Welcome to the Devil Ball 100, our ranking of the 100 most important people in the history of golf. Over the next couple weeks, we'll be rolling them out, 10 at a time. Our list includes everyone from golfers to politicians to actors, and each one had a dramatic impact on the game as we know it today. Some names you'll recognize, some you won't. Some positions you'll agree with, and some will have you wondering if we've gone insane. Enjoy the rollout, and see where your favorites made the list! We continue with someone you probably don't know, but really should ...
90. John Reid: From a 1915 article in the New York Times: "Robert Lockhart returned from his annual trip to Scotland in the Fall of 1882 and happening to meet John Reid on the street inYonkers, he informed him that he had brought from Scotland some implements for playing a new game called 'golf,' and invited him to come to his residence and try the game in the back yard. These two men constructed an impromptu six-hole course in a pasture..." In 1888 established St. Andrews' Golf Club of Westchester, N.Y., the first home of golf in the United States. Yes, we all owe him a whole lot.
89. Dr. Bob Rotella: Since so much of the golf game takes place in those six inches between your ears, it pays to have a little help sorting out the trash in your head now and then. Rotella has worked to help many professional athletes straighten out their games. And while he doesn't disclose the names of his clients, Padraig Harrington thanked him by name after winning two majors in 2008. For more on his techniques for helping many of golf's biggest names achieve their biggest victories, check here.
88. Dave Pelz: Where Rotella leaves off, Pelz begins. He's widely acknowledged as one of the best teachers in the game, particularly of short-game and putting techniques. A onetime NASA scientist, he now schools players of the caliber of Phil Mickelson. (Listen to our recent podcast with Pelz right here.) Side note: while in college, he played a certain golfer 22 times, and lost all 22. That player's name? Jack Nicklaus.
87. Payne Stewart: Tragedy cut short Stewart's life, but he nonetheless had a tremendous impact on the game until his untimely passing at age 42. He won three majors, including the 1999 U.S. Open where he outdueled Mickelson. Just four months later, he died in a plane accident. But his memory remains strong on the tour. Read more about what we lost when he died by clicking here.
86. Billy Casper: For a brief moment, Casper was the best player in golf. From 1964 to 1970, he won 27 PGA Tour tournaments. Sadly, that time coincided exactly with the hallowed trifecta of Nicklaus/Palmer/Player, and even though none of them could match that victory total over that time, all of them far exceeded Casper in eventual popularity.
85. Bob Harlow: Harlow was a key figure in the grassroots development of golf, working as journalist, manager to Walter Hagen, and PGA of America tournaments manager. He helped develop what would become the PGA Tour in the early 1930s, and spent years on the road going from city to city and town to town encouraging the creation of golf tournaments all over America.
84. Henry Longhurst: One of the earliest golf commentators, Longhurst's writings and BBC broadcasts were can't-miss for British golf aficionados. "They say practice makes perfect," Longhurst once said. "Of course, it doesn't. For the vast majority of golfers, it merely consolidates imperfection."
83. Chick Evans: Even though he only played with seven hickory-shafted clubs, Evans nonetheless achieved one of the more distinguished amateur records in the 1910s and 1920s. (In those days, amateurs were held in far higher societal regard than professional golfers; pros were seen as on the level of gamblers and grifters.) Nonetheless, he was good enough to win both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open in 1916; only Bobby Jones has matched this achievement. Evans also created the Evans Scholars Foundation, a scholarship program which has provided college educations for more than 8,000 caddies.
82. Walter Travis: The top amateur golfer in the United States in the early days of the 20th century, he won U.S. amateur championships in 1900, 1901 and 1903, and became the first non-Englishman to win the British Amateur in 1904. He also ranked as low amateur on the U.S. Open five times in six Opens. He also helped codify the concept of handicaps on the course.
81. Paul Runyan: Little Poison was one of the earliest golf stars on the nascent PGA Tour, winning nine times on Tour in 1933. In 1938, Runyan woodshedded Sam Snead 8 and 7 at the PGA Championship, the worst defeat ever. (The PGA Championship was once match play.) His short game (and short size) led to his nickname and kept him in the game for decades; he actually played the Par 3 competition at Augusta in 2000 at age 91.
Previous lists
91-100
More to come soon...
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