Best Players Over 50 Never To Win A Major

Steve Stricker's Ryder Cup captaincy got us thinking about over 50s who never managed a Major victory...

Best Players Over 50 Never To Win A Major

Steve Stricker's Ryder Cup captaincy got us thinking about over 50s who never managed a Major victory...

Best Players Over 50 Never To Win A Major

Colin Montgomerie

Winning the PGA Championship at Wentworth for the third-straight year in 2000

The Scot is arguably the greatest player in history to have never won a Major.

Monty won eight European Tour Order of Merit titles (including seven in a row), 31 European Tour titles and finished 2nd in a Major five times.

Since turning 50, he has won three Senior Majors.

His nearest miss probably came at the 2006 US Open at Winged Foot, where he double-bogeyed the 72nd hole to miss out by one.

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Miguel Angel Jimenez Wins Senior Open

Jimenez won his second Senior Major at the 2018 Senior Open

The charismatic Spaniard won 21 European Tour titles and won his second Senior Major at the 2018 Senior Open.

Jimenez has 32 pro wins in total and recorded nine top-10s in Majors.

WATCH: Miguel Angel Jimenez What's in the bag? 2019

Kenny Perry

Perry finished bogey-bogey at the '09 Masters and then lost in a playoff. (DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

Perry famously lost in a playoff at the 2009 Masters to Angel Cabrera after bogeying the final two holes in regulation.

He has won 27 times including 14 times on the PGA Tour and 10 times on the PGA Tour Champions.

Jesper Parnevik

Parnevik at the 1994 Open (Steve Munday/ALLSPORT)

The Swede was a very good Ryder Cup player and very good in stroke play too with four European Tour wins, five PGA Tour wins and six other victories.

His Major record is decent too, with stand-outs coming at the 1994 and 1997 Opens where he was 2nd and T2nd.

Steve Stricker

Stricker finished two strokes shy of Vijay Singh at the 1998 USPGA Championship (Credit: Ezra O. Shaw /Allsport)

Stricker has spent over 250 weeks inside the world's top 10 and won 12 PGA Tour titles in his career.

He recorded 13 top-10 finishes in Majors including a 2nd at the 1998 USPGA Championship and a 4th most recently at the 2016 Open.

He will captain the 2020 USA Ryder Cup team in his home state of Wisconsin.

Sam Torrance

Sam Torrance

Torrance holed the winning putt at the 1985 Ryder Cup

The Scot successfully captained Europe to the Ryder Cup in 2002 after holing the winning putt in 1985 at The Belfry.

Torrance won 21 times on the European Tour in his career and won 41 times as a pro in total.

His best finish in a Major was a 5th at the 1981 Open.

Jay Haas

Bill and Jay Haas at the 2011 Presidents Cup

The father of Bill, Jay Haas had an incredible career with the only thing missing being a Major.

Haas won nine times on the PGA Tour and 18 times on the PGA Tour Champions, with 16 top-10s in Majors.

Chris DiMarco

Tiger Woods defeated Chris DiMarco in a playoff at the 2005 Masters. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Famous for his playoff loss to Tiger Woods in 2005 at Augusta, where Woods holed 'that chip' in regulation, DiMarco also lost in a playoff at the 2004 USPGA Championship.

He recorded another runner-up finish at a Major at the 2006 Open. DiMarco won seven times as a pro including three PGA Tour titles.

Doug Sanders

Doug Sanders lines up his second putt on the 18th green. Credit: Getty Images famous for his putting ability, attempting a short putt across the 'Valley of Sin' at the 18th hole at St Andrews during the 1970 British Open Championship. He missed the shot and it cost him the championship. Doug Sanders is the only man to win the Canadian Open as an amateur. The Royal and Ancient golf club at St Andrews was founded in 1754 and recognised as the Governing Authority on the rules of the game in 1897. There are now more than 100 countries and associations affiliated to the famous club. (Photo by A. Jones/Express/Getty Images) open golf choke

The moment Doug Sanders is remembered for (Credit: Getty Images)

Sanders may be best known for his short missed putt on the 18th green at St Andrews in 1970, eventually losing to Jack Nicklaus in a playoff.

He won 20 times on the PGA Tour in his career and finished runner-up at four Majors.

Bruce Crampton

Crampton in 1991 (Photo by Jeff McBride/PGA TOUR)

Aussie Bruce Crampton won 44 times worldwide and had four runners-up finishes at Majors, all to Jack Nicklaus.

He won 14 times on the PGA Tour and 20 times on the Champions Tour.

Scott Hoch

Hoch, like Doug Sanders, is remembered for a costly missed putt

Hoch is infamously known for a missed two-footer on the 1st extra hole in the 1989 Masters playoff. He eventually lost to Nick Faldo on the 2nd extra hole.

The American won 11 times on the PGA Tour in his career and finished in the top-10 15 times in Majors.

Brad Faxon

Faxon in 1997. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR)

Faxon is known as one of the greatest putters of all time but surprisingly never won a Major.

He won eight times on the PGA Tour but only ever recorded four top-10s in golf's big four.

Mark James

James at the 2004 Senior Open. (Photo by Pete Fontaine/Getty Images)

James won 18 times on the European Tour and finished inside the top-8 at The Open five times.

He has won 31 times as a pro and made seven appearances for Europe in the Ryder Cup, captaining in 1999 when Europe lost at Brookline.

Mark McNulty

With the South African Open trophy in 2001. (Credit: Paul Severn /Allsport)

The Zimbabwean/Irishman won 59 times as a professional including 33 times on the Sunshine Tour and 16 times on the European Tour.

He won nine Sunshine Tour Order of Merits and had his best Major finish in 1990 where he was runner-up to Nick Faldo at the Open at St Andrews.

Expand Best Current Golfers Yet To Win A Major

Best Current Golfers Yet To Win A Major

Best Current Golfers Yet To Win A Major

From Rickie to Rahm to Poults...

Expand Top 100 Golf Courses UK and Ireland 2021/22

Top 100 Golf Courses UK and Ireland

Top 100 Golf Courses UK and Ireland 2021/22

Look at the new full list of Top…

Expand 10 Best Bunker Players Of All Time

10 Best Bunker Players Of All Time

10 Best Bunker Players Of All Time

Who is the best bunker player of all…

Expand Gary Player Exclusive Q&A: “Hogan Is Still The Best Golfer I Have Ever Seen”

Gary Player Exclusive Q&A

Gary Player Exclusive Q&A: “Hogan Is Still The Best Golfer I Have Ever Seen”

Fergus Bisset speaks to golfing legend Gary Player…

For all the latest golf news, check the Golf Monthly website and follow our social media channels

Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV