The 7 golfers with the most PGA Tour wins

Following Tiger Woods' Tour Championship win to finish the 2018 season, he picked up his first major championship win at the 2019 Masters after an 11-year drought. 

Tiger now trails Sam Snead by just one PGA Tour win.

Here are the seven players with the most PGA Tour wins of all time.

 

7. Billy Casper

PGA Tour wins: 51

Most wins in a year: 6 (1968)

First win: 1956 Labatt Open

Last win: 1975 First NBC New Orleans Open

Notes: Casper won on the PGA Tour in 16 consecutive seasons, which is the second-longest run behind Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus' 17 years in a row with a win. The U.S. was undefeated in Casper's nine Ryder Cup appearances and he has the most points in the Ryder Cup of any American golfer ever.

6. Byron Nelson

PGA Tour wins: 52

Most wins in a year: 18 (1945)

First win: 1935 New Jersey State Open

Last win: 1951 Bing Crosby Pro-Am

Notes: Nelson only won one major in 1945, but his performance that season could go down as the best season in the history of the PGA Tour. His 18 wins in '45 included victories in Phoenix, Corpus Christi, New Orleans, Miami, Charlotte, Greensboro, Durham, Atlanta, Montreal, Philadelphia, Chicago, Knoxville and Seattle.

TEAMS AND COURSE: USA team roster | Europe team roster | Le Golf National course tour

 

5. Arnold Palmer

PGA Tour wins: 62

Most wins in a year: 8 (1960)

First win: 1955 Canadian Open

Last win: 1973 Bob Hope Desert Classic

Notes: There was something special about Palmer at majors in years that ended in an even number. He won the Masters in 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964, along with the U.S. Open in 1960 and The Open Championship in 1962. Palmer never won the PGA Championship but he finished tied for second in 1964, 1968 and 1970.

4. Ben Hogan

PGA Tour wins: 64

Most wins in a year: 13 (1946)

First win: 1938 Hershey Four-Ball

Last win: 1959 Colonial National Invitational

Notes: Hogan had a six-year stretch from 1948 to 1953 that was as impressive as any golfer's performance in major championships. He completed the career grand slam in that span, winning eight of his nine career majors, including four victories at the U.S. Open.

SHOP: Ryder Cup apparel and accessories

3. Jack Nicklaus

PGA Tour wins: 73

Most wins in a year: 7 (1972)

First win: 1962 U.S. Open

Last win: 1986 Masters

Notes: With 18 majors, roughly a quarter of The Golden Bear's PGA Tour wins came in majors. While his peak season in terms of number of PGA Tour wins only included seven victories – the second-lowest total among players on this list – Nicklaus sustained a remarkable level of success for more than 15 years.

From 1962 to 1978, Nicklaus won at least two PGA Tour events every year and an average of four per season.

2. Tiger Woods

PGA Tour wins: 81

Most wins in a year: 9 (2000)

First win: 1996 Las Vegas Invitational

Last win: 2019 Masters Tournament

Notes: Despite ranking second on this list, Tiger Woods won fewer PGA Tour events in his 30s than the other six players. Had Tiger not had his health issues, he likely would already have the most PGA Tour wins ever and potentially put his win total out of reach for years to come.

But Tiger returned to his winning ways at the 2018 Tour Championship, winning by two shots for his first PGA Tour win in five years. He followed that with his first major championship win since 2008 by capturing the 2019 Masters.

1. Sam Snead

PGA Tour wins: 82

Most wins in a year: 11 (1950)

First win: 1936 West Virginia Closed Pro

Last win: 1965 Greater Greensboro Open

Notes: Snead's 29-year gap between his first and last wins on the PGA Tour is by far the largest of any player on this list. You could also make the case Snead was the Phil Mickelson of his day, in the sense that he was one of the best players of his era who came oh-so-close to completing the career grand slam time and time again.

Snead won seven majors but never the U.S. Open, where he finished second or tied for second in 1937, 1947, 1949 and 1953. Mickelson has five majors and six runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open.

Photos courtesy of The PGA of America archives.