as The Slammer, American golfer Sam Snead ruled the PGA scene for decades and won more than 185 tournaments throughout his career. His record of 82 PGA tour victories remains unbroken. Cartoonist and golf lover Charles M. Schulz mentioned Snead often in his Peanuts strip.

Ernie Els is a South African golfer renowned for his fluid golf swing and imposing physical stature, which has earned him the nickname, The Big Easy. A former World No. 1, Els has four major championships under his belt. Ernie Els is only one of six golfers to twice win the Open Championship as well as the U.S. Open.

Paige Spiranac is an American former professional golfer known for her achievements at the collegiate level. Spiranac is best known as a social media personality; she has millions of followers across various platforms. Dubbed the world's hottest golfer, Spiranac has appeared in magazines like Golf Digest and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Spiranac has also been criticized for sexualizing women's golf.

Greg Norman is an Australian retired professional golfer and entrepreneur. One of the greatest Australian golfers ever, Norman was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2009, he was named in Queensland's Q150 Icons list as a sports legend. Also a philanthropist, Norman established the Greg Norman Golf Foundation, which provides guidance to students.

Tony Finau is an American professional golfer who has won two PGA Tours and one Korn Ferry Tour so far in his career. In September 2021, Tony Finau participated in the 2021 Ryder Cup in Kohler, Wisconsin, where he represented the U.S. team. Although he lost his match against English golfer Ian Poulter, the U.S. team went on to win.

Johnny Miller is an American retired professional golfer. One of the world's best golfers during the mid-1970s, Miller won 25 PGA Tours, including two majors. In 1973, he became the first golfer to shoot 63 in the majors, winning the 1973 U.S. Open. In 1998, Johnny Miller was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Bryson DeChambeau is an American golfer who has won eight PGA Tours, including the 2020 U.S. Open. Having previously won the U.S. Amateur and the NCAA Division I championship, DeChambeau became the third player after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to win those three championships. Dubbed The Scientist, DeChambeau is known for his scientific and analytical approach to the sport.

Professional golfer Jim Furyk was introduced to the game by his golfer father and continuing to nurture his game throughout his student years he turned pro at the age of 22 with the Nike Tour.  A regular on the PGA Tour since 1994 and PGA Tour Champions since 2020, he has 29 professional wins including the 2003 U.S. Open Championship.

At 10, Michelle Wie, born to an amateur golfer mother, was the youngest to participate in a USGA amateur championship. Though the Korean-American golfer, who is a five-time LPGA winner, had quit her career after her marriage to sports honcho Jonnie West, she later decided to get back to golf.

Davis Love III is an American golfer. Love has won 21 PGA Tour events, including a major championship, in his illustrious career. In 2012 and 2016, he was the captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup teams, helping his team win the 2016 Ryder Cup. In 2017, Davis Love III was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Byron Nelson was an American golfer who won 52 PGA Tour events during his career. Considered one of the greatest in the history of the sport, Nelson won five major championships in his 64 professional wins. In 1974, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 1997, he won the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lexi Thompson is a golfer who became the youngest winner of an LPGA tournament when she won the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic in 2011. In 2011, she won the Dubai Ladies Masters, becoming the second-youngest champion of a Ladies European Tour. In 2014, she became the second-youngest female golfer to win a major when she captured the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Nick Price is a Zimbabwean golfer who was considered the best player in the world in the mid-1990s; he was ranked number one as per the Official World Golf Ranking. He has won three major championships including two PGA Championships. In 2003, Nick Price was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Matt Kuchar is a golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He played collegiate golf and received the Haskins Award in 1998 as the nation's top collegiate golfer. He turned professional in 2000 and has won nine times on the PGA Tour. He has played for the US national team as well. He is married to tennis player Sybi Parker. 

Jason Day is an Australian golfer who won the 2015 PGA Championship. A former world number one, Day was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2015. In the same year, Jason Day was also honored with the Greg Norman Medal. In 2016, he received the Mark H. McCormack Award.

