oldest golfer on pga tour 2023

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Bernhard langer is in his 51st year of professional golf, and he's as successful as ever, share this article.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Bernhard Langer has won 46 PGA Tour Champions events. The next closest active player is 28 behind.

He has six Charles Schwab Cups on his trophy shelf. No one else has more than two.

Did I mention that at 66, Langer is the oldest golfer in this week’s TimberTech Championship at the Old Course at Broken Sound? An age when many Americans are reaping the rewards of a successful career by sleeping in and checking out the early bird specials.

Especially those who live in South Florida.

But Bernhard Langer isn’t ready to spend his days sitting on the beach or floating in his pool, although he has taken up the one sport that has become a favored activity for the AARP crowd: pickleball.

“I love it,” he said. “My knees don’t love it, but I love it.”

So the man who has won golf tournaments on all six continents where the sport is played, one of five to do so, plans to continue earning those frequent-flyer miles.

“As I look at it, I have more time for golf now than I had 10, 20, 30 years ago,” Langer said Thursday. “I was busy with kids then, raising a family and being a father and a husband and all that. Now, the kids are gone. We’re empty nesters. We spend some time with the grandkids. But I have time to play golf. And I’m still pretty good at it. I still enjoy it.”

Pretty good? Langer, in his 51st year of professional golf, became the Tour Champions’ all-time wins leader at the U.S. Senior Open this summer, passing Hale Irwin with his 46th title. The man who has 122 professional wins and won $10.8 million in 326 starts on the PGA Tour has added $35.7 million in 338 events on the 50-and-older circuit.

That career also includes two Masters green jackets (1985, 1993), six Ryder Cups as a player and one as a captain.

Add Justin Leonard to long list of pro golfers who have moved to Palm Beach County area

Langer welcomes competition from Leonard, Furyk, Els, Couples

Langer was asked if the infusion of 50-year-olds, like Justin Leonard last year, and iconic names like Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and Fred Couples in the past five years, gives him that extra competitive boost.

“I don’t need an extra competitive boost,” he said from under his trademark visor. “It’s already there.”

Perhaps it comes from defeating Father Time. Langer is by no means the same man who became the first golfer to reach No. 1 in the world when the rankings were introduced in 1986. That is not possible.

The father of four children, who have given him four grandchildren, admits maintaining his game takes more work. Aches and pains now come naturally, as does a decline in distance, which he has said is the biggest difference in his game.

“My makeup is sort of that I want to do the best I can every week,” Langer said. “That’s just the competitive nature in me. But you have to have goals. I always tried to improve if that’s possible in certain areas. Obviously, the margins get thinner and thinner.”

So what’s still out there? Perhaps distancing himself even more from his peers when it comes to championships. Or even adding to the times in which he’s equaled or beat his age, which is an astounding 11 times on the Champions tour.

One thing is for sure: Langer already holds the title of the No. 1 golfer in the world in the 60-and-over division and has for six years.

“Once I won No. 46, I thought, well, let’s shoot for the moon,” he said. “Let’s go for 50. I know that huge goal is way out there, but who knows? I kind of give it a few more years and see what happens.”

Having played 25 or so annual events for the past 40 years, Langer says the time is coming when he cuts it back … to around 20.

“Can’t do what I did in my 20s and 30s. No chance,” he said. “I need some time to recuperate.”

A seventh Charles Schwab Cup will have to wait until at least 2024. Steve Stricker was so dominant this season, with six wins and five times runner-up in 16 events, that he clinched the season championship without having to play in any of three Schwab Cup playoff events. TimberTech is the second.

But that will not diminish Langer’s thirst for winning his hometown tournament for the fourth time.

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Who Is the Oldest Player on the Champions Tour?

Hale Irwin is currently the oldest player on the PGA Tour Champions.  He may be older than his competition, but he can still play at a high level with some of the best golfers to ever do it.

He made his debut on the PGA Tour back in 1968 and is still competing today. While on the PGA Tour, Irwin was known to excel in tournaments when the conditions were toughest. This was obvious during the 1974 U.S. Open when he was able to secure the win under some of the hardest course conditions ever to be played in the U.S. Open era. He was able to win the tournament with a score of seven-over par in the tournament that was later named the “Massacre at Winged Foot.” 

