Can You Name the Famous Golfer from a Hint?

By: Gavin Thagard
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Name the Famous Golfer from a Hint?
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About This Quiz

These are the golfers you grew up watching. They made all of the tough shots, won the tournaments, and achieved National fame. How much do you actually know about them, though? 

Golf has been around since the 15th century when it was played with sticks and pebbles in Scotland. Over the course of history, the sport developed and changed with the times. The first major national championship was played in Britain in 1860, and the three other major tournaments were added later. As tournaments formed and the sport developed, so did the golfers, and through the sport, many golfers have risen to National and even World fame, as their legacy continues even after their swing is long gone. These are the golfers you remember when you think about the longest putts in the toughest moments, the trophies year after year, and those backache commercials. These golfers seized imaginations with their endless ability to surprise. They are the greatest golfers the game has offered. 

Do you believe you know these famous golfers? Did you grow up watching them, or do you pride yourself on being a golf historian? If you think you have what it takes, try out this quiz and see if you can name these famous golfers from a single hint!

His nickname was "The King."
Harry Vardon
Gene Sarazen
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer's golfing career spanned from 1954 until 2006. He quickly became one of golf's biggest stars, especially with the rise of television.
Lee Trevino

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He helped found the Masters Tournament.
Ben Hogan
Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones was never actually a professional golfer. However, he was extremely successful as an amateur, competing against the best competition from his time.
Tiger Woods
Gary Player

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His nickname is "The Golden Bear."
Ben Hogan
Tom Watson
Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus turned professional in 1961. He would win his first major the following year.
Harry Vardon

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He is second all-time in PGA Tour wins and major championships.
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods has 79 PGA Tour wins. He also has 14 major championships, giving him one of the most accomplished careers in golf.
Sam Snead
Gary Player
Tom Watson

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In 1953, he won three of the four major championships.
Gary Player
Ben Hogan
In 1953, Ben Hogan completed what is known as the Triple Crown in golf by winning three major championships. While accomplishing this feat, he also won five of the six tournaments he entered that year.
Gene Sarazen
Harry Vardon

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He's from South Africa.
Gene Sarazen
Sam Snead
Gary Player
Gary Player has been influential in spreading the sport of golf around the world. As an ambassador for the sport, he has helped design golf courses and co-written books on golf.
Lee Trevino

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He had 82 PGA Tour wins.
Harry Vardon
Billy Casper
Sam Snead
Sam Snead is still first all-time in PGA Tour wins. He accomplished this record during a career that lasted from 1931 until 1987.
Nick Faldo

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She is from Sweden.
Patty Berg
Mickey Wright
Karrie Webb
Annika Sorenstam
Annika Sorenstam began her professional career in 1992. However, she failed to qualify for the LPGA Tour her first year and joined the Ladies European Tour instead.

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He worked as a lawyer.
Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones retired from golf when he was only 28 years old, but continued to be involved in the sport even after he retired.
Arnold Palmer
Tiger Woods
Gary Player

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In 1997, he became the youngest golfer to be ranked No. 1 in the world.
Billy Casper
Greg Norman
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods has not won a major championship since 2008. His lack of success since then can be credited to several injuries that have kept him off the course.
Rory Mcllroy

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He won the 1977 Masters Tournament, defeating Jack Nicklaus.
Ben Hogan
Tom Watson
Tom Watson was a fierce rival of Jack Nicklaus. Watson managed to defeat Nicklaus, who was runner-up, in three major championships; the 1977 Masters, the 1977 Open Championship, and the 1982 U.S. Open.
Byron Nelson
Phil Mickelson

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He has 11 major championships, which is third all-time.
Walter Hagen
Walter Hagen turned professional in 1912. He won his first major championship two years later at the 1914 U.S. Open.
Johnny Miller
Raymond Floyd
Bobby Locke

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He completed a career Grand Slam after winning the Master's Tournament in 1935.
Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 1932. This was only the second year the award was given out.
John Henry Taylor
Bobby Locke
Peter Thomson

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He won 18 major championships.
Byron Nelson
Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus has the most major championships of any golfer. He also completed three career Grand Slams, winning each major tournament at least three times.
Lee Trevino
Billy Casper

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She helped found the LGPA Tour.
Nancy Lopez
Karrie Webb
Patty Berg
After a successful amateur​ career, Patty Berg turned professional in 1940. A little over a year later, her career nearly ended after she was involved in a car wreck. She managed to recover and returned to the course.
Juli Inkster

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He was nicknamed "The Wee Iceman" by the Scots.
Phil Mickelson
Ben Hogan.
Ben Hogan won nine major championships during his career. His first victory came at the PGA Championship in 1946, sixteen years after he turned professional.
Harry Vardon
Greg Norman

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In the 2009 Open Championship, he lost in a four-hole playoff against Stewart Cink.
Harry Vardon
Lee Trevino
Tom Watson
Tom Watson finished his career with eight major championships. He also had 39 PGA Tour wins.
Johnny Miller

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He was twice named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, in 1944 and 1945.
Johnny Miller
Lee Trevino
Harry Vardon
Byron Nelson
During his career, Byron Nelson won five major championships. However, despite a great career, he was unable to win the Open Championship. The closest he got was fifth place in 1937.

