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Author provokes debate by ranking golf's top 50
Posted: Sunday April 06
By John Boyette
The Augusta Chronicle
Determining who is the best golfer of all time is a subjective and difficult endeavor.
Ranking golfers throughout history from one to 50 might be a more arduous task.
But that is precisely what Reid Spencer has done in his book, 50 Greatest Golfers: A Celebration of the All-Time Best. The hardcover book is 176 pages and features plenty of photographs.
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50 Greatest Golfers: A Celebration of the All-Time Best, 176 pages, hardcover. SPECIAL |
Spencer gets to the heart of the matter early, laying out convincing arguments for Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the top golfer of all time.
Nicklaus gets credit from the author for his record of 18 professional majors and his impressive list of achievements. Woods, Spencer argues, deserves consideration for winning seven majortitles over four seasons and injecting some personality into the PGA Tour.
Woods ultimately gets the nod as the top player from Spencer, who writes: "Has Woods done enough in seven seasons on Tour to offset what Nicklaus has accomplished during a lifetime of excellence? The answer here is 'Yes."'
The debate is even more timely this week, when Woods goes for an unprecedented third-straight Masters win.
The rest of Spencer's top 10 is also debatable. Ben Hogan comes in third; Bobby Jones ranks fourth; and Arnold Palmer is in fifth place. Sam Snead, Walter Hagen, Gary Player, Harry Vardon and Byron Nelson round out the top 10.
Hogan gets points from the author for his tenacity and for winning six of his nine majors after a near-fatal accident. Jones and Palmer, on the other hand, are commended for their popularity with the fans.
Other curious choices include amateur Francis Ouimet's spot at No. 17 and Phil Mickelson's rank of No. 36, which puts him ahead of contemporaries Ernie Els and David Duval.
One quibble is that the book offers little in statistical data on the top players, other than to list their major accomplishments, birth date, birthplace and date of death (where applicable).
Beyond the top 50 rankings, the book contains detailed stories on Woods; the Big Three of Nicklaus, Palmer and Player and golf's golden era; and a look at future superstars, includingAugusta's Charles Howell.
A list of the top 10 players on the LPGA and Champions tours is also published, though no explanations are offered as to the rankings.
Whether you agree with his selections, the book is harmless fun and should provide plenty of fodder for discussion.
BOOK: 50 Greatest Golfers: A Celebration of the All-Time Best, 176 pages, hardcover
AUTHOR: Reid Spencer
PUBLISHER: The Sporting News
COST: $29.95
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