From 1971 until 1994, Irwin secured victory at 20 PGA Tour events.  Along with being known for his strong performances in difficult conditions, he is also the definition of consistency. He holds the fourth-best mark in PGA Tour history, making the cut in 86 consecutive tournaments. This means that he was in the running to win in every tournament he participated in from 1975 to 1978. After his retirement from the PGA Tour in 1994, he continued his playing career on the PGA Tour Champions and has won a record 45 tournaments.

Irwin has been a well-renowned golfer throughout his career and was even named the captain of the United States team in the inaugural President’s Cup of 1994. He is known to be one of the most consistent golfers of his time and still competes at a high level today at the age of 76 years old.

Who has won the most money in PGA Tour Champions history?

Bernhard Langer is the top money winner in PGA Tour Champions history, with a total of $35,446,920 in winnings.  Hale Irwin sits at number two in these rankings, with $27,158,515 earned throughout his career in the PGA Tour Champions. Irwin’s placing second in prize money but tied for first in total wins can be attributed in part to the increase in prize money in recent years, compared to lesser pots handed out during the start of his PGA Tour Champions career.

What is the minimum age to compete in the PGA Tour Champions?

The minimum age to participate in the PGA Tour Champions is 50 years old.  You can also participate if you are 49 but will turn 50 by June 1st of that tournament’s year. The PGA Tour Champions is geared toward golfers who were once successful on the PGA tour but have since passed their athletic prime. A handful of amateur golfers have also been known to participate and perform surprisingly well, given the competition. 

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Oldest winner on golf’s PGA Tour Champions

The oldest winner on golf’s PGA Tour Champions is Bernhard Langer (Germany, b. 27 August 1957), who won the 2023 US Senior Open aged 65 years 309 days at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA, on 2 July 2023.

The PGA Tour Champions is a men's professional senior tour open to players aged 50 and above. Langer’s record-extending 12th major title also saw him move past Hale Irwin’s record of 45 wins on the tour.

A cut for the aged: Jerry Kelly becomes the oldest to qualify for the weekend at The Players

Kelly reached the players field for the second time by winning the kaulig companies championship..

Jerry Kelly scored a victory for the old guys when The Players Championship cut was finalized on Saturday. 

Kelly, in the Players field for winning the Kaulig Companies Championship in 2022 (formerly the Senior Players), became the oldest in history to make the cut in The Players at 56 when he had rounds of 74-72 — 146. 

Kelly finished his second round on Friday before the rain suspension when the cut was at 2-over. It moved to 3-over when the rest of the field returned, giving him a cushion in his second Players as the Kaulig Companies winner and his 24th overall start. 

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Kelly has 36 years on the youngest in the Players field, 20-year-old Tom Kim — who also made the cut on the number. Since they finished at different times, they aren't grouped together for the third round but Kelly is playing with Keith Mitchell (25 years younger) and Alex Smalley (30 years his junior). 

Kelly had two birdies and two bogeys in his second round and bogeyed his final hole. He began the third round 11 shots behind leader Adam Svensson.

The Wisconsin native is noted for his 2001 Players when he battled Tiger Woods on the weekend before finishing solo fourth, four shots behind Woods. Kelly held the 36- and 54-hole leads. 

The PGA Tour began rewarding the winner of the Kaulig Companies Championship a spot in The Players in 2007. The USGA and the PGA of America also give spots in their major championships to winners of their Senior events. 

Kelly, who won three times on the PGA Tour and 11 times on PGA Tour Champions, is only the second Champions Tour member to make The Players cut. Mark O'Meara played on the weekend in 2010 after opening rounds of 66-74, but faded to 74th when he shot 79-77. 

Four Kaulig Companies champions have either been injured or opted out of The Players. Among those who have taken advantage of the exemption are World Golf Hall of Fame members Vijay Singh, Bernard Langer and O'Meara. 

Rory McIlroy is now the OLDEST player in the TOP 10 of the World Rankings...

In an incredible turn of events on the PGA Tour at the Valspar Championship, Rory McIlroy is now the oldest player in the top 10 of the world rankings.

After the outcome of the Valspar Championship was decided, Rory McIlroy became the oldest player inside the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings.

Sam Burns won at Innisbrook Resort for the second consecutive year to move to number 10 in the rankings and he pushed out Dustin Johnson to number 11.

The former World No.1 has plummeted in the standings, having been at the top of the pile in June last year, and at 37 years old, he was the oldest player in the top 10.

The two-time major champion, who is teeing it up this week at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play looking for his second win at the event, has dropped outside of the world's top 10 for the first time since 2015.

