Australia has been responsible for some of the most successful and admired golfers in history. These athletes have won major titles, held top world rankings, and inspired generations of Aussie golfers. Here are just some of the best golfers Australia has ever produced. If you think we've missed any, just let us know in the comments.
World #1 for a record 331 weeks in the 1980s and ’90s
Major Championships Won:
2 (The Open Championship – 1986, 1993)
PGA Tour Wins:
20
Other Professional Wins:
68 (European Tour, Champions Tour, Australasia, Japan, etc.; total 88–91 career wins)
Top Achievements:
Member of World Golf Hall of Fame (inducted 2001); 5× Arnold Palmer Award; 3× Vardon Trophy; dominant iron play and tee power
As inspirational as Australia's top Paralympians, Greg Norman is without a doubt among the best Australian golfers ever, if not the best ever. He turned professional in 1976 and amassed 20 PGA Tour victories. Potent driving and a competitive spirit kept him in the top ranking for 331 weeks. In 2001, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame and went on to become a golf brand entrepreneur and course designer.
Greg Norman spent a record
331 weeks
as the world's top-ranked golfer. Only Tiger Woods has surpassed this.
For decades, Australia has produced top golfers. | Photo by mk. s
Karrie Webb
Karrie Webb
Full Name:
Karrie Anne Webb
Born:
21 December 1974
Turned Pro:
1994
Career Highlights / Best World Ranking:
World #1; one of the top-10 career winners in LPGA history
Major Championships Won:
7 (du Maurier Classic ’99, Nabisco ’00, U.S. Women’s Open ’00 & ’01, LPGA Championship ’01, Women’s British Open ’02, Kraft Nabisco ’06)
LPGA Tour Wins:
41 (tied 10th all-time)
Other Professional Wins:
56 total (including ALPG, LET, and JLPGA titles)
Notable Achievements:
Youngest to complete LPGA Career Grand Slam (2001), 3× Rolex Player of the Year, LPGA Money Leader (1996, ’99, ’00), Vare Trophy winner (1997, ’99, ’00), World Golf Hall of Fame inductee (2005)
Karrie Webb is regarded as one of the best Australian female golfers and one of Australia's most famous athletes. She has seven major titles and 41 LPGA Tour wins. Consistent and competitive, she dominated the women's game in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She won the Player of the Year Award three times and was the youngest player to complete the LPGA Career Grand Slam.
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Australia’s Most Successful Major Winner
Karrie Webb holds the record for the most major championship victories by any Australian golfer, male or female, with seven career majors between 1999 and 2006.
Adam Scott
Adam Scott
Full Name:
Adam Derek Scott
Born:
16 July 1980
Turned Pro:
2000
Career Highlights / Best World Ranking:
Former world #1; first Australian male to win the Masters
Major Championships Won:
1 (The Masters, 2013)
PGA Tour Wins:
14
Other Professional Wins:
10 (European Tour, Asian Tour, Japan, Australian PGA)
Notable Achievements:
First Aussie male to secure the green jacket; 10-time Presidents Cup team member; ranked top 10 for over 200 weeks
Adam Scott is among the top Australian golfers. He became the first Australian male to win the Masters Tournament in a dramatic playoff in 2013 to earn the green jacket. For over 200 weeks, he had the #1 world ranking.
Watch how Adam Scott won the Masters.
Talk about pressure!
Top golfers can inspire future generations to take up the game. | Photo by Soheb Zaidi
Jason Day
Jason Day
Full Name:
Jason Anthony Day
Born:
12 November 1987
Turned Pro:
2006
Career Highlights / Best World Ranking:
Former world #1; first to break 600 world ranking points under the Official World Golf Ranking system
Major Championships Won:
1 (PGA Championship, 2015)
PGA Tour Wins:
13
Other Professional Wins:
4 (European Tour, Japan, Australian PGA)
Notable Achievements:
Vardon Trophy winner (2016); held #1 ranking for 22 weeks; won 2010 Byron Nelson in record-tying 22-under
Jason Day is one of the best Australian golfers of the 21st century. With a commanding PGA Championship win in 2015, at -20, it was the second-lowest in tournament history. A former world number one, with 13 PGA Tour titles and victories in Europe, Australia, and Japan, he's a modern golfing icon and a leading Australian golfer.
Reached world #2; one of the most consistent golfers on the LPGA Tour
Major Championships Won:
2 (Evian Championship 2019, U.S. Women’s Open 2022)
LPGA Tour Wins:
9
Other Professional Wins:
4 (ALPG and Ladies European Tour)
Notable Achievements:
Earned LPGA Rookie of the Year (2015); Olympic silver medalist (2020 Tokyo – mixed team); led Solheim Cup points for Team International
Minjee Lee is one of the top Australian golfers of her generation. Two major titles, three wins on the LPGA, and 13 professional victories overall have been achieved thanks to her power, finesse, and mental strength. A former world #2 and 2015 Rookie of the Year, she was also a silver medalist in golf at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020. While she's a few medals short of being one of Australia's top Olympians, she's definitely one of the top golfers.
