Professional golf has never had so many big hitters, as technological advances in equipment have made power golf more effective than ever. But even though it's somewhat blunted our awe for the huge drive, current bombers like Alvaro Quiros, Gary Woodland, Robert Garrigus and Bubba Watson prove crowds will always dig the extremely long ball. Still, the greatest players -- from Hogan to Nicklaus to Woods -- produced their best golf after deciding to sacrifice some length for accuracy, a theme that appears to be playing out again with Watson.
1. John Daly
Except for the all-time records, in both physical and personal style, golf's version of Babe Ruth. Daly's truly exceptional athletic talent allowed him to harness one of the longest backswings ever seen into a repeatable and incredibly powerful action through the ball. In his dominating victory at the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick, Daly put on the most impressive one-tournament driving exhibition in the history of the game. He consistently drove the ball 50 yards past his playing partners, and carried doglegs to reduce his approach on supposedly fearsome par fours to a short pitch. He went on to lead the PGA Tour in driving distance a record 11 of the next 12 years, but the projections that Daly would use his advantage in length to take over the game never materialized.
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