30. Lee Trevino: Trevino was raised in surroundings that couldn't have been farther from the traditional country club background. As a child in Texas, he began working in cotton fields at age 5. He taught himself the game of golf, and hustled player by playing with only a shovel and a soda bottle. He would go on to win six majors, including a memorable 1971 U.S. Open playoff defeat of Jack Nicklaus.
29. Donald Ross: The course designer who helped lay the groundwork for what golf would become in America, he designed or redesigned more than 600 courses in the first half of the 20th century. An outstanding player as well as designer, he finished as high as fifth in the U.S. Open. His original design is still used to this day at the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta. He also popularized many features now seen everywhere; when you fly an inviting green only to find a steep slope off the back side, you can thank Ross for that.
28. Se Ri Pak: If you're not familiar with women's golf, you're going to wonder why Pak is this high. Here's the thing: she's one of the game's true pioneers, having paved the way for Koreans to dominate in the LPGA. She joined the LPGA in 1998, and a decade later, nearly 50 Koreans are now on the Tour. In recent years, the sale of television rights to South Korea was the LPGA's largest source of revenue ... and Pak set all that in motion.
27. Seve Ballesteros: One of golf's leading lights for more than two decades, the former No. 1 owns five majors, including three British Opens and two Masters. He has 50 wins on the European Tour, most all-time, and remains one of the most important figures in European golf despite his failing health.
26. A.W. Tillinghast: One of the first preeminent golf course architects, he designed nearly 300 courses and assisted on countless more. His designs have hosted dozens of majors and other high-level tournaments. You still see his work to this day; Bethpage (2009 U.S. Open), Winged Foot (2006 U.S. Open) and Baltusrol (2005 PGA Championship) are all his.
25. Lee Elder: In 1975, he became the first African-American to play the Masters. We don't need to tell you the significance of that, do we? Even though he didn't even play a full round of golf until he was 16, he played his way onto the Tour. At Gary Player's invitation, he played in the first integrated golf tournament in South Africa's history, in 1971. He played in the Masters in 1975, missing the cut, and in 1979 was the first African-American to play on the Ryder Cup.
24. Harvey Penick: Author of "The Little Red Book," the bestselling golf book in history. His positivity and emphasis on focus inspired pros from Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite and millions of amateurs across the globe.
23. Harry Vardon: The golf megastar of the turn of the century -- the 20th century, that is. He won six British Opens, and caught the attention of America with a 1900 barnstorming tour that included 80 tournaments, among them a U.S. Open win. He's the inspiration for the Vardon Trophy, annually awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average.
22. Clifford Roberts: Co-founder (with Bobby Jones) and unquestioned lord and master of Augusta National, the most famous golf club on earth. Whether you look upon him favorably probably depends on whether you ever needed his blessing. Died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the par-3 course at Augusta in 1977.
21. Robert Trent Jones: His course designs are so widespread that his work has been compared to the old British Empire, as in "the sun never sets on a Robert Trent Jones course." His designs include Hazeltine and Spyglass Hill, and he redesigned Augusta National. No relation to Bobby Jones, he is the father of Rees Jones and Robert Trent Jones Jr., both known architects in their own right.
Previous Lists
31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90, & 91-100
China Chow Alecia Elliott Kat Von D Ana Paula Lemes Vanessa Simmons
No comments:
Post a Comment