Some of those champions managed to win them early and often ( Tiger Woods, who won his first major at the age of 21 and went on to win 13 more), some made a career of piling them one on top of another ( Jack Nicklaus, with a total of 18), and some were merely able to scrape together a timely weekend of exceptional golf only to disappear into the annals of history never to win – or come close to winning – again (Rich Beem, anyone?).Īnd then there are the unfortunate souls who spend their entire careers at the other end of the spectrum – piling up tournament victories and pocketing millions of dollars without ever achieving the elusive milestone of winning a major. Since that time, there have been 427 major tournaments with a total of only 210 different champions. Open, the British Open (still officially known as the Open Championship) and the PGA Championship. With the first official major tournament dating back to 1860 (the inaugural Open Championship), the four majors have come to include the Masters Tournament, the U.S.
And while tournament victories and career earnings provide a snapshot glimpse of a golfer's success, the ultimate measuring stick of a PGA player's career is his ability to capture a major championship.
While athletes who play team sports can sometimes hide behind the excuses of failed chemistry, questionable coaching or poor management, it is far more difficult to avoid the spotlight and stigma in individual sports such as golf. Sometimes, however, the label attached to an athlete's legacy has less to do with what he accomplished than what he didn't.ĭan Marino's 17 seasons without a Super Bowl ring immediately comes to mind, as do the prolonged but championship-less careers of basketball stars like Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton and Karl Malone.
#Rich beem career earnings professional
When the time finally comes for professional athletes to retire from the sport they've dedicated their entire lives to, many are remembered for the milestones that defined their careers.
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