Best player with only one major

[melo]

I'm curious....are we talking talent or career. The most talented guy to only win 1 major vs. the guy with best career to only win 1 major are two very different animals.

[DavePelz4]

Need to bring Gene Littler into the conversation. One of the best and most simple swings ever. He won over 50 times world wide and I think he was also a US Am champ.

 

[youtube.com/watch?v=RXCHxUPEaUI](

"youtube.com/watch?v=RXCHxUPEaUI")

[Darth Putter]

> @dlygrisse said:

> 1. Mangrum

> 2. LoveIII

> 3. DJ

> 4. Kite

> 5. Couples

> 6. Weiskopf

> 7. Littler

> 8. Wadkins

> 9. Norman 1st 1/2 of career

> 10. Norman 2nd 1/2 of career.

 

I'll go with

 

1. Lloyd Mangrum

2. Dustin Johnson

3. Davis Love III

4. Gene Littler

5. Lanny Wadkins

6. Tom Kite

7. Jim Furyk

8. Adam Scott

9. Sergio Garcia (wins outside the US push up Adam and Sergio's rankings and Justin Rose just missed)

10. Tom Weiskopf

 

Two Honorable Mentions

Ken Venturi: He was supposed to be the "next one" not Palmer. Four years without a win and then he finally reached the top in the 1964 US Open.

Francis Ouimet: He only had one pro major win, but it may be the most important one in American history.

[Christosterone]

Stenson?

 

I [personally] think it’s weiskopf but stenson had an otherworldly game at various periods....

 

Sergio, as mentioned, is another great answer....he is stupendously good for only 1 major...

 

-Chris

[Darth Putter]

> @Christosterone said:

> Stenson?

>

> I [personally] think it’s weiskopf but stenson had an otherworldly game at various periods....

>

> Sergio, as mentioned, is another great answer....he is stupendously good for only 1 major...

>

> -Chris

 

And he also won the TPC.

If they ever make the TPC a major the list of 1 major winners loses

Al Geiberger

Lanny Wadkins

Jerry Pate

Hal Sutton

Fred Couples

John Mahaffey

Tom Kite

Steve Elkington

Davis Love III

David Duval

Justin Leonard

Adam Scott

Sergio Garcia

Henrik Stenson

Jason Day

Webb Simpson

 

That's more than the twelve golfers moving from zero to one.

[MattyO1984]

> @"Darth Putter" said:

> > @Christosterone said:

> > Stenson?

> >

> > I [personally] think it’s weiskopf but stenson had an otherworldly game at various periods....

> >

> > Sergio, as mentioned, is another great answer....he is stupendously good for only 1 major...

> >

> > -Chris

>

> And he also won the TPC.

> If they ever make the TPC a major the list of 1 major winners loses

> Al Geiberger

> Lanny Wadkins

> Jerry Pate

> Hal Sutton

> Fred Couples

> John Mahaffey

> Tom Kite

> Steve Elkington

> Davis Love III

> David Duval

> Justin Leonard

> Adam Scott

> Sergio Garcia

> Henrik Stenson

> Jason Day

> Webb Simpson

>

> That's more than the twelve golfers moving from zero to one.

 

Craig Perks - major winner!

[Christosterone]

> @MattyO1984 said:

> > @"Darth Putter" said:

> > > @Christosterone said:

> > > Stenson?

> > >

> > > I [personally] think it’s weiskopf but stenson had an otherworldly game at various periods....

> > >

> > > Sergio, as mentioned, is another great answer....he is stupendously good for only 1 major...

> > >

> > > -Chris

> >

> > And he also won the TPC.

> > If they ever make the TPC a major the list of 1 major winners loses

> > Al Geiberger

> > Lanny Wadkins

> > Jerry Pate

> > Hal Sutton

> > Fred Couples

> > John Mahaffey

> > Tom Kite

> > Steve Elkington

> > Davis Love III

> > David Duval

> > Justin Leonard

> > Adam Scott

> > Sergio Garcia

> > Henrik Stenson

> > Jason Day

> > Webb Simpson

> >

> > That's more than the twelve golfers moving from zero to one.

>

> Craig Perks - major winner!

 

Fred Funk!

[Wildwing55]

Many of you, are forgetting the question, as usual. The question is the best with only one major, not still competing. Does not include the youngsters still going at it.

