Easily one of the most illustrious golfers in the sport’s history, Tom Watson was a three-time second-team All-American on the Farm and winning the 1969 NCAA Driving Championship before going pro in 1971. He had immediate success on the PGA Tour, winning his first Major – the 1975 Open Championship – at the age of 25. Watson would go on to win 70 tournaments (including eight majors and 39 PGA events), be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, top the money lists for five seasons, and be named PGA Player of the Year six times.

Just two years after his first Major win, Watson began his storied rivalry with Jack Nicklaus at the 1977 Open, edging Nicklaus out for a one-stroke victory and posting a championship-record 12-under-par. It was his third career Major, coming off a Masters win earlier that year, and the second of five British Open titles – the second-highest tally in golf history. In 1978, Watson finished second at the U.S. Open, his highest-ever finish at the event.

Despite making more money than anyone else on the Tour and earning three straight Player of the Year awards from 1977-79, Watson enjoyed his most success in the early ‘80s, winning five Majors in four years. After another British Open crown in 1980 and his second and final Masters win in 1981, Watson produced one of the greatest moments in golf history at the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Returning to Northern California, Watson was tied atop the leaderboard with Nicklaus with two holes to play, but hit his tee shot on the 17th into the greenside rough. His miraculous chip-in is often considered among the best shots in golf history, and propelled Watson to his only U.S. Open title. He would win his fourth British Open later that year, and repeated the feat in 1983 for his final Major win.

Continuing to play on the PGA and Champions Tours, Watson made the cut at least once every year in a PGA event from 1971 to 2007. He threatened to take the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry – the site of his 1977 win – but fell short in a four-hole playoff. The tournament also marked the first time that a man of Watson’s age (59) had ever led at a Major.