Golf
The best current golfers never to win a Major
Although there are hundreds of professional golf tournaments that take place around the world every year, golfers only have four opportunities a season to cement their place among the elite of the game by winning a Major championship.
Some of the most iconic players of all time, however, have had stellar careers without quite being able to seal the Major deal.
We’ve put together a list of some of the best active golfers to never have won a Major title.
Rickie Fowler
On his day, Rickie Fowler is one of the most talented players in the world. The fact that he is yet to add a Major notch to his belt is testament to the calibre of players he is competing with.
With second-place finishes to his name at the Masters, the Open and the US Open, Fowler has often lacked the cutting edge needed to get the job done on the biggest stage. Whether it’s a missed putt here, or a wayward tee-shot there, Rickie has felt right on the cusp of a Major breakthrough for several years without getting over the line.
However, at 33 years of age, Fowler’s best years are still ahead of him, and it seems inevitable that he’ll end his Major drought sooner rather than later.
Luke Donald
Luke Donald joined an exclusive club of Englishmen when he became the World No. 1 more than a decade ago. However, like Fowler, Donald hasn’t enjoyed the sort of success in recent times that he would have liked.
In 55 Major appearances, he has only registered eight top-10 finishes, his last coming at the 2013 US Open. Despite that, he is largely considered to be one of the best short game players of his era and is one of few to have won the European and PGA Tour order of merits in the same year. He has also been on the winning side in all four of his Ryder Cup appearances.
Lee Westwood
If Lee Westwood was to one day win a Major, it could arguably be one of the most popular Major wins of all time.
With an impressive 19 top-ten finishes in Major competitions, Westwood has had his share of nearly moments, without having the closing power needed to seal that elusive victory. He led through three rounds at both the 2013 Open, as well as the 2010 Masters, but couldn’t put together the final round necessary, finishing third and second respectively.
Westwood is too often let down by his putting in tournaments, and at the age of 48 he is entering the twilight of his career so a Major may be slipping away from him. Were he to win a Major in future, he would become at least the second oldest man, after Julius Boros, to achieve the feat.
Matt Kuchar
Despite not quite being able to claim a Major honour during his career, American Matt Kuchar is well known as one of the most popular players on the tour with fans and professionals alike.
Kuchar has recorded nine wins on the PGA Tour as well, finishing in the top ten at 12 Major championships. He came close when taking second place in the 2017 Open Championship, narrowly missing out behind the imperious Jordan Spieth, but his consistency in the Majors means his best chance to claim one of golf’s top prizes could well lie ahead of him.
Ian Poulter
Although Ian Poulter’s place as a European Ryder Cup hero is firmly secured, the Englishman has often flattered to deceive on the Major stage.
The closest Poulter has come thus far was a second-place finish at the 2008 Open Championship, where he finished four shots behind winner Padraig Harrington. He also has eight top-ten finishes in Majors without ever really looking like going to the next level.
However, many fans will certainly hope that Poulter can channel his Ryder Cup magic to land one of golf’s top prizes before his career is up.
Paul Casey
Another English golfer that has just struggled to make a breakthrough at the Majors, Paul Casey has gone close on numerous occasions.
The 44-year-old has had 12 top-ten Major finishes in the past and came closest to glory when finishing in a tie for second in the 2020 PGA Championship. He has recorded three wins on Tour in the last three years, showing he is still at the top of his game.
Casey often brings his best game into the Majors, as demonstrated by top-ten finishes in last year’s PGA Championship and US Open. If he can keep putting himself in challenging positions there might still be a big win waiting for him.
