GOLFERS from United Kingdom

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary British Golfers of all time. This list of famous British Golfers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of British Golfers.

1. Nick Faldo (1957 - )

With an HPI of 38.27, Nick Faldo is the most famous British Golfer.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages on wikipedia.

Sir Nicholas Alexander Faldo, (born 18 July 1957) is an English retired professional golfer and television commentator. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his dedication to the game, he was ranked No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking for a total of 97 weeks. His 41 professional wins include 30 victories on the European Tour and six major championships: three Open Championships (1987, 1990, 1992) and three Masters (1989, 1990, 1996). Faldo has since become a television commentator for major golf championships. In 2006, he became the lead golf analyst for CBS Sports. In 2012, Faldo joined the BBC Sport on-air team for coverage of the Open Championship.

2. Ian Woosnam (1958 - )

With an HPI of 34.94, Ian Woosnam is the 2nd most famous British Golfer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Ian Harold Woosnam (born 2 March 1958) is a Welsh professional golfer. Nicknamed 'Woosie', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe competitive in the Ryder Cup. His peers in this group were Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, and Sandy Lyle. Woosnam's major championship win was at the 1991 Masters Tournament. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.

3. Rory McIlroy (1989 - )

With an HPI of 33.82, Rory McIlroy is the 3rd most famous British Golfer.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Rory Daniel McIlroy (born 4 May 1989) is a Northern Irish professional golfer who is a member of both the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He is a former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking, and has spent over 100 weeks in that position during his career. He is a four-time major champion, winning the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA Championship, 2014 Open Championship and 2014 PGA Championship. Along with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, he is one of three players to win four majors by the age of 25. McIlroy had a successful amateur career, topping the World Amateur Golf Ranking for one week as a 17-year-old in 2007. Later that year, he turned professional and soon established himself on the European Tour. He had his first win on the European Tour in 2009 and on the PGA Tour in 2010. In 2011, at the age of 22, he became the youngest player ever to reach €10 million in career earnings on the European Tour. In 2012, he became the youngest player to reach $10 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour. McIlroy has represented Europe, Great Britain & Ireland, and Ireland as both an amateur and a professional. At the Ryder Cup, he played for Europe against the United States in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2023, with Europe winning in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2023. For his individual and team achievements, he has twice been named RTÉ Sports Person of the Year, in 2011 and 2014.

4. Colin Montgomerie (1963 - )

With an HPI of 30.85, Colin Montgomerie is the 4th most famous British Golfer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE (born 23 June 1963) is a Scottish professional golfer. He has won a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutive from 1993 to 1999. He has won 31 European Tour events, the most of any British player, placing him fourth on the all-time list of golfers with most European Tour victories. Montgomerie won three consecutive Volvo PGA Championships at Wentworth Club between 1998 and 2000. He has finished runner-up on five occasions in major championships and his career-high world ranking is second. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013. After turning 50 in 2013, Montgomerie has had a successful career on the PGA Tour Champions and European Senior Tour, including winning three senior major championships.

5. Sandy Lyle (1958 - )

With an HPI of 30.29, Sandy Lyle is the 5th most famous British Golfer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Alexander Walter Barr Lyle (born 9 February 1958) is a Scottish professional golfer. Lyle has won two major championships during his career. Along with Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, he became one of Britain's top golfers during the 1980s. He spent 167 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking from its introduction, in 1986, until 1989. Lyle was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in May 2012.

6. Lee Westwood (1973 - )

With an HPI of 27.66, Lee Westwood is the 6th most famous British Golfer.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Lee John Westwood (born 24 April 1973) is an English professional golfer. Noted for his consistency, he is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on five continents – Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and Oceania – including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He has also won tournaments in four decades, the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. He was named European Tour Golfer of the Year for the 1998, 2000, 2009 and 2020 seasons. He has won the 2000 European Tour Order of Merit, and the renamed 2009 and 2020 Race to Dubai. He has frequently been mentioned as one of the best golfers without a major championship victory, with several near misses including three runner-up finishes. Westwood has represented Europe in ten Ryder Cups. In October 2010, he became the world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking, ending the reign of Tiger Woods, and becoming the first British golfer since Nick Faldo in 1994 to hold that position. He held the number one position for a total of 22 weeks. Westwood and fellow countryman Luke Donald share the distinction of reaching the number one world ranking despite never winning a major. He holds the record of playing in the most major championships without winning one. He is sometimes referred to by his nickname Westy.

