Golf is an international sport with around 40,000 courses worldwide, including more than 300 in 20 countries, including the United States, Japan, Canada, China, and New Zealand. The majority of the best players in the world compete in weekly events on the PGA Tour, with golfers in the 2023 Masters Tournament, one of four major championships, representing the US, Australia, Argentina, England, Norway, and Poland, among other countries.
Below is a look at the best golfers from five different countries.
Jack Nicklaus (United States)
One could easily make the case that Tiger Woods is the best golfer of all-time, regardless of the country of origin. He is tied with Sam Snead for the all-time lead in career PGA Tour victories with 82, is a record 11-time PGA Tour Player of the Year, and one of just five golfers to win all four major championships, known as the career grand slam. He’s also the only one of those five golfers to win those four major championships in consecutive order. However, fellow American Jack Nicklaus is the all-time leader in the most important measure of career success: major championships. From 1963 to 1986, Nicklaus won 18 major championships, three more than Woods.
A two-time U.S. Amateur Champion, Nicklaus turned professional in 1962 and won the Masters and PGA Championship the following year. He won his last major championship at the 1986 Masters and ranks second all-time with 73 career victories on the PGA Tour. In addition to his accolades on the PGA Tour, Nicklaus won six Australian Open titles and was part of the six American World Cup-winning teams. “The Golden Bear,” elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974, is also known as a renowned golf course designer, creating iconic courses like the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio and Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado.
Walter Hagen (11), Ben Hogan (9), Tom Watson (8), and Arnold Palmer (7) are among the other Americans with the most major championships.
Nick Faldo (England)
A 66-year-old English golfer born in Hertfordshire, Nick Faldo was inspired by Nicklaus at an early age and began playing as a professional in 1976 with the European Professional Golfers Association. He won several times early in his career in Europe and, in 1977, was the youngest player to ever represent Europe in the Ryder Cup. Coincidentally, he won all three matches in the event, including a singles victory over Nicklaus and Watson.
Faldo won 30 times on the European Tour, which is fifth all-time, and is a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour. He won six major championships, including the Masters Tournament three times (1989, 1990, and 1996) and The Open Championships three times (1987, 1990, and 1992). He is one of only three golfers to defend his Masters title alongside Woods and Nicklaus.
Seve Ballesteros (Spain)
Jon Rahm, winner of the Masters in 2022, could soon make a compelling case for the best golfer from Spain, but that distinction currently belongs to Seve Ballesteros, who won five major championships from 1979 to 1988. Born in the small village of Pedreña in northern Spain, Ballesteros turned pro before his 17th birthday and won 93 tournaments before retiring in 2007. He won the Masters in 1980 and 1983 and The Open Championship in 1979, 1984, and 1988.
Ballesteros was the youngest winner of The Open Championship in the 20th century and became the first European and youngest player to win the Masters in 1980 at just 23 years old, a record that stood for 17 years until Woods won at 21.
Gary Player (South Africa)
One of four South Africans with at least two major championships, Gary Player is the most accomplished in that regard with nine titles. He is tied for fourth all-time with Hogan behind Nicklaus, Woods, and Hagen. He won 24 career titles on the PGA Tour and 163 events in golf tours worldwide, including a record 13 South African Opens. He won his first major at The Open Championship in 1959 and became the first golfer in the 20th century to win the coveted tournament in three decades when he won for the third time in 1974. He also won the Masters three times, PGA Championship twice, and the U.S. Open once.
Mike Weir (Canada)
While Canada ranks third among all countries in total golf courses, Mike Weir is the only Canadian to ever win a major championship. He won the 2003 Masters in a playoff, beating American Len Mattiace after they both tied with scores of 7-under par through four rounds. Weir was also only the second ever left-handed player to win a major championship after Bob Charles in 1963, although Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, and Brian Harman have since joined the exclusive club.
Weir also finished top-10 in each of the other three major championships and won eight times on the PGA Tour.