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She won two gold medals in track and field during the 1932 Olympics.
Nancy Lopez
Karrie Webb
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Prior to the Olympics, Babe Zaharias competed in the U.S. women's track and field championship. Despite competing alone while everyone else competed on teams, Zaharias won five of the eight events in which she competed.
Juli Inkster

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He has a drink named after him.
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer won seven major championships. However, he was never able to achieve a career Grand Slam because he didn't win the PGA Championship.
Phil Mickelson
Byron Nelson
Walter Hagen

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She was Rolex Player of the Year eight times.
Annika Sorenstam
From 1992 until 2008, Annika Sorenstam racked up 93 professional wins. She also won ten major championships.
Kathy Whitworth
Karrie Webb
Juli Inkster

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His nickname is "The Black Night."
Tiger Woods
Jack Nicklaus
Harry Vardon
Gary Player
Gary Player is first all-time for wins in the Sunshine Tour. He also has a total of 165 professional wins in tournaments across the world.

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He played golf at Stanford University.
Sam Snead
Harry Vardon
Lee Trevino
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods turned professional when he was 20 years old. At that time, he left Stanford University to join the PGA Tour.

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In 1996, he was the first golfer to earn the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award.
Jack Nicklaus
Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen finished his career with 39 PGA Tour wins. That is tied for 11th all-time.
Bobby Locke
Lee Trevino

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She had 88 LPGA Tour wins.
Patty Berg
Karrie Webb
Juli Inkster
Kathy Whitworth
Kathy Whitworth holds the record for LPGA Tour wins. She also won six major championships during her career.

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He was the first American to win the British Open.
Byron Nelson
Phil Mickelson
Walter Hagen
Walter Hagen never won the Masters Tournament, which wasn't established until later in his career. However, he won every other major tournament at least twice.
Lee Trevino

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She won 15 major championships.
Mickey Wright
Karrie Webb
Juli Inkster
Patty Berg
Patty Berg has the most major championships of any female golfer with 15. She also has 60 LPGA Tour wins.

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He was given the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.
Sam Snead
Sam Snead was distinguishable by the straw hat he always wore. For his success on the golf course, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
Billy Casper
Nick Faldo
Johnny Miller

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She was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year six times.
Karrie Webb
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Later in her career, Babe Zaharias was diagnosed with cancer, which would eventually take her life. Despite the disease, she continued to compete as a professional golfer.
Nancy Lopez
Juli Inkster

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He won five PGA Championships, which is tied for most all-time.
Bobby Locke
Pete Thomson
Nick Price
Walter Hagen
Walter Hagen finished his career with 75 professional wins. 45 of those were PGA Tour victories, which ranks him eighth all-time.

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He was runner-up four times in the U.S. Open but never won the tournament.
Tiger Woods
Sam Snead
Sam Snead was never able to complete a career Grand Slam. However, he won seven major championships during his career.
Tom Watson
Walter Hagen

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He's the only non-American player to achieve a career Grand Slam.
Gary Player
Gary Player achieved his career Grand Slam in 1965 when he won the U.S. Open. That was only his fourth career victory at a major championship. He would go on to win five more.
Walter Hagen
Tiger Woods
Byron Nelson

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She was the first woman to win more than $1 million in her career.
Betsy Rawls
Kathy Whitworth
Kathy Whitworth had her first career victory in 1962 at the Kelly Girl Open. Her final victory came in 1985 at the United Virginia Bank Classic.
JoAnne Carner
Amy Alcott

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He wrote Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.
Gene Sarazen
Lee Trevino
Billy Casper
Ben Hogan.
Ben Hogan was known as a hard ball-striker throughout his career. His technique led him to develop a golf swing theory that could be taught to others.

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He achieved a Grand Slam in a calendar year.
Sam Snead
Tom Watson
Ben Hogan
Bobby Jones
No other golfer has achieved a Grand Slam in a calendar year. At the time, there was no Masters Tournament, so Jones had to compete in the U.S. Amateur to complete his Grand Slam.

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