The topic of the greatest golfer to never win a major championship always prompts plenty of debate, with the likes of Lee Westwood and Luke Donald reaching world number one without ever triumphing in one of the sport’s four biggest events.
There are plenty of world-class players yet to win a major. Tommy Fleetwood is arguably the best around right now, while the likes of Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland will also have their sights set on the big prizes next year.
Fleetwood cleared a significant hurdle by winning the Tour Championship in August. Of course, it marked his first win on the PGA Tour.
Interestingly, the Englishman has some way to go before he gets anywhere near being the player with the most wins on tour without clinching a major.
The golfer with the most PGA Tour victories without ever winning a major
Anything above 25 PGA Tour wins represents a phenomenal career. Rory McIlroy currently has 29, the same number as Lee Trevino.
Tom Watson won 39 times, while Phil Mickelson has 45 victories. And of course, Tiger Woods is tied with Sam Snead on 82 wins.
But remarkably, just one player has won more than 25 times on the PGA Tour without ever claiming a major.
Harry Cooper is unlikely to be a household name to many. His last appearance in a major came in 1942, while he never played in The Open Championship, despite being born in England. He grew up in Texas due to his father getting a job as a club professional.
Cooper did come incredibly close to winning both the US Open and The Masters. At Oakmont in 1927, he lost in a playoff to Tommy Armour after Armour had made a birdie on the 72nd hole to deny him the title.
He also led after the first three rounds at Augusta National in 1936. However, he was one of the first players to complete his last round on Monday – the tournament had been delayed due to rain – and conditions improved as the afternoon went on.
Horton Smith was able to come from three shots back with 18 holes to play to win by one.
Remarkably, he would also finish second at the US Open that same year.
How many times Harry Cooper won on the PGA Tour
Cooper won the Western Open at a time when the event was considered one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar. However, he finished his playing career having never won one of the four events currently recognised as the majors.
Incredibly, he managed to win seven times in 1937. That included a second victory at the Canadian Open.
The PGA Tour lists Cooper as having won 29 times, which would put him level with the likes of McIlroy and Trevino. He also managed 118 top five finishes in 296 starts according to their records.
However, the New York Times described Cooper as a 31-time PGA Tour winner following his death in 2000. To complicate matters further, the Texas Golf Hall of Fame credits him with 30 wins – the same number as Horton Smith.
What was not in question was Cooper’s talent, with two-time PGA Championship winner Paul Runyan suggesting that he had a level of ability which was almost unmatched.
“Coopy was a great shotmaker, one of the three best fairway-wood players ever with Bobby Jones and Byron Nelson,” he said, as reported by the New York Times.
“But he thought that everybody else got all the breaks and he never got any. He was the most pessimistic, negative thinker I’ve ever known. Off the course, he was one of the most magnificent human beings in the world.”
It is a shame that Cooper was never able to get across the line in the majors. But it cannot be denied that he was one of the very best in what was a golden era for the sport.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
