Golfers Who You Forgot Were Top 10 Players

Much is made of golf’s world rankings and that is hardly surprising. Climb into the top 10 and you know that your place in the majors is secure. It also means you are have earned some serious prize money and will almost certainly pick up some bonus money from your sponsors.

If you reach the top 10 you have every reason to expect that you will become a household name. But is that always the case?

I have been taking a look at every golfer who has ever featured in the top 10 (yes, I know, I need to get out more) and there are some surprising names, golfers whose flame burned brightly but briefly and other names that will surely surprise you.

Featured Content

Here are just 10 of them, with the dates they first entered the top 10 and the last date they featured in the list:

Masashi Ozaki

• 195 weeks between October 8, 1989 and April 26, 1998, highest place fifth

Who? Better known as Jumbo Ozaki, his place in the rankings was entirely down to his incredible domination of the Japan Tour. He is the most successful player of all time on the Japan Tour, having led the money list a record 12 times and won an incredible 94 tournament, over 40 more than the second highest player. He had three top-10 finishes in the majors but his attempts to make the transition to the PGA Tour ended in failure

Luke Donald

• 220 weeks, March 12, 2006 to August 4, 2013, highest place first

Donald won five times on the PGA Tour and also enjoyed seven victories on the DP World Tour. But he never managed to claim a major. Despite this, he climbed to the top of the world rankings in May 2012. This was purely and simply a result of his incredible consistency, which also accounts for his 220 weeks in the top 10. He was one of the shortest hitters in the professional game but was blessed with a glorious touch on the greens. His best finish in a major was tied third at The Masters in 2005 and tied third at the US PGA the following year. His best days are now behind him but he captained Europe to a resounding victory in the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy - and will attempt to repeat the feat at Bethpage Black in 2025.

David Duval

• 232 weeks, February 22, 1998 to August 11, 2002, highest place first

For an all-too-brief period, everything Duval touched turned to gold. His form was so good that he managed to usurp Tiger Woods at the top of the world rankings. Between 1997 and 2001 he won 13 PGA Tour tournaments, including the 1997 Tour Championship, the 1999 Players and the 2001 Open, as well as the 2001 Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Tour and the 2000 World Cup with Tiger Woods. He also tied for second in both the 1998 and 2001 Masters. But then he lost his swing and fell out of love with the game. He struggled on for a few years before more or less walking away from the game. There were a few faltering comebacks until he announced in 2013 that he was done with the PGA Tour. Duval now plays on the PGA Tour Champions.

Corey Pavin

• 167 weeks, April 6, 1986 to February 9, 1997, highest place second

The diminutive Pavin was a man who made the most of what he had at his disposal. Like Luke Donald, he was a short hitter but he still won 15 PGA Tour titles, with his finest moment coming when he won the 1995 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. He went into the final round three strokes behind Greg Norman and Tom Lehman. On the 72nd and final hole, a 450-yard par four, Pavin produced a four wood, considered one of the greatest shots in US Open history, 228 yards to five feet of the hole to secure the title. He is remembered rather less fondly for his behaviour at the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island, known as The War on the Shore. After 1996 Pavin lost his game and had to wait 10 years for his next - and final - victory. 

Kenny Perry

• 103 weeks, June 15, 2003 to January 3, 2010, highest place fourth

Perry was a man who had a swing that was all his own but boy was it effective. He won 14 times on the PGA Tour and also has nine wins on the Champions Tour to his credit. He also made two Ryder Cup appearances, in 2004 and 2008, the latter of which when he was 48 years of age. And 11 of his PGA Tour victories came after he turned 40.

Martin Kaymer

• 110 weeks, January 24, 2010 to March 1, 2015, highest place first

There was a time when Kaymer seemed destined to dominate the game for years. He claimed his first major at the 2010 PGA. That same year, he also claimed the Race to Dubai. The following year he added the WGC-HSBC Champions and spent eight weeks at the top of the world rankings. He holed the putt on the final green at Medinah in 2012 clinched a remarkable comeback victory for Europe in the Ryder Cup. In May 2014 Kaymer won the Players Championship and a month later added the US Open, which he won by eight shots. At the start of 2015 he led the Abu Dhabi Championship by 10 shots in the final round but lost and was never the same player again. He hasn’t won anywhere since the 2014 US Open.

Tommy Nakajima

• 85 weeks, April 6, 1986 to November 15, 1987, highest place fourth

Like Jumbo Ozaki, Nakajima found his way into the top 10 on the back of his success on the Japan Tour, where he won 48 times. He was also the leading money winner four times in five years: 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1986. Sadly, he is remembered for two on-course disasters - at the 1978 Masters, he made a 13 on the par-five 13th hole. After hitting his fourth shot into Rae's Creek, Nakajima elected to play the ball. He popped it straight up and it landed on his foot, causing a two-stroke penalty. When he handed the club to his caddie, it slipped out of his hand and fell into the creek, incurring another two-stroke penalty. He chipped over the green, chipped back on and two-putted. The same year he was in contention at The Open at St Andrews until he came to the 17th, where he putted into the Road Hole bunker and took four attempts to escape on his way to a ruinous nine.

David Howell

• 10 weeks, May 28, 2006 to August 13, 2006, highest place ninth

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

What? Now best known as an astute Sky Sports golf commentator and pundit who also mentors several fellow professionals with their putting stroke, Howell had a brief purple patch. In August 2005 he won the BMW International Open and by the autumn he reached the top 20 in the rankings. In May 2006, he won the BMW Championship and moved into the world top ten for the first time. In June he moved to a new high of ninth. His final win came at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2013. 

Nick Watney

• Eight weeks, July 3, 2011 to November 27, 2011, highest place ninth

Watney enjoyed early success on the Nationwide Tour and would go on to enjoy five PGA Tour victories, climbing into the top 10 in the world rankings  after winning the AT&T Championship in 2011. He made some notable collapses in majors. At the 2010 US PGA at Whistling Straits, Watney had a three-shot lead going into the final round. However, he shot a final round of 81, which dropped him back to a tie for 18th place. His days as a world-class golfer were effectively brought to an end by serious back issues. And he has a dubious claim to fame - on June 19, 2020, while playing in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, Watney became the first PGA Tour player to test positive for Covid. He still makes occasional appearances on the PGA Tour.

Related Content

The Golfers Who Never Became World Number One

The 10 Best Golfers Who Have Been World Number One

Do You Think These Are Future World Number One Golfers

Who Really Are The Best Golfers in The World

The World Number One Golfers Who Fell Away