Worst Player to win a Major?

[ETERNAL06]

Lucas Glover. Although he did have 2 other wins.

 

Another vote for Lucas Glover

[avrag]

Sure, I just find the whole "toughest tournament in golf" stuff a bit much. Especially the blatant manipulation of par.

 

^^^^ This (the bolded part).

[Joe85]

I agree I don't like to see 500 yard "part 4s" but other than that - the penal rough, tight fairways and razor fast greens - the US Open is THE tourney to have ones resume.

[gvogel]

I nominate Tom Kidd, Open Champion 1873. Tom Kidd won because he filed grooves into his irons, in the year that the first Open Championship was played at St Andrews, and the course was inundated with water after a 3 day storm.

 

Tom Kidd might have been a visionary in terms of golf equipment - grooves were unheard of in 1873. So, he won because he invented a new technology. He did not win because of his superiority as a golfer compared to the field.

 

But I have a soft spot in my heart for Tom Kidd, the inventor of the groove in an iron.

[DRRicks]

Shaun Micheel. Lock thread.

[Shilgy]

Sure, I just find the whole "toughest tournament in golf" stuff a bit much. Especially the blatant manipulation of par.

 

^^^^ This (the bolded part).

So in this thread we hate the USGA because they manipulate par but week to week we want the courses set up tougher so the scores are not too low?

Sorry but I'm old. Hard to keep track of this stuff.

[Joe85]

Sure, I just find the whole "toughest tournament in golf" stuff a bit much. Especially the blatant manipulation of par.

 

^^^^ This (the bolded part).

So in this thread we hate the USGA because they manipulate par but week to week we want the courses set up tougher so the scores are not too low?

Sorry but I'm old. Hard to keep track of this stuff.

 

 

 

Zing!

[golfandfishing]

^^^^

Shilgy a 465 par 4 that plays to 4.45 average because players are tempted by a sucker pin is USGA bullspat but a 530 par 5 with a 50 yard wide fairway and flat green that players hit 8 irons into is great. Duh.

[golfmad50]

End of the day they played better than all the others that week so bet their not worried by this topic

[Shilgy]

^^^^

Shilgy a 465 par 4 that plays to 4.45 average because players are tempted by a sucker pin is USGA bullspat but a 530 par 5 with a 50 yard wide fairway and flat green that players hit 8 irons into is great. Duh.

Reminds me if a story with Payne Stewart at the US Open. I think it was 1998 and he was complain about the setup on a hole that was a converted par 4 that played as a par 5 for the members. He complained that the green was too small for a long approach shot. The usga guy at the time asked him if he would promise not to go for it in two if it played as a par five. Stewart got the point. :)

[kmac3]

Dufner has removed his name from the conversation with his win at the memorial. I wouldn't have put him on there anyway. I think it would be a tossup between Campbell and Micheel.

[cdnglf]

Dufner has removed his name from the conversation with his win at the memorial. I wouldn't have put him on there anyway. I think it would be a tossup between Campbell and Micheel.

 

There are about 900 posts in this thread that explain why it isn't Campbell.

[dlygrisse]

Maybe the PGA has a slightly deeper field, but in a major if you aren't on your game most of those guys won't be in contention anyway. In the US Open the course is generally set up more penal, with narrower fairways, faster firmer greens, deeper rough etc. You can't let your guard down, you have to concentrate on every shot or disaster waits, at least that is usually the intention of the course set up. Does this always happen? No, but I think for 72 holes it's the toughest tournament almost every year on the calendar, generally it has the highest winning score, at lease in relation to par. The PGA often has a course set up that is similar to a good PGA tour venue.

 

Neither is right or wrong, it's just their identity and how they like to go about things. The stated goal of the USGA in the past has been to challenge every aspect of the game and identify the best player in the world that week. Obviously they don't always pull it off but that's the goal. I think last year it was a perfect setup at Oakmont, DJ was clearly identified.

 

Sure, I just find the whole "toughest tournament in golf" stuff a bit much. Especially the blatant manipulation of par.

 

Hardest tournament means hardest to win, which means hardest set of guys to beat. You have to beat more-or-less the same set of guys at the Open Championship. You have to beat a similar (but tougher) set of guys at the PGA. Players has a comparable field too, for that matter.

 

But it doesn't seem the cream rises to the top as often in the PGA as it does the US Open. In the US Open the pretenders get weeded out pretty quickly, the PGA is more like a regular tour event with a deep field, similar to say the Memorial.

 

 

Again, they both have their own identity, and that is fine, but I think anyone who has played in both for many years will confirm the US Open is a tougher event, especially mentally.

[Porker]

The very nature of most majors is to punish inconsistency... Exposing weaknesses such as missing fairways/greens, putting etc. You just can't 'wing it' through 72 holes and come out on top. So I don't think you can have a worst player winning, maybe an unlikely player is a better description. But how good is an 'unlikely' player to get through 72 holes of the most gruelling golf to win? Still bloody good...

 

Simple test: if the top 10 players in the world consistently win most of the majors every year, we can argue that whenever any other lower ranked player wins, it's complete against the run of play so to speak. We know that never happens. The reality is that these players are all so close in ability that anyone consistently performing on tour can win it on the day

[Ashley Schaeffer]

I nominate Tom Kidd, Open Champion 1873. Tom Kidd won because he filed grooves into his irons, in the year that the first Open Championship was played at St Andrews, and the course was inundated with water after a 3 day storm.

 

Tom Kidd might have been a visionary in terms of golf equipment - grooves were unheard of in 1873. So, he won because he invented a new technology. He did not win because of his superiority as a golfer compared to the field.

