The 6 Most Prolific Players In The PGA Championship

Two decades ago, golf was a sport on a frugal budget and catered to a small fan base. Fans of that era barely realize all the glitz, circumstance, and money surrounding today's polished game. Most of the reason for professional golf's prosperity in the new millennium can be attributed to one person: Tiger Woods. He is a man who has truly grown into something bigger than his own sport and has had fans around the world watching his every shot.

Over the past century, golf has become one of the most revered sports in the world. Golfers are respected all over the world, playing golf also improves one’s finances because the total prize pool is huge compared to other sports. Today's golfers are indebted to the pioneers because they were the ones who paved the way for today's young stars. Over time, there have been many great golfers, from the likes of Vijay Singh, Arnold Palmer, and Phil Mickelson, to more recent names like Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa. Out of the hundreds of people who have played this game, we have narrowed down the list to what we think should be the all-time best in the PGA Championship. Everyone has a different idea of who is at the top of the golfing world, and here is our list.

1. Arnold Palmer

We could have expected Palmer to be higher on the list because when you start naming some of the most famous golfers after Gary Player and Tiger Woods, Arnie would probably be next on the list. And rightly so, because this player eventually went on to become one of the greatest and most famous golfers of all time. Palmer’s fan base grows larger with each round he plays. He won seven majors, including four Masters titles, but he never won the PGA Championship and ended his career without completing a Grand Slam.

It is not all shocking to say that even now, Arnold Palmer is very popular in Canada. The late legend won the 1980 tournament in Canada, and the people of this country love him to this day. Although the sport is not particularly popular in the North American country, some people have accepted Arnie's offer to pursue a career in golf. And its influence can be seen in different verticals. We already mentioned the drink that bears his name, but also, the gaming industry that is gaining popularity and holding its ground in the country is also affected. Various casino promotions in Canada still carry the Palmer name to this day. Some call them "Arnie promotions," and they are hugely popular.

2. Tiger Woods

In 1997, Tiger began a trajectory that took him straight to the top of this list. He has dominated golf's oldest and most legendary league. We all remember the Masters' record of 18 under the total number of matches that Woods shot in his first Masters as a pro. We remember his incredible win rate of 15 shots. We remember how his mammoth hits turned pars into pitches and putts. What many people don't remember from the 1997 Masters is how badly Tiger started the tournament.

The rest of the journey, as they say, is historic - fifteen grand slam championships, 82 PGA Tour championships, the highest career average in PGA history, ten Player of the Year awards, and many more. And so, the impact and extent of achievement are undeniable and unprecedented. When he is at his best, Woods plays the game better than ever. 

3. Bobby Jones

Bobby Jones had the potential to be the greatest golfer of all time, and he never made a show-off of winning the tournaments. Jones never turned pro in his career and was therefore unable to make money from the sport. He simply played for fun. Jones won 13 major championships in his career and remains the only golfer to have won a Grand Slam, all four major championships in one year. There could have been another Major added to this list, but in 1925 at the PGA Championship, Jones won himself a penalty when he saw his ball move, costing him the championship.

Jones retired at the age of 28. We may never know how many major championships he may have won as he entered his prime, but we will never forget his spirit. 

4. David Duval

In the late 90s and early 2000s, few people won more golf tournaments than David Duval. He quickly became Tiger Woods' first opponent, rising to world No. 1 in 1998 and scoring three consecutive firsts on two awards lists from 1997 to 1999. Duval finally won at the 2001 Open Championship, but it was the last of his 13 PGA Tour wins. From there, his game hit a dead end. He started to miss cuts, like tons of cuts. And even though he's featured in the rankings occasionally, he was a finalist at the 2009 US Open, he was never the same. Duval never played in another event after that weird week in 2009 and barely plays these days. Many fans and experts have put forward advanced theories to explain Duval's dramatic decline. Duval himself tried to explain that. The truth is, no one really knows why things turned out the way they did, but Duval's legacy was secured by his Open win at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Major champion and double-digit PGA Tour winner, he is undoubtedly one of the best of his generation.

5. Zach Johnson

This Iowa native has been a regular on the PGA Tour for years - unfortunately, he's been rather underrated for most of that time. Johnson came to prominence following an unexpected win over Tiger Woods at the 2007 Masters, and while it remains a career highlight, he's had ten more PGA Tour wins since. Earlier this summer, it was Johnson's time again; he beat Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in the knockout stages to win the Open for the second major tournament of his career.

In an age where power and length dominate the game, Johnson's main source of money over the years has been the short game and his iron. Fans are certainly delighted to see a guy who isn't good at long-range achieve such huge success in the PGA Championship - it's like a dream that continues to exist in all of us, isn't it?

6. Vijay Singh

Prior to Tiger Woods' first Masters' win, Singh had scored three PGA Tour wins. However, in the 18 years since that week, he has established himself as one of Woods' main rivals, winning 33 events and three major championships. The 2004 season stood out as the highlight of Singh's career; The Fijian won nine events, including a PGA win at Whistling Strait, en route to taking the No. 1 spot from Woods. Four years later, Singh dominated the first two rounds of the FedEx Cup and forced the PGA Tour bigwigs to change the scoring system after the annual tournament lockup was only three-quarters of the way down.

Singh has topped the earning list three times in his career: in 2003, 2004, and 2008. He was one of only two men to top the list that decade - Woods was the other. From 1998 to 2008, Singh was never outside the top five. All these years later, he continued to improve - the 52-year-old had just played at Barclays and was 119th in FedEx Cup points.

Most Majors Wins

Considering grand slam majors victories, the greatest golfer of all time is possibly Jack Nicklaus, who won 18 majors, including the Masters, six times in his career. Tiger Woods currently has 15 big wins and is expected to have many more victories under his belt. Winning all four major tournaments is considered a big battle. Only five golfers have won all four Majors at any point in their careers. They are Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. Not only did they do it once, but Woods and Nicklaus have also won the Major 3 times.

Conclusion

Although some people don't like golf, it is arguably one of the most famous sports in the world. It is a club and ball sport where players must use the club to hit the ball. The goal of this sport is to hit the ball into as many holes with as few strokes as possible, which seems easy, but it can be complicated, especially in some cases. Unlike most other sports that can be played in a standard area, golf is unique because every course is different. Some of them have more holes than others, and you can often find things like sandboxes and even small pools. With that said, the PGA Championship remains one of the most coveted achievements in the history of golf.