Related: Sam Burns withdraws from WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

Stat of the day Just think about this - @McIlroyRory is now the oldest player among the Top 10 players in the world! As a result of DJ dropping to #11 in #OWGR , the average age of the Top 10 players in the world has reached a new, incredible, all time low: 27.71 ‼️ — Nosferatu (@VC606) March 21, 2022

Now, at 32 years of age, McIlroy is somehow the oldest player which is a mind-boggling thing to process. The Northern Irishman's career has flashed by, but it is by no means over.

He is a 20-time winner on the PGA Tour and you feel that he has bags of potential to add to his major tally which currently stands at four. However, he has not won a major title since 2014.

At 24 years old, Viktor Hovland is the youngest player in the top 10. He is ranked third, five places higher than McIlroy, after recent victories at Mayakoba, the Hero World Challenge and the Dubai Desert Classic.

Jon Rahm has now been World No.1 for 43 weeks and 36 weeks in a row. He is one week behind Nick Price in weeks accumulated at the top of the pile.

Since coming third at The Open Championship in 2021, the Spaniard hasn't moved from the top spot and he has survived Collin Morikawa's numerous attempts to dethrone him on the PGA Tour.

Next Page: Golf Betting Tips: Jon Rahm to stamp mark on WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play?

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Eric Cole Become Second Oldest Winner Of PGA Tour Rookie Of The Year Award

Eric Cole became the second-oldest player to win the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award as the 35-year-old beat Ludvig Aberg to the trophy

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Eric Cole edged out Ludvig Aberg and two other tournament winners to claim the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award for 2023.

At 35, Cole is the second-oldest winner of the Arnold Palmer Award, with only a 39-year-old Todd Hamilton being older when he lifted the trophy in 2004.

Like Swedish sensation Aberg, fellow contenders for the award Nico Echavarria and Vincent Norrman also claimed tournament wins in 2023, but Cole's consistency saw him get 51% of the vote from his fellow PGA Tour pros.

Much like Scottie Scheffler , who was voted the 2023 PGA Tour Player of the Year , Cole produced a string of consistent results, becoming the only rookie to make the BMW Championship as he finished 43rd in the FedEx Cup standings.

Cole had six top-five finishes during the season, with only Scheffler (13), Patrick Cantlay (8), Rory McIlroy (8) and Jon Rahm (8) having more - with four of those coming in FedEx Cup Fall tournaments, including in his last three events.

"It's a huge honor to win Rookie of the Year," Cole said as he was awarded the trophy at The Sentry in Hawaii - the PGA Tour's season opener.

"It's an award in golf where you only get one chance to win it, which is a little bit unique. To win that and be voted by my peers is pretty incredible, and it's just a huge honor.

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Cole led the PGA Tour in rounds played and also birdies - with his final tally of 554 being 59 more than the next best.

"I got a lot of comments that I played a lot," added Cole. "But I was just so happy to be out on Tour finally and any chance I had to compete on Tour just felt like a huge privilege. 

Like mother, like son.50 years after his mom was named @LPGA Rookie of the Year, Eric Cole has earned the same honor on TOUR. pic.twitter.com/yEv0A4zJWw January 3, 2024

"I didn't get off to the best start missing some early cuts, but then kind of got it together a little bit and started to play really consistently and pretty well there the last half of the year and kind of capped it off with a pretty good fall, so it was awesome."

It was a long road to the PGA Tour for Cole, who turned pro in 2009 but took seven years to finally get on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he played along with competing on mini-tours.

Cole won 12 Minor League Golf Tour events before getting his breakthrough by finishing third at the 2022 Korn Ferry Championship to finally earn his PGA Tour card.

At the opposite end of the spectrum to Cole, who tried for all those years to get onto the PGA Tour, Aberg made an instant splash when he got on the tour in June.

The young Swede produced a string of fine performances right out of the gate before winning on the DP World Tour, being selected for the European Ryder Cup team and then winning the PGA Tour finale at the RSM Classic in November.

It is Cole who takes the award though, to complete a nice family moment as his mother Laura Baugh won the LPGA Rookie of the Year award in 1973 - with her son following in her footsteps 50 years later.

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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Joe Ferguson dives deeper to see if there’s more to the Golfshot app than meets the eye...

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68-year-old pro breaks PGA Tour record that stood for over 4 decades

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Jay Haas and his son Bill Haas on Thursday at the Zurich Classic.

