Worst Player to win a Major?

[secretmidam]

No such thing as a "worse" player on the professional level. When you win a Major, you are the greatest player in the world for that tournament.

 

 

 

Was talking with my golf groups after the US Open, and we got to talking on this subject.

 

Worst Player to Win a Major?

 

Apologies if this has been discussed already, but I thought there might be some good answers.

 

My top votes?

 

Keegan Bradley

Jason Dufner

Y.E Yang

 

Not so much to blast those players, but there are definitely players that deserve a major over these guys.

 

Give me your best.

[Bonhomme Richard]

Paul Lawrie

 

He's won 8 times on the European tour (including the Open).

 

[Mwscgolf]

No such thing as a "worse" player on the professional level. When you win a Major, you are the greatest player in the world for that tournament.

 

 

 

Was talking with my golf groups after the US Open, and we got to talking on this subject.

 

Worst Player to Win a Major?

 

Apologies if this has been discussed already, but I thought there might be some good answers.

 

My top votes?

 

Keegan Bradley

Jason Dufner

Y.E Yang

 

Not so much to blast those players, but there are definitely players that deserve a major over these guys.

 

Give me your best.

 

Guys, I get it.

 

All the pros are good and all the ones that won earned it and deserve the victory.

 

But I think it's pretty clear what the intent of the topic is, so no need to repeat what has already been posted about the semantics of "worst" player.

 

Thanks

[TheFatTick]

 

There is no discussion about that, because the answer is so clear: Andy North.

 

Andy North has 2 Majors. 3 PGA wins. 14 wins as a professional. Five top 10's in a major. You may not be overly impressed, but it's very clearly a stat line that does NOT qualify as the worst career that still includes a major.

 

YE Yang took out Tiger head to head, so he gets points for that. And does have another PGA victory. Rich Beam has 3 victories on the PGA tour.

 

Shaun Micheel would be the most obvious answer.

[ptjn1201]

Sam Parks, Jr. Won at Oakmont in 1935. Local lad played well. Only won a few regional or state events other than that.

[DrRob1963]

Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy, from that gopher in Caddyshack.

[pacobanuelos]

darren clark

[jmck]

darren clark

 

That's easily the worst answer in this thread.

[jmck]

Had to go look it up. Here's Darren Clarke's resume:

 

14 Euro tour wins

3 Japanese tour wins

He's never played much on the PGA tour but has 2 wins which were both WGCs, and one of those was him beating the 2000 version of Tiger Woods head to head in the Match Play final. He's also 10-7-3 in Ryder Cup matches.

[cronam51]

Bradley and Dufner are your top votes? Over these likes of Michael Campbell, Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton, Shaun Micheel?

Coming from the area where Ben Curtis went to college and played his golf, I certainly am biased to his accomplishments.

He has won several times on the PGA Tour so I don't think it a fluke that he won The Open. Maybe a bit unexpected but not unusual in my

opinion. I'll admit he has seemed to have disappeared.

My vote would be Steve Jones!

[TSouth]

1. Shaun Micheel

2. Orville Moody

3. Todd Hamilton

4. Trevor Immelman

5a. Claude Harmon (in terms of pga wins only, obviously a legendary professional)

5b. Jack Fleck

[ShooterMcGavin311]

Happy Gilmore

[toshman]

Zach Johnson and Mike Weir

 

12 and 8 PGA Tour wins respectively :dntknw: :huh:

[playa]

Anyone mentioned Brooks yet?

[grm24]

Anyone mentioned Brooks yet?

If you mean Mark Brooks, with him winning 7 times on the PGA Tour that says no.

[PhilsFanDrew]

Cannot believe that the name of Webb Simpson has not been mentioned. About the least impressive major winner I can remember from the current era

 

Webb has at least won a PGA Tour event since his major. He also made a President's Cup and Ryder Cup team in consecutive years following his major. His play has dropped off a bit leading up to and now after the anchor ban went into effect but I am sure many guys on tour would love to trade their list of accomplishments and accolades for his.

[playa]

Anyone mentioned Brooks yet?

If you mean Mark Brooks, with him winning 7 times on the PGA Tour that says no.

Fair enough. Didn't realise he had that many wins.

[playa]

It would be interesting to take this topic literally and pick the worst golfer right now from the major winners. If you kept it to a realistic age (under 60), there would be an interesting list. Guys like IBF, Duval, Campbell, Olazabal, Lyle and even Harrington etc have all fallen a long way from their major winning days.