 

But I have a soft spot in my heart for Tom Kidd, the inventor of the groove in an iron.

 

Just imagine if Kidd had to play with the old equipment. Those grooves made the game too easy, made a round too long, slicked up the greens, increased the expense of keeping the course up to shape, raised greens fees from a quart of goat milk to nearly a halfpence, and made the legendary pastures of the early to mid-19th century obsolete. It's a wonder how golf survived that era.

[Raziren]

Sandy Lyle for me. Not the worst golfer (apparently one of Europe's best back in the day) but worst for golf. Turns up to majors each year to play badly & pick up his pension depriving others the opportunity to play.

[Shilgy]

Not sure if this has been said but I would like to be so bad/good that I was in the conversation. :(

[scruffynick]

I'm trying to get my head round this thread....and some of the names branded that had fine careers! Am I missing something?? They won a friggin major...let that sink in, a friggin major!!! The pinnacle of any golfer and they've done it....there's surprises but on that day they were the best and no one really has the right to poo poo that achievement! I wish I was on this list that's for sure

[Arpeggi]

You can win a major and still be the worst player to do so.

[Shilgy]

You can win a major and still be the worst player to do so.

The only excuse for threads like these. Because someone has to be the worst of a certain group. Sure. Let's have a thread titled "The worst player of the top 10 of all time".

[Finbarr Saunders]

Sandy Lyle for me. Not the worst golfer (apparently one of Europe's best back in the day) but worst for golf. Turns up to majors each year to play badly & pick up his pension depriving others the opportunity to play.

:swoon:

[scruffynick]

Sandy Lyle for me. Not the worst golfer (apparently one of Europe's best back in the day) but worst for golf. Turns up to majors each year to play badly & pick up his pension depriving others the opportunity to play.

:swoon:

Yeah Im still getting my head round this one too...sandy was one of the best players in the world for a decade...won loads all over the world, 2 majors, played in ryder cups and regarded as one of the finest ball strikers to ever play the game...something doesn't quite add up???

[smeech8000]

You can win a major and still be the worst player to do so.

The only excuse for threads like these. Because someone has to be the worst of a certain group. Sure. Let's have a thread titled "The worst player of the top 10 of all time".

 

Ok... so you mean who is ranked #10? :taunt:

 

There are waaaaaay more than 10 names in this discussion to merit creation of the thread. Although there likely a few hundred different names that could qualify, most people will only cite winners in the last 50 years, and there are still plenty of names to justify a debate.

[imakaveli]

I wouldn't name Micheel because he managed to do this, my name goes to Webb Simpson

 

[Shilgy]

I wouldn't name Micheel because he managed to do this, my name goes to Webb Simpson

 

 

Pretty high quality for a "worst" in anything. Guy is still 62nd in the world-yeah that sucks?

http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.29221.webb-simpson.html

[gvogel]

I nominate Tom Kidd, Open Champion 1873. Tom Kidd won because he filed grooves into his irons, in the year that the first Open Championship was played at St Andrews, and the course was inundated with water after a 3 day storm.

 

Tom Kidd might have been a visionary in terms of golf equipment - grooves were unheard of in 1873. So, he won because he invented a new technology. He did not win because of his superiority as a golfer compared to the field.

 

But I have a soft spot in my heart for Tom Kidd, the inventor of the groove in an iron.

 

Just imagine if Kidd had to play with the old equipment. Those grooves made the game too easy, made a round too long, slicked up the greens, increased the expense of keeping the course up to shape, raised greens fees from a quart of goat milk to nearly a halfpence, and made the legendary pastures of the early to mid-19th century obsolete. It's a wonder how golf survived that era.

 

Ouch, that's a bullseye right there, as you know how I feel about modern equipment.

[gvogel]

Sandy Lyle for me. Not the worst golfer (apparently one of Europe's best back in the day) but worst for golf. Turns up to majors each year to play badly & pick up his pension depriving others the opportunity to play.

 

That's harsh. He turns up at the Masters because he has won, and gets an invitation accordingly. In 2013 and 2014, he made the cut. At some point he will get a letter suggesting that he not play there anymore.

 

He won 18 times on the European Tour, and 6 times on the PGA Tour. And I hear that he is a really good guy.

[imakaveli]

I wouldn't name Micheel because he managed to do this, my name goes to Webb Simpson

 

 

Pretty high quality for a "worst" in anything. Guy is still 62nd in the world-yeah that sucks?

http://www.pgatour.c...bb-simpson.html

 

so? We are talking about a worthy Major Winner, not about rankings.

 

They are all Major Winners,so they are "pretty good" golfers

[Shilgy]

I wouldn't name Micheel because he managed to do this, my name goes to Webb Simpson

 

 

Pretty high quality for a "worst" in anything. Guy is still 62nd in the world-yeah that sucks?

http://www.pgatour.c...bb-simpson.html

 

so? We are talking about a worthy Major Winner, not about rankings.

 

They are all Major Winners,so they are "pretty good" golfers

If not consistent rankings what then makes a player "worthy" in your eyes? There are only a few players that won a major as their only tour win. Wouldn't they need to be at the top, or is it bottom, of this list? Not a guy that has won four times and is a consistent player?

[bermuda]

Sandy Lyle for me. Not the worst golfer (apparently one of Europe's best back in the day) but worst for golf. Turns up to majors each year to play badly & pick up his pension depriving others the opportunity to play.

 

Nobody gets deprived of a start at the Masters because a former champion or anyone else plays. The Masters doesn't have alternates.