Top 10 UK & Irish Golfers of All Time

Golf was first played on the linksland of Scotland and the country is still referred to as the Home of Golf. In the 19th century, the sport was quickly taken up by England, Wales and Ireland and throughout the 20th century it expanded around the world.

The UK and Ireland have remained golfing strongholds at amateur, professional and recreational levels. Golf courses in these countries continue to be celebrated for providing the oldest and best golf in the world.

Top 10 UK & Irish golfers

Let’s take a closer look at the greatest golfers Great Britain and Ireland have produced since the sport exploded in popularity in the mid-19th century. Golfers from every era will feature but it is only fair to acknowledge that before the First World War the sport was not as international as it is today. Our ranking:

1. Sir Nick Faldo
2. Young Tom Morris
3. Rory McIlroy
4. Harry Vardon
5. Tony Jacklin
6. Laura Davies
7. Sandy Lyle
8. Ian Woosnam
9. Padraig Harrington
10. Colin Montgomerie

A closer look at the best golfers from UK & Ireland

1. Sir Nick Faldo (1977-2015)

Few golfers have had such obsessive control of the ball than the Englishman (he famously made par on every hole of his final round to win his first Open) and in the modern era no British or Irish golfer has bettered his tally of six major victories. He was also the first golfer from these shores to top the world rankings and he did so by winning nine times on the PGA Tour and 30 times on the European Tour. He was also a stalwart of the European Ryder Cup team winning 25 points in 11 appearances. England’s best.

• Masters wins: 3
• PGA wins: 0
• US Open wins: 0
• Open wins: 3

2. Rory McIlroy (2008-date)

In the modern era no UK or Irish golfer has shone so brightly at such a young age, winning four majors by the age of 25. He has also topped the PGA Tour money list five times and the European Tour’s equivalent on four occasions. He’s also won three World Golf Championships, the Players Championship, has regularly topped the world rankings and wore his Ireland top in Olympic Golf at Tokyo 2020. Ireland’s top player.

• Masters wins: 0
• PGA wins: 2
• US Open wins: 1
• Open wins: 1

3. Young Tom Morris (1865-1874)

The son of Old Tom Morris, the father of golf, Young Tom remains the youngest-ever winner of a major (aged 17) and it was the first of four consecutive Open triumphs. He also made the first hole-in-one at the Open and would surely have claimed more golfing glory had he not died at the tragic age of 24. The Tiger Woods of the 19th century.

• Masters wins: 0
• PGA wins: 0
• US Open wins: 0
• Open wins: 4

4. Harry Vardon (1891-1929)

Hailing from Jersey, Vardon’s tally of seven major wins is the biggest of any UK or Irish golfer. Six of those wins were in the Open and he also had a startling US Open record. He played it only three times finishing first, second and tied second, the latter when aged 50.

• Masters wins: 0
• PGA wins: 0
• US Open wins: 1
• Open wins: 6

5. Tony Jacklin (1962-2007)

The first British golfer to win the Open in 18 years when he triumphed in 1969 he then became the first British US Open winner in 84 years a year later. In later years he was directly responsible for rejuvenating the Ryder Cup. Under his captaincy Europe claimed two wins, one loss and tied a fourth match having been trounced for decades. 

• Masters wins: 0
• PGA wins: 0
• US Open wins: 1
• Open wins: 1

6. Dame Laura Davies (1985-date)

Davies was a winning machine who totalled 87 wins across the world, four of them majors, and she won at least once every year between 1985 and 2010. In 1994 became the first male or female golfer to win on five different tours in a calendar year. She was also the only player to compete in the first 11 Solheim Cups. England golf’s greatest female performer.

• Du Maurier Classic wins: 1
• PGA wins: 2
• US Open wins: 1
• Open wins: 0

7. Sandy Lyle (1977-2023)

When the Scotsman won the Open in 1985 he was the first UK or Irish winner in 16 years. Two years later he became the first non-American winner of the Players Championship and shortly after the first British or Irish golfer to win the Masters. Severiano Ballesteros once said: “If everyone in the world played their best, Sandy would win.”

