Diaz

Best Current Golfers Without a Major

Jaime Diaz on the five players in the field at Royal St. George's this week who are most overdue to claim one of golf's biggest prizes

By Jaime Diaz

July 14, 2011

Over the years, some formidable players have fallen into this bittersweet category -- Harry Cooper, MacDonald Smith and Doug Sanders all won at least 20 PGA Tour events. Recently, Colin Montgomerie has been the perennial leader, his 31 European Tour victories, eight Order of Merits, and five runner-up finishes in majors setting him apart. But Monty isn't playing in the British Open for the first time since 1989, and at 48 it appears his time has passed. Meanwhile, three of the last four times St. George's has been the site of the championship, a first time major winner -- Bill Rogers, Sandy Lyle and Ben Curtis -- has emerged. This time, here are the five major-less players who are most overdue.

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1. Lee Westwood

At age 38, Westwood has 21 victories on the European Tour and two on the PGA Tour. But it's his recent record in the major championships that makes him the leader in our category. Since the 2009 British Open, Westwood has been third or better in five of the seven majors he's played. In these events, he's demonstrated exceptional ball striking, merging power and accuracy better than any other player. It's his work around the greens and with the putter that has held Westwood back, particularly in final rounds. But Westwood is a steady improver, and the next time he gets in the mix on a major Sunday, chances are good that he will finally find a way.

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