OWGR: Ranking Every World No. 1 in History

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ST GEORGES – 18 JULY: Greg Norman of Australia kisses the Claret Jug after winning the British Open at Royal St Georges in Sandwich, Kent, England on July 18, 1993. (photo by David Cannon/Getty Images) /

2. Greg Norman

Time at the top: 331 weeks

Greg Norman’s 331 weeks at the top are a testament to the incredible golfer the Shark was, week in and week out. But when you’re best-known for being the sympathetic loser at several majors, a computer ranking telling you you’re the best golfer in the world is just not as rewarding as seeing that same message on the leaderboard at Augusta. It’s fitting that a guy so often relegated to the role of bridesmaid will have to settle for No. 2 in this ranking, as well.

Norman did nab two majors in his career and was the dominant man on Tour for several years before the dawn of Tiger, helping him achieve Hall of Fame status. Some of his near-misses were certainly his own fault, but the guy has also had some of the worst luck of anyone on tour (paging Robert Gamez and Larry Mize). The image of the cowboy hat-wearing Norman submitting to Nick Faldo at the ’96 Masters is iconic, but no one should forget he belongs on the Mount Rushmore of players in the OWGR era.

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