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All of the warm, fuzzy, feel-good feelings were gone now. Son had left dad a 4-footer. 

You likely haven’t heard from a Haas in a while. Sixty-eight-year-old Jay hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since the Clinton administration. Bill not since early 2015. But then son asked dad if he wanted to play in this week’s team event on the PGA Tour, the Zurich Classic , and both were again getting Golf Channel airtime and the pre-tournament press conference treatment. 

The father-son angle? That was cute. But a 68-year-old father? If you thought that was at least a little crazy, well, you weren’t the only one. 

“I think my first thought — again, like I said, I said, are you sure?” Jay Haas said in that pre-tourney presser. “I don’t want you to waste a week just to play with me. We can play any time.”

Why a team with the longest odds to win this week is also the best story

By now, you can maybe tell where this is going. We would turn the other direction if Team Haas went 75 and 75. During Thursday’s first round at TPC Louisiana, where best ball was in play, the Haases shot a respectable 65. Thirty-five teams were worse. Dad even birdied four times. 

They didn’t stop Friday. In alternate-shot play, they birdied 1. Then 2. A bogey at 3 was offset by another birdie, at 7. And everyone was typing, “Who’s the oldest player to ever make a cut on the PGA Tour?”

That would be the legendary Sam Snead , who, at the age of 67 years, two months and 23 days, reached the weekend in August of 1979 at the Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic. Jay Haas had him beat. On Friday, he was 68 years, four months and 20 days young. And after another birdie on 11, he could see Saturday. 

You probably know where this is headed, too. Golf isn’t easy. Father and son three-putted the 14th. Dad made a 3-footer for par on 15. Son made a 6-footer for par on 16. Then Bill dumped his tee shot into the water on 17. On 18, the scoreboard read this way: Bill Haas-Jay Haas eight-under, projected cut line eight-under. They couldn’t drop another stroke. 

On the verge of history. Team Haas finishes Round 2 on the projected cutline. pic.twitter.com/oVH6pB44W8 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 22, 2022

On the par-5 finisher, dad drove it in a bunker. Son hit out. Dad hit his iron on, but his ball was left and 47 feet away. Son putted it 43. 

Over 799 Tour starts, Jay, how many putts like that have you stood over?

“Way too many, I know that,” he said. “That was probably as nervous as I’ve ever been over a putt of that length certainly. It sounds silly just to have a chance to make the cut. However, there’s a lot of circumstances here that it kind of made it doubly important in my mind.

“Again, we were right there. We had a big — not a big cushion but a cushion, and it didn’t feel like we had it made by any means, but to somehow shake that putt in on the last hole was something I’ll never forget. But just the whole week, playing with Bill, getting texts from all my kids, it’s just been a real charge.”

The new record-holder, yes, had rolled in the 4-footer. 

Jay Haas rolls in another birdie. Team Haas is 2 shots inside the projected cutline. At 68 years old, Jay Haas would become the oldest player in PGA TOUR history to make a cut. pic.twitter.com/hPPgwDLjdO — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 22, 2022

“Yeah, just wanted to put him on it,” Bill joked afterward. “No, I told myself walking up, I said, let’s just get this thing down close and let’s tap it in and hopefully that’ll be good enough. … 

“But fun to hang on, fun for him to make that last putt. I’d feel sick to my stomach if I would have left it short there and we missed, especially hitting it in the water on 17 — you just feel like you want to take all the blame if something doesn’t go right. I know if he’d have missed it, I wouldn’t have cared, and if I’d have missed it, I would have felt horrible. I’m just glad he made it and we don’t have those feelings.”

The week isn’t over, either. As for the record, you won’t hear Jay talk much about it. Slammin Sammy, he said, didn’t set his mark in a team event. In fact, according to golf stats guru Justin Ray , Snead made the cut three times at age 67, including at the PGA Championship. 

But ask Bill, and he agrees with what his dad said earlier. Father and son could play anytime.

But he wasn’t wasting a week. All of the warm, fuzzy, feel-good moments are back now.

49 years apart. Jay Haas made his first cut on TOUR at the 1973 @WyndhamChamp . pic.twitter.com/v1eBHjXRsZ — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 23, 2022

“I want to make the cut so bad,” the younger Haas said. “Again, I don’t think we showed up just to try — we wouldn’t have been so nervous if we just didn’t care. But he can shoot a good score. The ball doesn’t know who’s hitting it, and he played amazing yesterday. I was getting stretched this morning, and Charley Hoffman was raving about how good he played yesterday, and I just kind of said, well, I see it all the time at home. This isn’t anything new.