Louis Oosthuizen is a South African golfer best known as the winner of the 2010 Open Championship which was held in Scotland. In addition to winning the 2010 Open Championship, Oosthuizen has also finished runner-up in the other three major championships. In 2013, he became the fourth-ranked golfer in the world according to the Official World Golf Ranking.

Zach Johnson has been one of the most consistent players in the history of golf and first came to prominence with his victory over Tiger Woods at the 2007 Masters Tournament. The 12-time PGA Tour winner also co-owns the charity Zach Johnson Foundation, which aids underprivileged children in Iowa.

Hale Irwin is an American golfer who has 20 PGA Tour titles under his belt, including three U.S. Opens. In 1990, he became the oldest U.S. Open champion at age 45. Irwin was one of the best golfers in the world during the '70s and '80s. He is also considered the greatest player in the history of the Champions Tour.

Raymond Floyd is an American former professional golfer. He has won several tournaments, including 22 PGA Tour events. He has also competed in Senior PGA Tours, winning three senior majors. Floyd has represented U.S. national teams in tournaments like the Ryder Cup and the Dunhill Cup. He was made an inductee of the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1989.

Annika Sörenstam is a Swedish professional golfer who is often counted among the best female golfers of all time. She has won six Vare Trophies and eight Player of the Year awards. In 2003, Annika Sörenstam was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 2021, she was honored by Donald Trump with the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Babe Didrikson Zaharias was an American athlete who specialized in golf, track and field, basketball, and baseball. Considered one of the greatest female athletes ever, Didrikson won two gold medals and a silver medal in track and field at the Summer Olympics in 1932. She then went on to win 10 LPGA major championships, becoming USA's first female golf celebrity.

Cheyenne Woods is an American golfer and half-niece of popular golfer Tiger Woods. After winning over 30 amateur tournaments, Woods turned professional in 2012; she qualified for the U.S. Women's Open in 2012 and went on to make her debut as a professional at the 2012 LPGA Championship. Cheyenne Woods has won two professional tournaments so far in her career.

A major figure in the early-twentieth century international golf, American golfer Walter Hagen is often hailed as the father of professional golf for his contributions towards raising the stature of the game. The first golfer to earn one million dollars, he registered 58 wins including eleven major championships and made golf popular in the USA with his flair and style.

Billy Casper was an American golfer who won three majors, including two U.S. Open Championships, in an illustrious professional career that spanned more than two decades. One of the best performers on the PGA Tour of his generation, Casper won 51 PGA Tour events. In 1978, Billy Casper was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Irish golfer Padraig Harrington had started training in golf at age 5. Now a multiple Ryder Cup winner and a PGA champion, he has also won 2 British Open championship titles. He has been twice named the European Tour Golfer of the Year. He is promotes the Special Olympics as its global ambassador.

Irish golfer Shane Lowry became the second from his country to win a Major Championship title. Born to celebrated Gaelic footballer Brendan Lowry, Shane was always interested in sports. The 2015 World Golf Championship winner also supports his country’s Gaelic sports club. He was the third amateur to score a European Tour title.

Lanny Wadkins is an American golfer who has won 21 PGA Tour events, including the 1977 PGA Championship. He has also won events at European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, and Champions Tour. Wadkins has also represented the national team, helping his team win multiple Ryder Cups. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009.

Jason Dufner is an American golfer who has won five PGA Tour events, including one major championship, so far in his career. Dufner, who was ranked in the top 10 for 50 weeks, has also represented the U.S. national team on a couple of occasions, including the 2012 Ryder Cup. In 2013, he helped his team win the Presidents Cup.

Peter Thomson was an Australian golfer best remembered for winning the Open Championship on five occasions between 1954 and 1965. He won three consecutive Championship titles in 1954, 1955, and 1956, becoming the only modern era golfer to win a major on three successive occasions. In 1988, Peter Thomson was made an inductee of the World Golf Hall of Fame.