[Mwscgolf]

It would be interesting to take this topic literally and pick the worst golfer right now from the major winners. If you kept it to a realistic age (under 60), there would be an interesting list. Guys like IBF, Duval, Campbell, Olazabal, Lyle and even Harrington etc have all fallen a long way from their major winning days.

 

That's more or less the discussion I was having with my group when I started this topic. We had kept it limited to basically the 21st century or so.

 

I've liked seeing all the different answers though. Lots of names I would have never thought of.

[smeech8000]

Another Ohio boy here - Curtis was definitely a stud at Kent State which is a perennial golf powerhouse in the MAC... but he was undoubtedly the least qualified major winner of the modern era when he captured the claret jug at RSG (I remember watching every shot on that telecast as a senior in college):

 

http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/14064924/ask-steven-lowest-ranked-golfer-win-major (sidebar: Lynch can't even get Clarke's name right)

 

Granted, achievements after any player's maiden major triumph should be brought into account and lend quite a measure of subjectivity to the debate. Of the players on that (espn) list, Micheel had the most lackluster overall career. Still, that was a hell of a shot on 18 to slam the door in Campbell's face!

[imakaveli]

Had to go look it up. Here's Darren Clarke's resume:

 

14 Euro tour wins

3 Japanese tour wins

He's never played much on the PGA tour but has 2 wins which were both WGCs, and one of those was him beating the 2000 version of Tiger Woods head to head in the Match Play final. He's also 10-7-3 in Ryder Cup matches.

 

You don't have to justify your answer by posting Darren's resume, a person that names Clarke in this thread is clearly trolling or has no idea

[jmck]

It would be interesting to take this topic literally and pick the worst golfer right now from the major winners. If you kept it to a realistic age (under 60), there would be an interesting list. Guys like IBF, Duval, Campbell, Olazabal, Lyle and even Harrington etc have all fallen a long way from their major winning days.

 

I'd cross Harrington off your list immediately, as he is still playing fairly well--good result in Scotland this week and won in Florida not too long ago. Also Olazabal has had real problems with injuries, so I'd give him a pass--plus he's won something like 20 or 30 tournaments and not one but two Masters. IBF and Duval are kind of similar in a way--head cases. I'd suspect they can each shoot mid-60s in casual rounds with their mates and at the first sign of professional competition they balloon to ~80. Make of that what you will. I have no idea what happened to Lyle--his peers who won more than him all said he was the best ball-striker of them all when he was on. Has anyone had a Sandy Lyle siting lately? Does he still hit the ball that well? Now Campbell though, there's your answer.

[cdnglf]

It would be interesting to take this topic literally and pick the worst golfer right now from the major winners. If you kept it to a realistic age (under 60), there would be an interesting list. Guys like IBF, Duval, Campbell, Olazabal, Lyle and even Harrington etc have all fallen a long way from their major winning days.

 

I'd cross Harrington off your list immediately, as he is still playing fairly well--good result in Scotland this week and won in Florida not too long ago. Also Olazabal has had real problems with injuries, so I'd give him a pass--plus he's won something like 20 or 30 tournaments and not one but two Masters. IBF and Duval are kind of similar in a way--head cases. I'd suspect they can each shoot mid-60s in casual rounds with their mates and at the first sign of professional competition they balloon to ~80. Make of that what you will. I have no idea what happened to Lyle--his peers who won more than him all said he was the best ball-striker of them all when he was on. Has anyone had a Sandy Lyle siting lately? Does he still hit the ball that well? Now Campbell though, there's your answer.

 

If this tournament was held today, isn't Tiger "Chunk" Woods in the conversation?

[jmck]

It would be interesting to take this topic literally and pick the worst golfer right now from the major winners. If you kept it to a realistic age (under 60), there would be an interesting list. Guys like IBF, Duval, Campbell, Olazabal, Lyle and even Harrington etc have all fallen a long way from their major winning days.

 

I'd cross Harrington off your list immediately, as he is still playing fairly well--good result in Scotland this week and won in Florida not too long ago. Also Olazabal has had real problems with injuries, so I'd give him a pass--plus he's won something like 20 or 30 tournaments and not one but two Masters. IBF and Duval are kind of similar in a way--head cases. I'd suspect they can each shoot mid-60s in casual rounds with their mates and at the first sign of professional competition they balloon to ~80. Make of that what you will. I have no idea what happened to Lyle--his peers who won more than him all said he was the best ball-striker of them all when he was on. Has anyone had a Sandy Lyle siting lately? Does he still hit the ball that well? Now Campbell though, there's your answer.