1. Weiskopf

2. Couples

[Shilgy]

> @Wildwing55 said:

> Many of you, are forgetting the question, as usual. The question is the best with only one major, not still competing. Does not include the youngsters still going at it.

> 1. Weiskopf

> 2. Couples

 

As pointed out there are a few guys in this category that had better careers than those two. Those two would tie in the "prettiest swing with just one major" thread.

[Boydr12]

It’s almost embarrassing watching him putt with that broom stick of a putter, not even sniffing the hole from 8 feet with the flag stick in. Everything about him on the greens just looks so forced and unnatural.

 

> @Tasals said:

> > @"Burt Chance" said:

> > Adam Scott has to be up there.

>

> I think his putting is far too weak and he gets in his own head about putting. This year at the PGA he was an absolute beast with the irons, they were crisp and never looked like they were doing what he didnt want to do unless out of some thick rough. He kept the putter working for one and a half rounds and it just went south so fast it was sad, which tends to sneak up on him at the worst times (like the open he lost to Ells).

>

> I say all that and am a massive fan of Scott. You give him nearly anyone elses putting and green mentality and he has a bunch more wins and majors.

 

 

[golfandfishing]

Neither of these two are even close. Wadkins, Kite and Love3 come immediately to mind. But the mention of Lloyd Mangrum I think puts the lid on this.

 

> @Wildwing55 said:

> Many of you, are forgetting the question, as usual. The question is the best with only one major, not still competing. Does not include the youngsters still going at it.

> 1. Weiskopf

> 2. Couples

 

 

[Railroading13]

Weiskopf, DL3, Duval, Couples, DJ

[Poor Posture]

Jason Dufner, FOH with anyone else.

[Awsi Dooger]

> @Christosterone said:

> Tom Weiskopf and it’s not close imho

> Although DJ is closer than I thought...

> Weiskopf had more than 20 top 10s and a bunch of 2nds he should’ve/could’ve won..

> I suppose the same can be said for DJ

>

> Their careers are actually quite similar...both are undisputed off-the-charts talented but s bit snake bitten in majors

>

>

> -Chris

 

Weiskopf is always the first name I think of in this category. I agree that Dustin Johnson is similar and close. Weiskopf was more of a swinger and Dustin a hitter, if I had to summarize. There is no question that losing the majors bothered Weiskopf more than it bothers Dustin. I can envision his pained expression from so many of those close calls.

 

I began rooting for Weiskopf in 1968 when my dad took me to Doral for the first time and we followed Weiskopf the final two rounds. I've probably detailed that story previously. Gardner Dickinson led narrowly all weekend but double bogeyed 18 from one group ahead. Suddenly Weiskopf was 1 ahead with 18 to play. But he drove into the trees on the right and then attempted a hero cut to the back left pin. He caught a flyer that went dead straight out of that rough and ended up beyond the green at left, at the edge of the pond and only feet from a small hot dog cart. It took forever to get a ruling but eventually it was a penalty shot. We were far away but I guess it was unplayable. Weiskopf hit a flop shot to 8 feet. Then he missed the putt for a playoff, ending up with his own double bogey and a 1 shot failure. He lifted his putter in agonized disbelief at that missed putt very similar to the Augusta reaction in 1975.

 

Guys like Nicklaus and Miller would always mention Weiskopf first, when rattling off names of contenders. They still do often mention him first or very quickly when taking about top players from that era. Younger fans who look at stats only are probably caught off guard by that. It doesn't surprise me because I walked so many of those events at Doral and Inverrary and saw how dominant Weiskopf's ball striking was. Statuesque dominating presence in time frame with shorter guys. He hit towering shots in the rising jet-trail era. He also had plenty of softness and touch on wedges and around the green. Too bad it never fully translated to wins, other than that stretch of a few months from 1973 when he was the most feared player in the game.

 

Weiskopf had some fragility to his game, kind of like Sergio. He would play beautifully then make a mistake he couldn't afford. It wasn't always near the finish. But once it happened you could see how costly it would be. The conventional wisdom was that Weiskopf was never mentally tough enough, and I think he conceded that himself many times. I remember he had a famous line when asked what Jack was thinking. I don't remember the exact response but it was a laugh followed by something like, "If I knew what was in Jack's head I would have won a bunch of these things (majors)."

