The PGA Championship was first played in 1916, and since then many of golf's greatest have won this major championship. But not all of them. Here are our picks for greatest golfers who never won the PGA.
(Note: Not all golf greats without a PGA win were eligible for this list; obviously, those who played prior to the founding of the PGA Championship - Harry Vardon, for example - were not considered. The PGA is open only to professionals, so Bobby Jones never played it. And PGA of America rules, plus travel difficulties, kept many of the best non-Americans from the 1930s through the 1950s - Peter Thomson and Bobby Locke, for example - from playing the PGA.)
10. Ernie Els
Els will keep moving up the charts of golf's greatest players as long as he keeps winning tournaments. By the time Els finishes his career, he might rank ahead (on generic all-time greats lists) of perhaps half the other players on this list - more if he can rack up another major or two each. For now, Els has third-, fourth- and fifth-place showings in the PGA, but no victories.
9. Hale Irwin
A 20-time winner on the PGA Tour, Irwin was known as a tough competitor on tough courses. He earned that reputation by winning three U.S. Opens. But in 26 appearances in the PGA Championship, Irwin has finished in the Top 10 just three times.
8. Johnny Miller
Miller's legendary ball-striking was on full display in the early to mid-1970s. He won 25 times total, including two majors. But he never managed so much as a Top 10 in the PGA.
7. Ralph Guldahl
Some readers might be asking, "Who?" Guldahl is little-known these days, but he was perhaps the first famous case of a great golfer suddenly losing his game (ala Ian Baker-Finch and David Duval). Guldahl was Byron Nelson's biggest competition in the late 1930s. In just a few short years, Guldahl won 16 tournaments, including three majors. Then, poof, his game disappeared (it's an interesting story - see here and here for more). Guldahl never reached the finals of the PGA Championship, although he had few opportunities to do so.
6. Cary Middlecoff
Middlecoff, a dentist by training, won 40 times (including three majors) on the PGA Tour. He was infamous for being one of the slowest players of his time, or any time. Before the PGA Championship switched to stroke play in 1958, Middlecoff reached the match play finals in 1955 but lost to Doug Ford. In the stroke-play era, Middlecoff's best finish was eighth in five appearances.
5. Nick Faldo
Faldo won three Masters and three British Opens, and he at least got into a playoff at the U.S. Open. At the PGA Championship, Faldo had five Top 10 finishes but never won. He did have an impressive stretch from 1992-1994, when he finished second, third and fourth, respectively.
4. Seve Ballesteros
Ballesteros missed the cut in five out of his 13 appearances in the PGA Championship. He finished in the Top 20 only three times, although one of those was a fifth-place showing.
3. Billy Casper
For a guy with 52 career wins, Billy Casper sure seems to be underrated when discussions turn to golf's all-time greats. Perhaps that's because he won "only" three majors. The PGA was not one of those three. Casper posted eight Top 10 finishes (six of which were Top 5s), however, including three runner-up showings (1958, 1965, 1971).
2. Tom Watson
The only tournament standing between Tom Watson and the career grand slam is the PGA Championship. While he won eight majors and 39 titles total in his career, he never bagged the PGA.
Watson played the PGA Championship very well throughout his career, posting 10 Top 10 finishes, including one as late as 2000. However, only two of those finishes were in the Top 5.
Watson's toughest defeat at the PGA was in 1978, when he lost in a playoff, finishing second to John Mahaffey.
1. Arnold Palmer
Sixty-two wins in his career, including seven majors, but The King never managed to win the PGA Championship. That's the one thing missing on Palmer's resume, and it's the one tournament that prevented him from completing the career grand slam.
Palmer finished second in the PGA three times: 1964 at Columbus Country Club in Columbus, Ohio; 1968 at Pecan Valley Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas; and 1970 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.
In 1964, Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were tied, three shots behind winner Bobby Nichols. In 1968, Palmer tied with Bob Charles in second, one shot behind winner Julius Boros. In 1970, Palmer and Bob Murphy shared second, two strokes behind winner Dave Stockton.
Palmer had three other Top 10 finishes over the years.
