My All-Time Top 10

Gary Player Is Not #3

This past week, Gary Player declared himself the #3 all-time greatest golfer behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

“I’m number three. There’s not even a question.”

Well…

Very few people seem to agree with him including me. No one denies he is one of the best players of all-time, but nearly everyone has him further down the list in the top ten.

Player makes his claim because of the number of majors (9) and the number of professional wins worldwide (159). He is T-4th for number of majors with Ben Hogan. He also claims Bobby Jones record as an amateur cannot be compared to his professional record. He makes this statement because Jones won 13 majors when the US Amateur and British Amateur were considered majors. Eliminating Jones’ wins in those 2 tournaments, he only has 7 and falls behind Player.

But Player conveniently fails to mention a few things in regard to Bobby Jones.

The best golfers in the world in Jones’ era were amateurs. Professional golfers were frowned upon.

Even more notable, Jones accomplished his 13 wins by the age of 28 when he retired from competitive golf. His wins encompassed a seven-year span from 1923-1930. Think about that. Jones won just shy of half the majors in those seven years. Oh, he also completed the Grand Slam, the only player to ever do it, in 1930. All told, Jones played in 31 majors with 13 wins and 27 top tens. Depending on what criteria is used, Jones is either 3rd or 7th in terms of major victories.

Player does have a case, however. He won 159 tournaments worldwide. 9 majors and 24 PGA Tour events. He traveled the world and won events everywhere, but the fields in many of those international tournaments were weak. The level of competition did not compare to the PGA Tour.

I don’t want to diminish this too much, though. Winning a golf tournament is difficult, even with weaker fields. Throw in the travel conditions, Player deserves recognition for this feat.

For me, there is a cloud which does hang over Player’s head which influences where I rank him.

Cheating allegations.

Tom Watson accused him of cheating during the Skins Game in 1983. Old footage of the ‘74 Open Championship (Player won by four shots) shows Player on the 72nd hole preparing to play a shot left-handed because his ball finished next the clubhouse preventing him playing the shot right-handed. The footage shows Player brushing dirt away from behind his ball with his practice backswing which should have been a penalty.

Player also used a trick when he hit his ball in the rough. He would take a wood and lay it down behind the ball as if he was considering hitting the wood only to switch to an iron to play the shot. This would tamp down the grass behind the ball allowing a clearer path to the ball with an iron.

So where does he fall for me?

He’s top 10 all-time based on his wins in majors and worldwide victories.

Here’s my list:

1. Jack Nicklaus - no one has won more majors than Jack (18).

   

2. (1A) Tiger Woods - number 2 with 15 majors. Tiger also is tied with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour victories with 82.

3. Walter Hagen - The Haig takes the number 3 spot. He sits in 3rd place using the modern majors with 11.

   

4. Ben Hogan - Hogan is tied for 4th in modern majors with Player with 9. 6 of those wins came after a near fatal car crash

5. Sam Snead - Snead is tied for the most PGA Tour wins (82) in history with Tiger Woods. He also won 7 majors placing him T-7th.

   

6. Bobby Jones - I could put Jones 3,4 or 5. I opted for 6th as I used the modern majors as one of my benchmarks.

   

7. Arnold Palmer - Palmer is T-7th in majors with 7 wins. He also won 95 professional tournaments with 55 regular PGA Tour victories.

   

8. Gary Player - This is where he falls for me.

9. Tom Watson - #6 all-time with 8 major wins.

   

10. Harry Vardon - I went old school again. Vardon is currently T-7th all-time with 7 major championships.

    

There’s my top 10 all-time. Some people will disagree. That’s part of the fun in creating top 10 lists. Who is the GOAT? Who makes the list? Who doesn’t make the list? Who should be ranked higher/lower? It all makes for interesting and fun discussion. Let me know what you think. Who makes your top 10?

Training took a bit of a backseat again this week. I fought a cold most of the week. While I did workout, I took it easy as I wanted to avoid over exerting. I also stayed away from the gym which limits what I can do. I walked everyday, did my mobility exercises and did one speed session. Now, fully recovered, I will ramp up full workouts again this week.

As always, be thankful when you play. Be grateful for the privilege and opportunity to play this amazing game. Now, go golf!