Peter Thomson
Peter Thomson
Full Name:
Peter William Thomson OBE
Born:
23 August 1929
Turned Pro:
1948
Career Highlights / Best World Ranking:
Dominant figure in The Open in the 1950s and ’60s
Major Championships Won:
5 (The Open Championship – 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965)
PGA/Evans/Other Tour Wins:
20+ (including Australian and European events)
Notable Achievements:
First man to win three consecutive Opens; key commentator in global golf; Australian World Golf Hall of Famer
Peter Thomson claimed the Claret Jug five times at The Open Championship, including his unmatched three-peat from 1954-56. Beyond majors successes, Thomson won over 20 professional tournaments around the world and helped elevate Australia's status in international golf.
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Australian Golf Hall of Fame
Established in 2001, the Australian Golf Hall of Fame recognises outstanding Australian golfers and contributors. Inductees include Peter Thomson, Karrie Webb, and Greg Norman.
Marc Leishman
Marc Leishman
Full Name:
Marc David Leishman
Born:
24 October 1983
Turned Pro:
2005
Career Highlights / Best World Ranking:
First Australian PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2009; peaked inside the top 20 in world rankings
PGA Tour Wins:
6 (including 2012 Travelers Championship, 2017 Arnold Palmer Invitational, 2021 Zurich Classic team event)
Other Professional Wins:
6 (European, Asian, Korn Ferry, Sunshine Tours)
Notable Achievements:
T2 at 2015 Open Championship (lost playoff), six major top-10s, key LIV Golf victory at Doral in 2025
Marc Leishman is one of the most reliable golfers on the PGA Tour. He turned professional in 2005, earned Rookie of the Year in 2009 (the first for an Aussie), and has secured six PGA Tour victories.
You may never get anywhere near the greats, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give golf a go. | Photo by Courtney Cook
Cameron Smith
Full Name:
Cameron Smith
Born:
18 August 1993
Turned Pro:
2013
Career Highlights / Best World Ranking:
Reached World #2 after 2022 Open win; top-ranked Australian golfer
Major Championships Won:
1 (The Open Championship, 2022)
PGA Tour Wins:
5 (including 2022 Players Championship)
Other Professional Wins:
3 (three-time Australian PGA champion)
Notable Achievements:
First Aussie to win The Players; 2022 Greg Norman Medalist; LIV Golf competitor
Cameron Smith is one of the best Australian golfers in the modern era. When he won the 148th Open Championship at St Andrews in July 2022, he was the first Aussie to lift the Claret Jug since Greg Norman three decades earlier.
Successful golfers raise the level of the game and make it more popular. | Photo by Richard Stott
Hannah Green
Hannah Green
Full Name:
Hannah Emily Green
Born:
20 May 1996
Turned Pro:
2016
Career Highlights / Best World Ranking:
Broke into the top 20 following a major win
Major Championships Won:
1 (KPMG Women’s PGA – 2019)
LPGA Tour & Other Wins:
2 professional wins (including 2019 Women’s PGA)
Notable Achievements:
First Australian woman to win a major since Karrie Webb’s 2006 British Open; strong amateur and NCAA background
When she won the 2019 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Hannah Green became the first Australian woman to win a major since Karrie Webb in 2006. To top it off, she finished the tournament with an iconic final-putt birdie. She might not have the fame of some of Australia's top cricketers, but she's young and talented and far from finished.
Geoff Ogilvy
Geoff Ogilvy
Full Name:
Geoffrey Charles Ogilvy
Born:
11 June 1977
Turned Pro:
1998
Career Highlights / Best World Ranking:
Reached world #3; notable consistency in major contention
Major Championships Won:
1 (The Open Championship, 2006)
PGA Tour Wins:
5
Other Professional Wins:
9 (European Tour, Japan, PGA Tour of Australasia)
Notable Achievements:
Only player in modern era to win both The Open and PGA Grand Slam of Asia; FedEx Cup playoff contender; key Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup representative
Geoff Ogilvy earned global recognition when he won the 2006 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. He amassed five PGA Tour victories throughout his distinguished career, as well as nearly a dozen professional titles, including wins in Japan and Europe.
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Joseph
Joseph is a French and Spanish to English translator, copywriter, and all-round language enthusiast.
⛳ Who is the most successful Australian golfer in history?
Greg Norman is widely regarded as Australia’s most successful golfer, with 331 weeks ranked as the world's #1 golfer and two major wins.
🇦🇺 How many major championships have Australian golfers won?
At the time of writing, Australian golfers have won a total of 27 major championships (10 by men and 17 by women) across tournaments like The Open, Masters, PGA Championship, and LPGA majors.
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