Tiger Woods' domination of professional golf is entering its second decade. With Woods seemingly only improving with age, and continuing to shatter records wherever he goes, newer fans of the game would be hard put to remember the pre-Woods days, when some of the greatest players in the history of the game roamed the world's fairways. Lest we forget their heroic deeds and incredible skill, here is a tribute to the five greatest golfers of all time.
5. Arnold Palmer
Nicknamed 'the King', Arnold Palmer was the first golf star of the television age. Whilst great golf players had been celebrated by the press for the best part of a century, Palmer's feats were the first to be broadcast to audiences around the world.
Although television assisted in giving Palmer's exploits wider exposure, Palmer himself deserved most of the credit for his popularity. Born to a working class family, Palmer's unassuming manner and good looks won hearts around the world.
Palmer was also a savvy businessman, and used his popular public image to his advantage, becoming the first professional golfer to hire an agent. His accomplishments in golf were, of course, the centrepiece of his career.
During his heyday, the 1950s and 1960s, Palmer won 7 Majors, namely 4 US Masters titles, 1 US Open title and two Open Championship titles. Palmer never won the PGA Championship, but finished as a runner up on three occasions.
4. Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones was the product of a golden age in American sport. A contemporary of baseball's Babe Ruth and tennis player Bill Tilden, Jones was probably the first true American golf star.
Comparing Jones' feats to those of modern golfers is problematic, as the golf played during the 1920s and 1930s was gradually shifting from amateurism to professionalism.
Thus, whilst Jones is recognised as the only player to claim a 'grand slam' of all four majors in a single year, it is important to note that the PGA Championship did not exist at the time and that two of the amateur championships were regarded as majors. Furthermore, the US Masters was not recognised as a major, and Jones never won the tournament.
Nevertheless, Jones' achievements were certainly impressive for his era, when amateur championships were some of the most fiercely contested in the game. Jones' famous single-season grand slam was achieved in 1930, and he retired from the game that same year with 13 major championship titles to his name.
3. Gary Player
Dubbed the 'Black Knight' at the peak of his career, South Africa's Gary Player was the first player from beyond the borders of the United States to win international acclaim, and one of the few golf players in history to have achieved a career grand slam of the modern major championships.
Player was first noticed for his precocious talent, turning professional at the age of 17. The young golfer achieved modest success during his teenage years, but had to wait until the 1960s before he'd begin challenging the finest players in the world.
The South African won each of his 9 major titles during golf's golden age, the 1960s and 1970s. He was regarded as a member of the 'Big Three' of that era, a select group which included the legendary Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
The US Masters and Open Championship were Player's happiest hunting grounds, and during his career he won three titles from each of these tournaments, becoming the first non-American player to win the US Masters in the process.
2. Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan is one of the true legends of the game, and is as admired for his ability to overcome adversity as for his feats in the biggest golf tournaments of his day.
Hogan's early career was notable only for its lack of success, as he spent the best part of a decade attempting to break into the professional tour. During this period he developed a reputation for having an iron will and an uncompromising approach to the game of golf.
The biggest test of Hogan's character and career came after the Second World War, when he survived a near fatal car accident only to be told that he might never walk again. True to character, Hogan checked himself out of hospital 69 days later and set out to make golfing history.
For the next decade Ben Hogan dominated the PGA Tour, winning 9 major championships, and achieving a career grand slam at the US Open in 1953. That year was also the year of the famous 'Hogan Slam', when Hogan won the first three majors of the season.
1. Jack Nicklaus
Known to fans as the 'Golden Bear', Jack Nicklaus' exploits spanned the best part of three decades. During his career Nicklaus set a number of records that are yet to be broken, including 19 major championship tournament wins.