7. Darren Clarke (1968 - )

With an HPI of 26.90, Darren Clarke is the 7th most famous British Golfer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Darren Christopher Clarke, (born 14 August 1968) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and has previously played on the European Tour and PGA Tour. He has won 21 tournaments worldwide on a number of golf's main tours including the PGA Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour and Sunshine Tour. His biggest victory came when he won the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St George's in England, his first major win after more than 20 years and 54 attempts. Clarke has also won two World Golf Championship events, most notably the 2000 WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship, when he defeated Tiger Woods in the final. Clarke was ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for 43 weeks between 2000 and 2002. His highest finish on the European Tour money list is second, which he achieved in 1998, 2000 and 2003. Clarke is currently ranked as the seventh highest career money winner on the European Tour. Clarke has represented Ireland as both an amateur and as a professional, notably at the World Cup and Alfred Dunhill Cup, and was a member of five consecutive European Ryder Cup teams between 1997 and 2006.

8. Ian Poulter (1976 - )

With an HPI of 26.26, Ian Poulter is the 8th most famous British Golfer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Ian James Poulter (born 10 January 1976) is an English professional golfer who plays in the LIV Golf League. He has previously been ranked as high as number 5 in the world rankings. The highlights of Poulter's career to date have been his two World Golf Championship wins at the 2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the 2012 WGC-HSBC Champions, as well as being part of five Ryder Cup winning European teams. He is the touring professional for Woburn Golf and Country Club.

9. Luke Donald (1977 - )

With an HPI of 25.14, Luke Donald is the 9th most famous British Golfer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Luke Campbell Donald MBE (born 7 December 1977) is an English professional golfer and former world number one. He plays mainly on the U.S.-based PGA Tour but is also a member of the European Tour. Donald had an outstanding year in 2011, winning several tournaments and awards. He won the PGA Tour money list and European Race to Dubai to complete a historic double, becoming the first player to win both money lists on the PGA and European Tours in the same year. He was named the PGA Player of the Year and the European Tour Golfer of the Year. He also became the first Englishman to win the PGA Tour Player of the Year award, the PGA Tour's Vardon Trophy and the Mark H. McCormack Award for the most weeks at number one during a calendar year. He was later awarded honorary life membership of the European Tour for his achievements in 2011. In May 2011, Donald became the number one golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club. He held the number one position for 40 weeks between May 2011 and March 2012 before Rory McIlroy briefly took over as world number one. The pair then exchanged the number one position a further four times in the following two months. On 27 May 2012, Donald regained the world number one ranking after successfully defending his BMW PGA Championship title. He held the number one position for a further 10 weeks before McIlroy displaced him again. Donald has spent a cumulative total of 56 weeks as the World Number One and has spent over 200 weeks in the top-10. He was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to golf. Donald has had eight top-10 finishes in major championships, with two third-place finishes. He is one of two golfers to achieve the world number one ranking without winning a major, the other being fellow Englishman Lee Westwood. Donald captained the European team in the 2023 Ryder Cup side to a 161⁄2-111⁄2 victory over the United States at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

10. Graeme McDowell (1979 - )

With an HPI of 19.62, Graeme McDowell is the 10th most famous British Golfer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Graeme McDowell MBE (born 30 July 1979) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland. He has a total of eleven tournament victories on the European Tour, and four on the PGA Tour, including one major championship, the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. In 2022, he joined LIV Golf. McDowell has also represented Ireland at the World Cup and he has been a member of the European Ryder Cup team on four occasions. He has appeared in the top-10 in the Official World Golf Ranking, with a highest ranking position of 4th (January to March 2011).