“It is long; that’s the big challenge I think for myself but definitely for my dad is it’s a very long course, and he’s hitting woods. We joked that he hit six par-5s in two yesterday, because he’s hitting a lot of woods and hybrids in and he’s hitting them inside our 7-irons and 6-irons.

“Again, if you hit a good shot, which he did all day yesterday and today, it doesn’t matter how old you are.”

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Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. You can reach out to him about any of these topics — his stories, his game or his beers — at [email protected].

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10 Oldest PGA Tour Winners Ever

One of the four major golf tournaments is the annual PGA Championship, established in 1916. This championship is organized by the Professional Golfers Association (PGA). The Association also organizes PGA Tour each year, where the best golfers compete in the United States and North America.

The major championships are Masters Tournament (The Master’s) in April, U.S. Open in June, and The Open Championship in July. But PGA Championship in May is considered the most sought-after for professional golf players. The game of golf was invented in Scotland and has been played since the 15 th century, but it is still one of the most competitive sports today.

Here’s a list of the 10 oldest PGA Championship Winners over the last century!

10. Hubert Green

Age When He Won: 39 Championship Year: 1985 Score: 278 Current Age: Deceased

Hubert Green  was an American professional golfer with 29 professional golf tournament wins, including two major championships: the U.S. Open (1977) and the PGA Championship (1985).

He was 39 when he won the PGA Championship, with 19 PGA Tour wins total, the first being in 1971. 

Born in 1946, Hubert Green turned to pro golf in 1969. He was inducted into the  World Golf Hall of Fame  in 2007.

Green was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2003, which was professionally dealt with, but the cancer was in remission soon after. He passed away in 2018 from complications.

Did You Know?

Hubert Green was the first golfer to be included in the Florida State Seminoles Hall of Fame in 1977. He was awarded the Ben Hogan Award for continuing to play golf despite being ill. 

9. Chick Harbert

Age When He Won: 39 Championship Year: 1954 Score: 4&3 Current Age: Deceased

Melvin R. “Chick” Harbert turned to professional golf in 1940, winning 18 tournaments. His major tournament wins are the PGA Championship in 1954 and U.S. Open in 1946 and 1957, respectively. He has a total of 7 PGA Tour Wins.

Before 1958, PGA Championship played in match play format. Harbert’s score is 4&3, meaning the lowest score wins.

Harbert was up by four holes, with only three holes left to play, which guaranteed his win. He died in 1992 from a cerebral hemorrhage in his home.

Match play is a golf scoring system in which players earn points for each hole they made better than the opponent, while stroke-play counts the total number of strokes of 18 holes. PGA switched to the stroke-play format because of their audience and a better understanding of the game.

8. Larry Nelson

Age When He Won: 40 Championship Year: 1987, 1981 Score: 287 Current Age: 74

Larry Gene Nelson  has been an American professional golf player since he was 24, with 41 professional wins total. When it comes to major wins, he won U.S. Open in 1983 and PGA Championship in 1981 and 1987. Nelson was 40 years old when he won his second PGA. 

He fell in love with golf during his draft in the United States Army at the height of the Vietnam War.

Nelson had great international success, winning tournaments in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. He was inducted into the  World Golf Hall of Fame  in 2006. 

Larry Nelson received PGA Distinguished Service Award in 2011 for outstanding humanitarian qualities, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm for golf. The award was introduced in 1988. 

7. Raymond Floyd

Age When He Won: 40 Championship Year: 1982, 1969 Score: 272 Current Age: 79

Raymond Loran Floyd won the PGA Championship for the second time in 1982 when he was 40. The first time he won was in 1969. Other than this, Floyd has four major wins and 63 professional wins total. Because of this, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1989.

Floyd won the major tournament, The Master’s Tournament 1976, by eight strokes with a record of 271 points. His father was a professional golfer, but Floyd almost became a professional baseball player before turning to golf in 1961.

Raymond Floyd and Sam Snead are the only golf players to ever win official events and tournaments in four different decades. Floyd was also the oldest player to compete in a Ryder Cup in 1993, at age 51.

6. Jack Nicklaus

Age When He Won: 40 Championship Year: 1980, 1975, 1973, 1971, 1963 Score: 274 Current Age: 82

Jack Nicklaus is considered the greatest golf player ever, judging objectively by his records. He is the only player in the history of PGA Championships with a total of 5 wins, the latest being in 1980 when he was 40.