 

If this tournament was held today, isn't Tiger "Chunk" Woods in the conversation?

 

Come on, let's be fair. I'm pretty sure he could beat Jack Fleck.

[playa]

It would be interesting to take this topic literally and pick the worst golfer right now from the major winners. If you kept it to a realistic age (under 60), there would be an interesting list. Guys like IBF, Duval, Campbell, Olazabal, Lyle and even Harrington etc have all fallen a long way from their major winning days.

 

I'd cross Harrington off your list immediately, as he is still playing fairly well--good result in Scotland this week and won in Florida not too long ago. Also Olazabal has had real problems with injuries, so I'd give him a pass--plus he's won something like 20 or 30 tournaments and not one but two Masters. IBF and Duval are kind of similar in a way--head cases. I'd suspect they can each shoot mid-60s in casual rounds with their mates and at the first sign of professional competition they balloon to ~80. Make of that what you will. I have no idea what happened to Lyle--his peers who won more than him all said he was the best ball-striker of them all when he was on. Has anyone had a Sandy Lyle siting lately? Does he still hit the ball that well? Now Campbell though, there's your answer.

 

If this tournament was held today, isn't Tiger "Chunk" Woods in the conversation?

Sadly it would seem so.

[playa]

Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy, from that gopher in Caddyshack.

How about Carl? A greenskeeper, outta nowhere, becomes the Masters champion.

[Bad9]

I think Brittany Lang goes to near the top of this list now

[Shilgy]

It would be interesting to take this topic literally and pick the worst golfer right now from the major winners. If you kept it to a realistic age (under 60), there would be an interesting list. Guys like IBF, Duval, Campbell, Olazabal, Lyle and even Harrington etc have all fallen a long way from their major winning days.

 

I'd cross Harrington off your list immediately, as he is still playing fairly well--good result in Scotland this week and won in Florida not too long ago. Also Olazabal has had real problems with injuries, so I'd give him a pass--plus he's won something like 20 or 30 tournaments and not one but two Masters. IBF and Duval are kind of similar in a way--head cases. I'd suspect they can each shoot mid-60s in casual rounds with their mates and at the first sign of professional competition they balloon to ~80. Make of that what you will. I have no idea what happened to Lyle--his peers who won more than him all said he was the best ball-striker of them all when he was on. Has anyone had a Sandy Lyle siting lately? Does he still hit the ball that well? Now Campbell though, there's your answer.

 

If this tournament was held today, isn't Tiger "Chunk" Woods in the conversation?

 

Come on, let's be fair. I'm pretty sure he could beat Jack Fleck.

Hogan couldn't.

[Shilgy]

I think Brittany Lang goes to near the top of this list now

20TH in the Rolex world rankings. That is a stretch to call her the worst.

[jmck]

It would be interesting to take this topic literally and pick the worst golfer right now from the major winners. If you kept it to a realistic age (under 60), there would be an interesting list. Guys like IBF, Duval, Campbell, Olazabal, Lyle and even Harrington etc have all fallen a long way from their major winning days.

 

I'd cross Harrington off your list immediately, as he is still playing fairly well--good result in Scotland this week and won in Florida not too long ago. Also Olazabal has had real problems with injuries, so I'd give him a pass--plus he's won something like 20 or 30 tournaments and not one but two Masters. IBF and Duval are kind of similar in a way--head cases. I'd suspect they can each shoot mid-60s in casual rounds with their mates and at the first sign of professional competition they balloon to ~80. Make of that what you will. I have no idea what happened to Lyle--his peers who won more than him all said he was the best ball-striker of them all when he was on. Has anyone had a Sandy Lyle siting lately? Does he still hit the ball that well? Now Campbell though, there's your answer.

 

If this tournament was held today, isn't Tiger "Chunk" Woods in the conversation?

 

Come on, let's be fair. I'm pretty sure he could beat Jack Fleck.

Hogan couldn't.

 

Dead Hogan beats Dead Fleck 99 times out of 100. Your boy, half dead Tiger Woods, is still trying to figure out how to hit a 100 yard wedge shot over water.