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The Open Championship is golf's oldest major championship and remains one of the game's most revered titles. Known for its legendary links courses and often-difficult weather conditions, The Open presents its entrants with a challenge unlike any other in golf.
Many of the game's most storied players have earned the right to be called the Champion Golfer of the Year and etch their names into the iconic Claret Jug. However, there also exists a group of golfers that, despite their talents and accolades, have found The Open to be an elusive title.
In this article, we'll discuss and rank the 10 greatest golfers who have been unable to obtain the ultimate glory that comes with winning The Open Championship.
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#10. Lee Westwood
Career Accolades: 44 Professional wins (25 European Tour wins); 3x European Tour Order of Merit winner; World's No. 1 Ranked Player (22 weeks)
The Englishman's consistency and longevity are admirable, as Westwood won professional events across four different decades, while also winning the European Tour Order of Merit on three occasions.
Unfortunately, the Englishman couldn't bring his winning ways to major championships. Despite his links excellence, Westwood continually fell short in the Open Championship with a runner-up finish in the 2010 edition standing as his highest career finish in golf's oldest major.
#9. Sergio Garcia
Career Accolades: One-time major champion - 1x Masters winner; 36 Professional wins (11 PGA Tour wins)
We're still trying to figure out how that putt didn't fall in the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie...
Despite being one of the greatest ball strikers of his generation, the Spaniard has failed to ever capture golf's oldest major, losing in a playoff to Padraig Harrington in the aforementioned '07 Open despite entering the final round six shots clear of the Irishman and three shots ahead of his nearest competitor. Garcia was again a bridesmaid in the 2014 renewal.
Garcia hasn't played badly in the Open, as his 10 top-10 finishes in the event are his best mark in any major championship. However, the 43-year-old appears to be running out of time to collect a Claret Jug. He has just one top-25 result in his last five Open appearances and didn't even qualify for this year's edition.
#8. Justin Rose
Career Accolades: One-time major champion - 1x U.S. Open winner; 25 Professional wins (11 PGA Tour wins); World's No. 1 Ranked Player (13 weeks)
When Justin Rose logged a T4 as a fresh-faced amateur in the 1998 Open Championship, there seemed to be no limit to the number of Claret Jugs he would win in his career. However, as we all know, golf - especially major championship golf - is very hard.
While Rose has gone on to have a brilliant career that includes a U.S. Open victory and 25 professional wins, the Englishman has bested that legendary 1998 Open performance just once, posting a T2 in the 2018 Open Championship. The 42-year-old has shown that he's still very competitive this season, though his chances of capturing a Claret Jug are undoubtedly winding down.
#7. Colin Montgomerie
Career Accolades: 54 Professional wins (31 Euro Tour wins); 8x European Tour Order of Merit winner; 3x Senior Major champion; Ryder Cup Captain; World Golf Hall of Fame
One of the most dominant European golfers in history, Montgomerie won 54 times as a professional. He was a powerful force throughout the 1990s and won a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles.
For all his dominance in regular tournaments, Monty was notoriously snake-bit in major championships, finishing as the runner-up in majors five times across his decorated career. While he was inarguably the best player on the Euro Tour for over a decade, that success rarely translated to his performances in the Open. Yes, he scored a runner-up finish to Tiger Woods in the 2005 renewal at St. Andrews but that was the lone top-five Open result of Montgomerie's career.
#6. Vijay Singh
Career Accolades: Three-time major champion - 1x Masters winner, 2x PGA Championship winner; 65 Professional wins (34 PGA Tour wins); World's No. 1 Ranked Player (32 weeks); World Golf Hall of Fame
The big Fijian rose from using coconuts as golf balls in childhood to become a three-time major champion. Despite battling prime Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, David Duval, and others, Singh rose to No. 1 in the OWGR for 32 weeks.
Despite all of his international success and experience, Singh was never able to find the winner's circle in the Open. Though he was extremely consistent in the event and made the cut in 19 of his 26 career Open starts, the powerful Fijian's best finish was a T2 in the infamous 2003 Open won by Ben Curtis.
#5. Dustin Johnson
Career Accolades: Two-time major champion - 1x Masters winner, 1x U.S. Open winner; 30 Professional wins (24 PGA Tour wins); World's No. 1 Ranked Player (135 weeks)
It's fair to wonder how Dustin Johnson doesn't have more major championships, as the lanky South Carolina native is widely considered one of the most physically gifted golfers of his generation. While DJ has been a prolific winner throughout his pro career, he's often stumbled in majors and has endured many heartbreaking losses in them over the years.
