SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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I was thinking about Arnold Palmer. He was the dominant golfer of the early 60’s when the game really exploded in national popularity. Then he faded, not in the public consciousness but from the winner’s circle. I figured out that from his first professional major win, (the 1958 Masters), until his last one, (the 1964 Masters), he won 7 of 25 majors, or 28%. You could even narrow it down a little more. From the 1960 Maters to the 1964 Masters, he won 6 of 17 majors, (35.3%). I wondered how many golfers had won at least 5 majors over a stretch where that represented at least 35% of the majors played during that period. I decided to count only the majors they played in and to limit it to the 20th century onward as before that, it was only the British Open and Amateur and only British players were involved.
Walter Hagan, a professional who didn’t play in the amateur tournaments and didn’t have the Masters to play in, won 9 of 21 majors from the 1921 PGA to the 1929 British Open, 42.9%.
Bobby Jones, an amateur who didn’t play in the PGA and didn’t co-found the Masters until after he retired, won 13 of 21 majors from the 1923 US Open to the 1930 British Amateur. That’s 61.9%.
Lawson Little was an Amateur who won the 1934 and 1035 US and British Amateurs and the 1940 US Open. He won 5 of the 12 majors he played in that period, 41.7%.
Ben Hogan won 9 of 17 majors he appeared in from the 1946 PGA to the 1953 British Open. He missed a bunch of them due to his near fatal auto accident. But he did win 52.9% of the ones he did play in.
Jack Nicklaus, for all his success, was never quite that dominant. From the 1962 US Open to the 1967 US Open, he won 7 of 21 majors, (33.3%. He also won 7 of 22 from the 1970 British Open to the 1975 PGA, 31.8%. Even if you try to break it down further, he never had a 5 win period that equaled 35% of the majors he played in in that period.
Tom Watson, from the 1980 British Open to the 1983 British Open, won 5 of 13 majors, 38.5%.
Tiger Woods, from 1999 PGA to the 2008 US Open, won 13 of 36 majors, 36.1%, the longest stretch at that level of success. It can be broken down further: from the 1999 PGA to the 2002 US Open, he won 7 of 11 majors, 63.6%. From the 2005 Masters to the 2008 US Open, he won 6 of 14, 42.9%.
You often hear people asking for a prediction “_____ or the field?” The field is almost always the better bet. But the greatest of the great, at their greatest, can turn that around.
Walter Hagan, a professional who didn’t play in the amateur tournaments and didn’t have the Masters to play in, won 9 of 21 majors from the 1921 PGA to the 1929 British Open, 42.9%.
Bobby Jones, an amateur who didn’t play in the PGA and didn’t co-found the Masters until after he retired, won 13 of 21 majors from the 1923 US Open to the 1930 British Amateur. That’s 61.9%.
Lawson Little was an Amateur who won the 1934 and 1035 US and British Amateurs and the 1940 US Open. He won 5 of the 12 majors he played in that period, 41.7%.
Ben Hogan won 9 of 17 majors he appeared in from the 1946 PGA to the 1953 British Open. He missed a bunch of them due to his near fatal auto accident. But he did win 52.9% of the ones he did play in.
Jack Nicklaus, for all his success, was never quite that dominant. From the 1962 US Open to the 1967 US Open, he won 7 of 21 majors, (33.3%. He also won 7 of 22 from the 1970 British Open to the 1975 PGA, 31.8%. Even if you try to break it down further, he never had a 5 win period that equaled 35% of the majors he played in in that period.
Tom Watson, from the 1980 British Open to the 1983 British Open, won 5 of 13 majors, 38.5%.
Tiger Woods, from 1999 PGA to the 2008 US Open, won 13 of 36 majors, 36.1%, the longest stretch at that level of success. It can be broken down further: from the 1999 PGA to the 2002 US Open, he won 7 of 11 majors, 63.6%. From the 2005 Masters to the 2008 US Open, he won 6 of 14, 42.9%.
You often hear people asking for a prediction “_____ or the field?” The field is almost always the better bet. But the greatest of the great, at their greatest, can turn that around.
