Are These The Best Golfers Never to Have Won a Major

By: Derek Clements | Fri 30 Jun 2023

RORY McILROY’s well-documented struggle to land his fifth major just goes to prove how difficult it is to win one of golf’s top men's titles.

The Northern Irishman may not feel it, but he is lucky - he has won four of them, The Open, the US Open and the US PGA on two occasions.

But plenty of world-class golfers finished their careers without ever securing even one of golf’s majors.

Clearly, there are are many young golfers who have yet to land their first major. We are concentrating on those who really should have joined that elite club.

Colin Montgomerie

Monty was a serial winner on the European Tour with 31 titles and topped the Order of Merit on an astonishing eight occasions. He was also a monster in Ryder Cup singles, never losing one. He also won three consecutive Volvo PGA Championships. And he has won seven times on the PGA Tour Champions. But the majors were beyond him. He finished second five times, including three times at the US Open, a tournament in which he also finished third. And he was second behind Tiger Woods at The Open at St Andrews in 2005.

Luke Donald

The Englishman, who captains Europe in the 2023 Ryder Cup, won 17 professional tournaments, including five times on the PGA Tour and seven times on the European Tour. He was leading money winner on the PGA Tour in 2011 and also claimed the Race to Dubai the same year. He was also named PGA Player of the Year and PGA Tour Player of the Year and reached the top of the world rankings. He finished third in The Masters in 2005 and was fourth in 2011. He managed eight top-10 finishes in majors but never really looked like winning one.

Lee Westwood

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Westwood turned professional in 1993 and went on to win 44 times, with 25 victories on the European Tour, two successes on the PGA Tour and eight titles on the Asian Tour. In the year 2000 he won seven times and topped the European Tour’s Order of Merit. He is one of only three men to have won on all six International Federation of PGA Tours. He has won in four decades. He also topped the world rankings and played in the Ryder Cup 11 times. But despite coming agonisingly close, a major eluded him. He was runner-up three times and finished third six times. He has played in more majors (91) than any other golfer without winning one.

Rickie Fowler

Fowler was the world’s top-ranked amateur before turning professional in 2009. He has won five times on the PGA Tour and twice on the DP World Tour and in 2016 reached number four in the world rankings. He has represented the USA in the Ryder Cup four times and in the Presidents Cup on three occasions. From 2009 until 2019 his worst finish on the money list was 40th. He has struggled of late after changing his swing but has recently gone back to what he knows best and at the 2023 US Open he became only the third golfer to shoot a 62 in a major. But it was what he achieved in 2014 that was truly remarkable - he was tied fifth at The Masters, tied second at both the US Open and Open Championship and tied third at the US PGA. There have been 12 top-10 finishes in majors.

Paul Casey

Casey reached number three in the world rankings in 2009. He has won three times on the PGA Tour and 15 times on the European Tour. His first win in Europe came in only his 11th start. At his peak he was a mercurial talent who hit the ball a long way and had spells of brilliance on the greens. He is a five-time European Ryder Cup player who has taken part in 71 majors. He finished second at the 2020 US PGA and third at The Open in 2010. Casey has 12 top-10 finishes in majors and 25 top-25 finishes to his credit.

Steve Stricker

Stricker was a big-time player in his prime, winning 12 times on the PGA Tour. His titles include the WGC-Match Play and two FedEx Cup Playoff events. He also played in three Ryder Cups and five Presidents Cup and captained the USA to Ryder Cup glory in 2021. He was twice named PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year and won the Payne Stewart Award in 2012 and the Byron Nelson Award in 2013. He played in 76 majors and finished second at the US PGA in 1998 and had 13 top-10 finishes.

Matt Kuchar

Kuchar’s best chance of winning a major came at The Open at Royal Birkdale in 2017 when Jordan Spieth went AWOL at the 13th hole in the final round, only to produce a miraculous bogey before throwing the kitchen sink at Kuchar over the finishing stretch. He eventually finished second, which was his best major finish. In 66 starts he also managed a third and four top fives. He won nine times on the PGA Tour and played in the Ryder Cup four times and the Presidents Cup five times. He also played in the World Cup three times.

Ian Poulter

A ferocious competitor, Poulter won three times on the PGA Tour and 12 times on the European Tour and revelled in the Ryder Cup, which almost always brought out the best in him. He represented Europe seven times, most famously inspiring an improbable comeback win at Medinah in 2012. He also won two WGC events and twice finished runner-up at the Players Championship. He played in 72 majors with a best finish of second at The Open in 2008. He was tied third at The Open in 2013 and the US PGA in 2012.

Tony Finau

May well be the man on this list who is most likely to win a major or two. He turned professional in 2007 and came up the hard way, playing on the PGA Tour Canada and Web.com Tour. He had to wait until 2016 for his first success, at the Puerto Rico Open. It wasn’t until the 2021 Northern Trust that he tasted victory again, but then won in successive weeks in 2022. He also won the Houston Open in November 2022 and the Mexico Open in April 2023. He has achieved a remarkable level of consistency on the PGA Tour and in 29 majors has a third place, four top fives and 10 top-10 finishes.

Xander Schauffele

Can call himself an Olympic champion and has represented the USA at the 2021 Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup in 2019 and 2022 but has yet to land a major. Schauffele has won seven times on the PGA Tour, including three victories in 2022 alone. He turned professional in 2015 after a successful amateur career. His first win on the PGA Tour came in 2017. Ahead of the 2023 Open Championship, Schauffele had played in 25 majors and has had several close calls. He was tied second at The Open in 2018 and tied second at The Masters in 2019. He has also had two third-place finishes and 11 top-10 finishes and 18 top-20 finishes.

Patrick Cantlay

By common consent, Cantlay is one of the most gifted golfers of his generation. He was the world’s leading amateur for 55 weeks before turning professional in 2012. He has won eight times on the PGA Tour and reached number three in the world rankings. He won the FedEx Cup in 2021 and has represented the USA at the Ryder Cup in 2021 and at the Presidents Cup in 2019 and 2022. After the 2023 US PGA he had played in 26 majors with a best of tied third at the 2019 PGA. There have been three other top-10 finishes but he hasn’t looked like winning one. Yet!

But the winner is...

Harry Cooper

You have probably never heard of Cooper. Known as Lighthouse, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992 as recognition of his 29 PGA Tour wins. He finished second at The Masters in 1936 and 1938 and was runner-up at the US Open in 1926 and 1937. He won the Canadian Open in 1932 and 1937 and went on to become a noted golf instructor. He achieved everything in the game other than winning a major.