Tiger Woods
Woods won the 1997 Masters by 12 at age 21, held all four major trophies at once in 2001 and won the 2008 U.S. Open on an injured leg. His peak, longevity and impact on who watched golf put him first on this list.
Woods changed the scale of a golf victory at Augusta in 1997. He began that Masters with a front-nine 40, recovered to shoot 70, then overwhelmed the field over the next three days. The 12-shot margin announced a player whose power and touch could make even golf's strongest fields look overmatched.
From the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach to the 2001 Masters, he won four majors in succession—the Tiger Slam. At Torrey Pines in 2008 he pushed through a damaged knee to beat Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff after 72 regulation holes. Then, after years of injuries, he won the Masters again in 2019. Those distinct peaks, alongside his influence on the sport, explain our No. 1 choice.
His influence is also visible in the crowds who followed him and the young players who took up the game after watching him. The ranking is a judgment about competitive peak and cultural reach as well as a count of trophies.