Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:54 pm EDT
In golf, there's no heavier anchor to bear than the title of "best never to win a major." All you gotta do is get that one major -- or, like Trevor Immelman and Zach Johnson, play the best golf of your life for four days in April -- and your career immortality is assured. Fall short, though, and the burden grows, year after year, until it's all anybody talks about whenever your name comes up.
Conventional wisdom holds that the best player currently active who never won a major is Sergio Garcia. That's not only a function of his talent, it's a result of the ultrahigh expectations placed on him since he arrived on the pro scene. But is conventional wisdom accurate?
Forbes decided to take on the conventional wisdom, and came up with some interesting conclusions. Their methodology included a consideration of play since 2005, penalizing players for failing to qualify or missing the cut in majors. Their results were as follows:
1. Adam Scott
2. Ian Poulter
3. Stuart Appleby
4. Sergio Garcia
5. Stewart Cink
6. Paul Casey
7. Stephen Ames
8. Tim Clark
9. KJ Choi
10. Lee Westwood
Man, that's actually a pretty impressive list. I think Westwood's ranked too low and Appleby too high, myself. But I can see at least one or two of these names getting off it before the end of the year. And I still hold that while Scott may be statistically the "best" player not to have won a major, Garcia will hold that title until he retires or finally wins one of the damn things. There's just too much potential there that's gone unfulfilled.
And now, your turn. Thoughts on the list? Anyone who should be added, moved or adjusted?
Devil Ball is a golf blog edited by Jay Busbee. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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30 Comments
1 - 25 of 30
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Don't agree with Ames being on there at all.
I'd probably move Perry in, Ames out, and I'm not quite so sure about Clark either. I don't really understand the criteria Forbes is going by, but whatever. Jimenez is another guy that should merit some consideration for the top 10.
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Maybe she kicked her dad to the curb and now playing better.
Next 3 rounds will tell.
lol
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what's going on with his knee surgery? any reporting on that?
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I would guess it's because Scott won the overrated waste of time that is "The Tour Championship," whereas Garcia has lost a couple of playoffs there.
But you can't make any rationale argument that Scott is the best player never to have won a major. I don't recall Scott EVER even contending in a major. For all his "chokes," Sergio has at least contended in all 4 of the majors at different times.
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Good question, he really hasn't done anything since college!
Westwood belongs right where he is. Aside from some decent play towards the end of 2008 he has been off the map for the past 5 years.
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They are still young; but nevertheless, very LAZY ! !
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Except for Sergio all those dead racoons on that list have had only one close call in a Major, if that. Sergio is by miles the BNTWAM and probly will remain that way until he changes his rotten attitude (never?).
As far as Scott goes he's got all the talent and none of the belief.
As for the rest, they'll never ever win a Big One and u can quote me on that.
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I totally forgot (as did everyone else) that awful loser piece of crap called Luke Donald. Needn't bother though, he'll never win a Major either.
1 - 25 of 30