Making a top 10 list of any kind is hard enough, but golf is especially difficult.
While Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus will be consensus top 10 picks on any golf fans list, positions 3 - 10 will be up for endless debate.
The past 100 years has produced golfing greats of various prestige and it is almost unfair to compare generations. That all said, Betway has tried its best to take all of that into consideration as we ranked the top 10 golfers of all time:
10. Tom Watson
Watson won eight majors, five of which came at The Open within nine dominating years and he came within a shot of a historic sixth in 2009 at the age of 59. The American racked up 39 career PGA Tour wins and is regarded as one of the best links players of all time.
He recoreded eight second-placed finishes in majors and placed within the top-10 at least 10 times at each of the four majors, a feat only he and long time rival Nicklaus -- who finished second behind Watson at four majors -- can boast.
9. Phil Mickelson
Like Watson, Mickelson went toe-to-toe with another golfing great -- in Woods -- during the peak of his powers.
'Lefty' has won five majors and placed second in a major 11 times (six of which came at the U.S. Open which he has never won), while he boasts seven third-place finishes and 38 career top-10 finishes in majors.
Mickelson also has 44 PGA Tour wins and 10 European victories under his belt, and were it not for a few final round collapses he would have more major wins and be higher on this list -- and most likely be joined by Greg Norman who only tops 'Lefty' as golfs biggest underachievers.
8. Seve Ballesteros
The only European on our list, Ballesteros was largely responsible for ending America's dominance in the Ryder Cup in the 1980's.
The Spaniard won five major championships, clinched nine PGA Tour wins and won a record 50 European Tour tournaments during an illustrious career.
One of golf's most beloved characters, Ballesteros will go down as one of the best match-play golfers in history.
7. Gary Player
Player is the most successful golfer on the Sunshine Tour with an incredible 63 wins.
The South African is also one of only five men's golfers to own a career Grand Slam and is considered to be golf's first international ambassador.
Player won nine majors over three decades for a total of 24 PGA Tour wins and won tournaments on every continent except for Antarctica. Now 84, Player still maintains and fit and healthy lifestyle which has contributed to his long-standing success in a career which conjured 163 professional wins.
6. Walter Hagen
A pioneer of the game, Hagen is often credited for making professional golf what it is today.
With 11 major titles, he is only behind Nicklaus and Woods on the all time list. He won four straight PGA Championship's between 1924-27 and is widely considered to be the best match-play golfer ever. In total, he racked up 45 PGA Tour wins.
Hagen raised the status of professional golfers and was key to the game's development alongside golfers like Bobby Jones -- who unfortunately fails to make our list -- and for his impact on and off the golf course, he comes in at sixth in our top 10 ranking.
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5. Arnold Palmer
Like Hagen and Jones before him, Palmer is viewed as a trailblazer and one of the most influential players -- if not the most influential -- of his generation.
Palmer won seven majors for a total of 95 professional victories. While he failed to win a career Grand Slam (finishing second at three PGA Championship's), Palmer was one of golf's most popular stars and is viewed as the first superstar of the sport's television age.
'The King' single handedly generated TV interest and became the first PGA Tour millionaire. Not only one of the all time greats, but one of the game's biggest ambassadors who played a huge role in popularising the game across the globe.
4. Ben Hogan
Hogan won all nine of his major championships within the space of seven glorious years between 1946-53.
'The Hawk' won a career-best 13 tournament in 1946 and from 1946 to 1948 he won an astonishing 30 tournaments. In total, Hogan won 69 tournaments and for a period between the 1940's and 50's he won eight of 11 majors entered.
One of the greatest shotmakers the game has ever seen, Hogan dominated the game during his peak and would've won more if it wasn't for World War II and a near-fatal car accident.
One of five players to win all of the Grand Slam events (the others are: Nicklaus, Woods, Player and Gene Sarazen), Hogan became the first to win as many as three majors in one year when he did so in 1953. If he'd played in as many tournaments as Nicklaus and Woods, he'd arguably be the undisputed G.O.A.T.
3. Sam Snead
A serial winner, Snead won a joint-record 82 PGA Tour titles over the course of his professional career.
Slammin' Sammy enjoyed and long a fruitful career, posting wins in four different decades and clinching seven majors along the way. Snead won three of the four major tournaments over the course of his career, but could never clinch the U.S. Open -- finishing second on four occasions.
Snead still holds the record for the oldest winner on the PGA Tour, capturing the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open at 52 years, 10 months and 8 days. He is also the oldest player to make the cut at a major, doing so at the 1979 PGA Championship when he was 67 years, 2 months and 7 days.
For his longitivtiy and winning record over several decades, Snead comes in at third on our list.
2. Jack Nicklaus
Widely considered as the greatest golfer of all time, Nicklaus won a record 18 major championships in a highly competitive era.
'The Golden Bear' was in a class of his own at major tournaments and won each major at least three times, while he finished as runner-up a further 19 times.
Furthermore, Nicklaus boasts 73 PGA Tour victories and nine European Tour wins. At the peak of his powers he was unstoppable and this during a period in which he competed for top spot against some of golf's fellow greats.
From 1960 to 1983, he made at least one top ten finish in a major championships and will forever be considered amongst the pioneers of the game.
1. Tiger Woods
It was going to take someone special to beat Nicklaus to the number one spot on our list, a generational talent. Up step Tiger Woods.
In the ilk of Palmer, Hagen and Jones, Woods is considered a trailblazer -- a pioneer who inspired many of the world's greatest golfers today and he continues to inspire the current generation. Woods has played a huge role in making the game popular and with his influence on the young players over the last three decades, he has made golf as competitive as ever.
Woods has won 15 major championships (second only to Nicklaus) and boasts a record 82 PGA Tour victories (tied with Sam Snead). He also has 41 European Tour wins (3rd all time) and has spent the most consecutive weeks (281) and most total weeks (683) as the world's No. 1 ranked golfer.
'Tiger' is the only person to hold all four major titles at the same time, giving birth to the Tiger Slam with his consecutive victories in 2000-01.
From 2005 to 2008 Woods placed within the top four in 12 of 14 majors with six wins. A serious back injury threatened to end his pursuit of Nicklaus' record, but Woods completed one of sport's greatest comebacks by winning the 2019 Masters Tournament and at 44 years of age, he still has a few wins in him!
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