That extends to the Open Championship, where Johnson has been firmly in contention on multiple occasions, yet has never been able to lift the Claret Jug. DJ has logged five top-10 finishes in the Open with a runner-up result in 2011 at Royal St. George's standing as his highest career finish in golf's oldest major.
#4. Bernhard Langer
Career Accolades: Two-time major champion - 2x Masters winner; 122 Professional wins (42 European Tour wins); 12-time Champions Tour major champion; Ryder Cup Captain, World Golf Hall of Fame
Long before he was the greatest senior golfer of all time, Bernhard Langer was a dominant force on the European Tour throughout the 1980's and '90s. The German racked up an eye-opening 42 wins on the old Euro Tour circuit against the likes of Faldo, Ballesteros, and Montgomerie.
While Langer was downright dominant in Europe, he could never capture the continent's biggest event...the Open Championship. He came heartbreakingly close on multiple occasions, logging four T3 or better finishes across a six-year stretch from 1981 to 1986. The ageless wonder would the go on to log two top-five finishes after 2000, though he never could get his hands on the Claret Jug.
#3. Raymond Floyd
Career Accolades: Four-time major champion - 2x PGA Championship winner, 1x Masters winner, 1x U.S. Open winner; 63 Professional wins (22 PGA Tour wins); Four-time Champions Tour major champion; Ryder Cup Captain, World Golf Hall of Fame
A dogged, fierce competitor, Raymond Floyd battled against some of the greatest golfers of all time during his prime. Floyd was able to capture four major championships despite competing against the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.
The Open was the one major that eluded Floyd and prevented him from completing the career grand slam to put a punctuation mark on an already illustrious career. A runner-up to Nicklaus in the 1978 Open at St. Andrews was the closest he ever came to lifting the Claret Jug. It's fair to wonder if the North Carolina native prioritized the Open. Despite earning his first PGA Tour victory in 1963, he didn't make his first start in the Open until 1969, and he skipped the event altogether between 1970 and 1975.
#2. Brooks Koepka
Career Accolades: Five-time major champion - 3x PGA Championship winner, 2x U.S. Open winner, 18 Professional wins (Nine PGA Tour wins), World's No. 1 Ranked Player (47 weeks)
With the fifth major championship win of his career coming earlier this year, Koepka has now reached rarified air. Of the 20 golfers in history to win five or more majors, only Koepka and Byron Nelson have done so without capturing an Open Championship title.
While the Florida native is currently without a Claret Jug, he certainly is still very much alive in the pursuit. Koepka has recorded top-10 finishes in half of his eight career Open Championship starts. He is uniquely equipped for the challenge of links golf thanks to his time spent in Europe at the outset of his career and could very well be off the list before his playing days are over.
#1. Byron Nelson
Career Accolades: Five-time major champion - 2x Masters winner, 2x PGA Championship winner, 1x U.S. Open winner; 64 Professional wins; Ryder Cup Captain; World Golf Hall of Fame
Despite never winning the Open Championship, Byron Nelson's accomplishments remain extraordinary. He won 5 major championships, including the Masters, U.S. Open, and PGA Championship, and holds numerous records, including 11 consecutive PGA Tour victories in 1945, a feat that still stands unmatched.
Nelson's lack of a victory in golf's oldest major is due to several factors, with the main one being that he rarely played it! "Lord Byron" only teed it up in two Opens during his entire career, scoring a fifth-place finish in 1937 and a T32 in 1945. Why? Well, in Nelson's prime travel between the United States and Europe for professional golfers was more challenging than it is today, and it was not as common for American players to participate in The Open Championship.
The Texan's opportunities in the Open were also limited by World War II. The Open wasn't played between 1940 and 1945 due to the First and Second World Wars, and Nelson himself served in the U.S. military from 1942 to 1945.
Despite his lack of a Claret Jug, Nelson's place in golf's history is very secure, as he's still considered one of the all-time greats of the game. That said, it's interesting to wonder what would have happened if he'd been able to play a full slate of Opens during his prime years.
Byron Nelson made his Open Championship debut at Carnoustie in 1937.
He came 5th and won the princely sum of £25. pic.twitter.com/kWptI1gAwK
— TheGolfDivoTee™ (@TheGolfDivoTee) October 28, 2022
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