Nicklaus has 117 professional victories, and 18 major tournament wins. 

He competed in 164 major tournaments and is third after Sam Snead and Tiger Woods with 73 PGA Tour victories. Jack Nicklaus is now the head of Nicklaus Design company and has written “Golf My Way”, one of the best instructional golf books of all time.

Nicklaus has won The Masters Tournament and PGA Championship five times, respectively, the U.S. Open four times, and The Open Championship three times total. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

5. Jim Turnesa

Age When He Won: 40 Championship Year: 1952 Score: 1-up Current Age: Deceased

Jim R. Turnesa  is the oldest professional golf player on this list, born in 1912. He won PGA Championship in 1952 at the age of 40. His score was 1-up, meaning that Turnesa beat his runner-up by one hole. That is the only major win he has, with 11 professional wins total. 

Turnesa has two PGA Tour wins, the second being Reading Open in 1951. He died in 1971 from lung cancer in his home. 

Jim Turnesa was one of the seven famous brothers who played golf, second to last. His brothers Phil, Frank, Joe, Mike, Doug, and Willie weren’t as successful as the younger brother. New York Times article nicknamed them the  “golf dynasty” . 

4. Lee Trevino

Age When He Won: 45 Championship Year: 1984, 1974 Score: 273 Current Age: 82

Lee Buck Trevino , nicknamed Supermex, has been a professional golf player since 1960, with 92 professional wins. Trevino has 6 major wins: two PGA Championship, two U.S. Open, and two The Open Championship wins. He was 45 when he won his second PGA Championship in 1984.

Trevino has been a member of the  World Golf Hall of Fame  since 1981. He was the first golf player to break 70 in all four rounds of a U.S. Open Tournament in 1968. Trevino won a couple of Sportsman and Athlete of the year awards in 1971. 

One of his best quotes “You don’t know what pressure is until you play for five bucks with only two in your pocket.” He’s one of the best self-made golf players today, starting from the three-room shack and working in the cotton fields when he was five to becoming one of the greatest golf players. 

3. Jerry Barber

Age When He Won: 45 Championship Year: 1961 Score: 277 Current Age: Deceased

Carl Jerome Barber  was a professional golf player from 1942 until his death in 1994. With 14 professional wins, Barber has one win in a major tournament, PGA Championship 1961. Barber was proclaimed PGA Player of the Year in the same year. 

He was a full-time member of the PGA Tour from 1948 to 1962. He was 45 years old in 1961, making him the oldest player back at the time to win a major title in a tournament. Julius Boros passed his record seven years later. Barber died at the age of 78 from the consequences of a stroke. 

Like many other professional golfers, Barber played in U.S. Senior Open and some other tournaments for senior players. German golfer  Bernhard Langer  is considered to be the most successful senior golf player, with a total of 11 senior wins. 

2. Julius Boros

Age When He Won: 48 Championship Year: 1968 Score: 281 Current Age: Deceased

Before him, Jerry Barber held the record for the oldest player to win a major title, but Julius Nickolas Boros  surpassed him in 1968. Boros won three major tournaments, the biggest one being PGA Championship which he won when he was 48 years old. He held that title for 53 years until 2021. 

He also has 18 PGA Tour victories and two U.S. Open wins (1952 and 1963). Boros has 25 professional wins in his career. While a professional golfer, Boros was noted for his perfect swing and strong records. He’s been in the  World Golf Hall of Fame  since 1982.  

“By the time you get to your ball, if you don’t know what to do with it, try another sport.” – Julius “Moose” Boros.

1. Phil Mickelson

Age When He Won: 51 Championship Year: 2021, 2005 Score: 282 Current Age: 52

The youngest player on the list is also the oldest PGA Tour winner, Phil Mickelson , winning PGA Championship in 2021 at 51 years old.  Mickelson has 57 professional victories and six major wins: four in The Master’s Tournament and one in The Open Championship from 2013.

He also has another PGA Championship win from 2005, which he won when he was 35. Mickelson was inducted into the  World Golf Hall of Fame  in 2012 and has won three Haskins Awards for the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States. 

Phil Mickelson also holds a record for the longest time between two major wins as he went almost 16 years between his 2005 and 2021 victories. Some of the other golfers with spans like these are Gene Sarazen (10 years), Gary Player (10 years), Lee Trevino (10 years), and Raymond Floyd (13 years). 

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