Jack Nicklaus at the 1986 Masters (Augusta National/Getty Images)
7. Jack Nicklaus
PGA Tour victories in 1980s: five (of 73 total)
Major titles in 1980s: three (of 18 total)
Nicklaus was transitioning to the Olden Bear in the 1980s and no longer racked up regular Tour titles as he did in the ’60s and ’70s, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have any game. Nicklaus won the 1980 U.S. Open at Baltusrol, beating Isao Aoki by two shots. Later that year, he ran away from the field at Oak Hill’s East Course for a seven-shot victory, his 17th major title.
And after five years without reaching major No. 18, a 46-year-old Nicklaus charged up the leaderboard with a final-round 65 to win one of the most memorable golf tournaments ever, the 1986 Masters. Nicklaus’ back-nine 30 shot him past a slew of contenders that included Greg Norman, Tom Kite, Seve Ballesteros and Nick Price. That Masters capped Nicklaus’ winning on the PGA Tour, giving him a record sixth green jacket and the major-victories total that Tiger Woods still chases to this day.
Nicklaus went on to win 10 times on what is now the PGA Tour Champions. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974, and he received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2015.