• Masters wins: 1
• PGA wins: 0
• US Open wins: 0
• Open wins: 1

8. Ian Woosnam (1976-date)

The Welshman was the second Brit to hit top spot in the world rankings, he won the 1991 Masters and his tally of 29 wins on the European Tour is the fourth-best among UK and Irish golfers. He was also cruelly robbed of a great chance to win the Open in 2001 when given a two-shot penalty because his caddy admitted there was one club too many in his bag on the second tee. Welsh golf’s greatest.

• Masters wins: 1
• PGA wins: 0 
• US Open wins: 0
• Open wins: 0

9. Padraig Harrington (1995-date)

The Irishman’s ferocious work ethic helped him spend over 300 weeks in the world’s top 10, play on six Ryder Cup teams, become a regular winner on the PGA Tour and win three major championships in 2007 and 2008. Easily one of Ireland’s top golfers.

• Masters wins: 0
• PGA wins: 1
• US Open wins: 0
• Open wins: 2

10. Colin Montgomerie (1988-date)

The only player on this list without a major win but his achievements outweigh many who did claim such honours. He won a record eight European Tour Order of Merits (seven in a row), three BMW PGA Championships, was a five-time runner-up in the majors, recorded three senior major wins and was a titan of the European Ryder Cup team. One of the best players to never win a major.

• Masters wins: 0
• PGA wins: 0
• US Open wins: 0
• Open wins: 0

Honourable mentions

Among Ireland’s greatest players who just miss out on this list are Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, Shane Lowry and Harry Bradshaw. Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are two of Britain’s leading golfers to fall short.

Who is the most successful Irish golfer of all time?

Rory McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, has won four major championships and 15 European Tour titles - he is justifiably considered the best Irish golfer of all time.

Who is the most successful UK golfer of all time?

Harry Vardon has won the most majors (seven) and Colin Montgomerie has the highest number of European Tour wins (31).

Who is the top earner among UK and Irish golfers?

Rory McIlroy leads the European Tour career money list with over €‎45 million in winnings. He has also won over $71 million on the PGA Tour.

How do UK and Irish golfers rank compared to the rest of the world?

UK and Irish golfers hold their own with all other world golfers with the exception of those from the United States. American golfers are the strongest in the world.

What are the best performances by UK golfers?

Nick Faldo’s six major wins were all superb but his dismantling of Greg Norman’s pre-final round six-shot lead is among one of the most famous wins in the sport. Tony Jacklin’s seven-stroke win in the 1970 US Open was special but all the more so because it meant he was the British Open and US Open champion at the same time.

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What are the best performances by Irish golfers?

Rory McIlroy’s first major win at the 2011 US Open was arguably his finest coming weeks after he failed to make the most of a golden opportunity at the Masters - he thrashed the field by eight strokes. Shane Lowry’s victory in the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush is almost as celebrated.

Can I bet on golf in the UK and Ireland?

Golf is one of the most popular sports for punters to bet on with almost all golf bookmakers pricing up to 10 different tournaments every week.

Where can I bet on golf in the UK?

There are many options but it pays to look for bookmakers who cover more than just the two main tours and which venture beyond the outright markets. Here are three good examples:

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3. Spreadex

As its name suggests, Spreadex strives to offer customers not just fixed odds, but ample options for spread betting, too.

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Who are the best professional golfers in the UK and Ireland right now?

Rory McIlroy is the best professional golfer in the UK and Ireland, closely followed by Matt Fitzpatrick with Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry also high in the world rankings.

How many golf courses do the UK and Ireland have?

There are 3,100 courses in the UK and Ireland. There is a golf club pretty much everywhere, maybe not a cart (they are unpopular), but always a flag you can putt at. Just always wear a shirt with a collar. Golf Ireland and the Irish golfing community continue to observe correct etiquette.

Top UK & Irish golfers my final thoughts

Golf in Britain and Ireland is in a very healthy state and it is a great sport to bet on with action almost every week of the year on either side of the Atlantic and four major championships every season in which the best UK & Irish golfers are always among the favourites.

Matt Cooper

Matt Cooper has been a golf journalist for 15 years. He's worked for, among others, Golf365, SkySports, ESPN, NBC, Sporting Life, Open.com and the Guardian. He specialises in feature writing, reporting and tournament analysis. He's covered numerous Opens, Ryder Cups and Solheim Cups, and travelled to golfing destinations as varied as Kazakhstan, South Korea, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

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