Golf: Ranking The Top Golfer From All 50 States
Jack Nicklaus honors his Ohio roots with his involvement with the Memorial Tournament every spring, a staple event on the PGA Tour schedule.
New Mexico
Nancy Lopez
When the LPGA Tour was in its heyday in the 1980s and ’90s, Lopez was near the forefront. Before that, though, Lopez dominated in New Mexico, winning the state’s amateur championship at the age of 12 in 1969. Just nine years later, she won nine times (including five in a row) as an LPGA Tour rookie and made the July 1978 cover of Sports Illustrated. Thirty-nine more wins were on tap in her illustrious career that spanned into the 2000s. Beloved for her charisma and passion, Lopez won three PGA Championships and was agonizingly close to winning other majors, including posting a Phil Mickelson-esque record at the US Open with four runner-ups.
New York
Walter Hagen
Almost all golf fans know the top two of the all-time major championships record in the men’s game: It’s Jack Nicklaus with 18 and Tiger Woods at 14. It’s not quite as common knowledge of who looms behind Tiger. That would be Hagen, who capped a career with 11 of them in a 13-year span, not including five Western Open titles, which were major-caliber tournaments in the era. The Rochester native was also a key figure in raising the status of professional golfers, pushing for higher purses and showing the way for a professional career to be attainable in an era where amateur golf ruled. Hagen won 45 times times on the PGA Tour (8th all time) in a 75-win career. Golf Digest and Sports Illustrated have each rated him as a top 10 golfer of all time.
North Carolina
Raymond Floyd
Several North Carolinians like Davis Love III and Mark O’ Meara are worthy of attention, but Floyd’s 66 worldwide wins are unmatched, even from a lifetime PGA Tour member like Love. The Fort Bragg native’s prime stretched for decades; his first win came in 1969, his last in 1992. He won 22 times on the PGA Tour and won four majors, finishing runner-up in majors on five other occasions. Armed with a fiery competitiveness and proficiency in every facet of the game, Floyd won the 1976 Masters by eight strokes and is one of a small collection of golfers to shoot 63 in a major at the 1982 PGA Championships at Southern Hills. Floyd also competed on eight Ryder Cup teams and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1989.
North Dakota
Beverly Hanson
Also a bassoon player in her young days, Hanson is far and away the top golf figure from North Dakota. The Fargo native won 19 times in her career (17 LPGA) and won three majors. The major wins came by a combined nine-stroke margin of victory in the 1956 Western Open and the 1958 Titleholders Championship and by a 4&3 romp in the match play finals of the 1955 LPGA Championship. In 1951, Hanson won the Eastern Open in her first professional start. She found success on the amateur circuit, too, winning several marquee events including the 1950 US Amateur.
Ohio
Jack Nicklaus
Not a lot of research was needed to make this pick. Hailing from Upper Arlington, Nicklaus’ presence is still felt in the Buckeye State with his heavy involvement with the Memorial Tournament in Dublin. In his playing career, Nicklaus’ 18 majors are unmatched in the men’s and women’s game. His 73 PGA Tour wins rank third all time, only behind Sam Snead (82) and Tiger Woods (79). He was a natural golfer from the start, posting a 51 in his first nine holes as a 10-year-old. He went on to star at Ohio State in college before beginning his illustrious career in which he affectionately became known as the “Golden Bear” for his blond hair and traditional yellow sweaters. Aside from LeBron James, no other Ohioan has dominated his or her sport in the way Nicklaus did.