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Byron Nelson Retiring at just 34, Byron Nelson had a fairly short career but it was one full of accomplishment and he certainly made his mark. He saw much success in his career and in 1945 he won a record-breaking 18 PGA tournaments out of 35, 11 of which were consecutive. By his retirement he had a grand total of 64 wins, including the Masters Tournament twice in 1937 and 1942.
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Ben Hogan Possibly the greatest ball striker of all time, Ben Hogan's swing holds legendary status in the game. In 1953 he came very close to winning the grand slam in but was unfortunately unable to attend the PGA Championship as it clashed with the British Open. However, he still managed to be the first to win three major championships in one season. His career ended with 64 PGA Tour wins, including two Masters victories. |
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Sir Nick Faldo Nick Faldo is one of the most successful British golfers of all time, having won the Masters three times. After becoming professional in 1976, he won his first major in the 1987 Open Championship but went on to enjoy many more victories. To date, he has 40 professional wins to his name. |
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Phil Mickelson At first Phil Mickelson was criticised for his apparent inability to win majors, despite his success in other PGA Tour events. But this all changed when he won his first Masters in 2004, a feat he has repeated twice more - walking away with the green jacket for the third time in his career last year. He remains an outside contender for this year's title after two reasonable opening rounds.
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Jimmy Demaret Multi-talented Jimmy Demaret was known for his flamboyant personality and went on to enjoy a career in broadcasting. But before that he led a long, prosperous career between 1935 and 1957. Although often overshadowed by his contemporary Ben Hogan, he became the first person to win the Masters Tournament three times.
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Sam Snead Sam Snead was also an early three-time Masters winner but his career is also notable in that he was the first champion to wear the traditional green jacket, which was introduced in 1949. He finished his career with an amazing 165 professional wins, including 82 PGA Tour events.
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Gary Player South African legend Gary Player became the first non-American to win the Masters in 1961, and even went on to win again in 1974 and 1978. In 1965 his victory in the US Open completed his career grand slam, making him one of the only five people to achieve that feat.
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Arnold Palmer The first golfer ever to win the Masters four times, Arnold Palmer is known by many as "The King". Even playing against greats such as Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus hasn't stopped him from racking up 62 PGA Tour wins. He played the Masters for 50 consecutive years from 1955 to 2004.
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Tiger Woods The only other golfer to achieve four Masters wins, Tiger Woods has enjoyed a great succession of victories and he is also one of the few to have achieved the grand slam. His controversial personal life has made the front pages recently and his game has clearly been affected but as his amazing career record shows, Woods definitely has the potential to bounce back and make it to five wins and beyond.
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Jack Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus has enjoyed a career that no one has come close to equalling, winning the Masters no less than six times between 1963 and 1986. His victories themselves have become iconic, especially his 1986 win that saw him catch up dramatically with Seve Ballesteros after a particularly impressive shot with his five-iron that gave him a much needed birdie. While his incredible record of 115 professional tour wins sets him apart from the field, his performances in the Masters are what he is best known for. Jack Nicklaus is unquestionably the greatest Masters player of all time. |