 

 

 

 

[Awsi Dooger]

The key sentence I left out of my prior post:

 

In walking the ropes with both Weiskopf and Dustin, once you see where they are hitting their second shots from in comparison to the rest of the field, it is shocking that they don't win more frequently.

 

Rory is also in that category. But since he picked off 4 majors rather early he gets more of a pass than warranted. I'd say Rory has more bonehead course management qualities than either Weiskopf or Dustin.

[JRS]

patrick reed. he's a top 5 player in the world.

[Hankshank]

Cannot really relate to ayone before 1980, but the best golf player since the must be Furyk. It’s precisely that mental hardness down the last holes of big tournament he seems to lack. Otherwise, no one established with less than 2 majors plays better golf than him imho

[jonsnow]

No votes for Francis Ouimet?

[golfandfishing]

 

Nah. Certainly a notable career but nowhere near the best with 1 major, lots of players mentioned with better results.

 

 

> @jonsnow said:

> No votes for Francis Ouimet?

 

 

[Sixcat]

Michelle Wie

[tiderider]

> @Wildwing55 said:

> Many of you, are forgetting the question, as usual. The question is the best with only one major, not still competing. Does not include the youngsters still going at it.

> 1. Weiskopf

> 2. Couples

 

couples? ... dude has 15 wins ... plenty of one time major winners with 10-15 more wins ... easily better players, imo ...

[dlygrisse]

Woosnam wasn’t bad either.

[Brass_Bullseye]

Lanny Wadkins. Top Fives in every Major with one win, 20 other wins on the PGA Tour and a Ryder Cup badass. Also snagged a Players.

[ALIF]

DJ

[ea19]

> @"Poor Posture" said:

> Jason Dufner, FOH with anyone else.

 

I am sorry to say Dufner lost me with the dude wipes or whatever that is.

 

 

[mat562]

Ian Woosnam never ammassed a great major championship record, but had a great career and was one of the most naturally gifted players to swish at a ball in his pime. He gets my vote, narrowly, over Tom Weiskopf, Fred Couples, David Duval and Sir Bob Charles.

[mat562]

Davis Love III is also worthy of a mention.

[Llortamaisey]

I was going to say Johnny Miller but I just remembered he won two majors in his career.

[Titleist_PT23]

If we are including guys that are still playing, I don't know how anyone can include Rose, Adam Scott, Fred Couples, and various others when DJ is out there.

 

I don't have direct context for anyone before ~1990 or so. I was a DL3 fan, but would probably rank DJ ahead of him. I don't ever recall Davis being "this good" but this may be recency bias with DJ. Also, DJ's last three years are quite a bit different than the rest of his career. Davis also had a handful of multiple win years - they just weren't stacked together in a row like DJ's recent history.

 

I would also say Davis probably could have won more than he did (majors and non-majors). He was never great in tight situations, and I think (by his own admission) he was uncomfortable once Tiger came out on tour (2003 was his only great year after breaking through at the 1997 PGA). He had a few good chances to add #2 later in his career at the 2003 Open (36 hole lead and final group on Sunday) and 2004 PGA (last group with Phil), but couldn't pull either of them out.

[OldTomMorris]

> @Christosterone said:

> > @MattyO1984 said:

> > > @"Darth Putter" said:

> > > > @Christosterone said:

> > > > Stenson?

> > > >

> > > > I [personally] think it’s weiskopf but stenson had an otherworldly game at various periods....

> > > >

> > > > Sergio, as mentioned, is another great answer....he is stupendously good for only 1 major...

> > > >

> > > > -Chris

> > >

> > > And he also won the TPC.

> > > If they ever make the TPC a major the list of 1 major winners loses

> > > Al Geiberger

> > > Lanny Wadkins

> > > Jerry Pate

> > > Hal Sutton

> > > Fred Couples

> > > John Mahaffey

> > > Tom Kite

> > > Steve Elkington

> > > Davis Love III

> > > David Duval

> > > Justin Leonard

> > > Adam Scott

> > > Sergio Garcia

> > > Henrik Stenson

> > > Jason Day

> > > Webb Simpson

> > >

> > > That's more than the twelve golfers moving from zero to one.

> >

> > Craig Perks - major winner!

>

> Fred Funk!

 

Stephen Ames and Tim Clark