Golfers We Love, Golfers We Love to Hate

Sports are entertainment. Good entertainment always needs heroes and villains. There needs to be someone to root for and someone to root against. It is basic storytelling: hero vs. anti-hero.

The past few weeks I’ve been asking on X for people’s all-time favorite golfer and their most despised golfer. I am always curious to see the names which show up. Most are not surprising on either side of the equation, however, every now and then a name appears which is truly surprising. Some names even appear on both the liked and most despised lists.

It is also an experiment to see what draws the most commentary. Negative stories, posts, etc. tend to draw more response and views. In this case, it definitely held true.

Let’s start right there. The most despised player question drew 65K views with nearly 300 comments and 5 reposts. Pretty decent response as I am currently sitting at 2.8k followers (you can follow me at jcmmartin65 on X). The all-time favorite golfer post received 14K views, 104 comments and 3 reposts. Sadly, negative draws more response.

Who came out on top as the most liked golfer of all-time?

There were lots of names which showed up with no real surprises. Nicklaus, Woods, Player, Trevino and Daly were obvious choices. Johnny Miller received some votes as did Tom Watson, Fred Couples and Chi Chi Rodriguez. But one golfer stood out among all the others. The King. Leader of Arnie’s Army. Arnold Palmer.

Interestingly enough, few people listed a current player as their all-time favorite. Tiger Woods received votes, but, while still trying to play, he isn’t a relevant player any longer. The only current full-time players to receive more than one comment were Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson. No Scheffler or Schauffele. No Rahm or Thomas.

Which golfers ended up as both loved and hated?

This was an interesting list. Here are the top players to appear as both hero and villain.

#3 - Jack Nicklaus. The major separation between hero and villain for Nicklaus existed between age groups. Older golfers who loved Palmer still have great disdain for Jack. He came along and overthrew the beloved King. Golfers who listed Jack as their all-time favorite tended to be golfers who took up the game in the era where Nicklaus became the GOAT.

#2 - Tiger Woods. Those who love Woods marvel at his talent. They recognize the dominance of Tiger during his prime. While Nicklaus won more majors, Woods won majors with complete domination of the fields. Those who despise Tiger focus on the issues in his personal life and his reputation for not being a nice guy.

#1 - Phil Mickelson. This did not surprise me at all. His talent is undeniable. His short game skills are off the chart. Following his surprise victory at the PGA Championship in ‘21 to become the oldest major champion in history, Mickelson was arguably the most beloved player. But then Phil jumped to LIV, and everything changed. Just as golf fans are divided between the PGA Tour and LIV, they are divided on their opinion of Mickelson.

Who ended up the most despised professional golfer?

To learn who came out on top, consider signing up for a paid subscription to Go Golf. Paid subscribers have access to additional content every week.

Thank you for subscribing and reading Go Golf. I am truly grateful for all of you. I love to share my love of this game with others who share my passion.

As always, be grateful every time you get to play. Be thankful you have the opportunity and privilege to play this amazing game. Now, go golf!