Greg Norman at the 1986 British Open (Bob Thomas/Getty Images)

5. Greg Norman

PGA Tour victories in 1980s: eight (of 20 total)

Major titles in 1980s: one (of two total)

The Shark was one of the best drivers of the golf ball of all time, and his consistent excellence led to his spending 331 weeks as No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking during the ’80s and ’90s.

After winning events around the world for years, the Australian broke through on the PGA Tour in 1984, winning twice and famously losing a playoff to Fuzzy Zoeller at the U.S. Open in what could be interpreted as a sign of things to come with closes brushes at winning bundles of majors.

In 1986 he led all four majors after three rounds, losing to Jack Nicklaus at the Masters, to Raymond Floyd at the U.S. Open and to Bob Tway (who holed out from a bunker on the 72nd hole) at the PGA Championship. But Norman did break through at the 1986 British Open at Turnberry, closing in 69 in tough conditions to earn his first and only major of the decade.

Norman would keep winning on Tour through 1997 despite odd circumstances in which players kept hitting incredible shots to beat him on closing holes at several events (Larry Mize holing a playoff pitch at the 1987 Masters, Robert Gamez holing out with a 7-iron of the final hole of the 1990 Arnold Palmer Invitational, etc.).

Norman went on to become a successful entrepreneur, and he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.