These are indeed some strange days. Naturally, the health of the world is the highest priority for everyone, but it doesn’t make the cancellation of sporting events and golf tournaments any less disappointing. Perhaps because of its unique two-man team format, the one tournament that might be missed the most by fans is the Zurich Classic of New Orleans Given the time, it’s fun to look back and reminisce (and imagine) some of the best two-man teams in golf history. There’s no secret that the best players often make the best teams. Among the 10 Classic teams listed below are some of the greatest champions the sport has ever seen. Tournament winners with great resumes who dominated when they combined their superpowers. There are 18 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame included among the 20 names selected. But sometimes the chemistry between two players make the sum of their games even better. Their ability to complement each other’s personality or playing style provided an ideal winning formula. Here’s one man’s opinion to the 10 best teams in golf history, along with an explanation for each, including how the teams performed as teammates in Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup competitions or fared in other team tournaments, such as the World Cup (nee Canada Cup). All the players considered were either retired or deceased. OK, I fudged a little by including Davis Love III and Fred Couples, who are both active on the PGA TOUR Champions and still play the occasional TOUR stop. There is no particular order to our list of 10. Let the debate begin … With this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans canceled, PGATOUR.COM writers will publish a series of our favorite two-man partnerships in honor of the tournament’s unique team format. Each day, we’ll focus on a specific category. Use the comments section to let us know which two-man teams you’d most enjoy seeing: Modern teams. Sean Martin picks out his 10 favorite teams from today’s active pros. Classic teams. Tom Alter picks out his 10 favorite teams from former PGA TOUR and golf greats. THURSDAY: Fantasy teams. Jim McCabe picks out his 10 favorite teams using partners from different generations. FRIDAY: ShotLink teams. PGA TOUR’s ShotLink crew picks out its 10 best partners utilizing analytics from the ShotLink Era (since 2003). 1. Arnold Palmer-Jack Nicklaus These all-time greats had one of the most famous rivalries in sports history. But as a team, these “frenemiesâ€� excelled. They won the World Cup as teammates in 1963, ’64, ’66 and ’67. They also won three PGA Team Championships when that tournament existed in 1966, ’70 and ’71. Of course, because they combined to win 25 major championships, they had success with other teammates; Palmer won two World Cups in the early 1960s with Sam Snead, while Nicklaus won two of his own in the early 1970s with Lee Trevino and Johnny Miller. The World Golf Hall of Fame members were paired together only twice in the Ryder Cup. Naturally, they won their Foursomes match in 1971 and their Fourball match in 1973. The King and The Bear were a perfect pair. 2. Ben Crenshaw-Tom Kite These two members of the World Golf Hall of Fame grew up butting heads at Austin CC in Texas. Before their individual play on the PGA TOUR, which would include major championships, Crenshaw and Kite combined forces to carry the University of Texas golf team to the very top. The Longhorns won consecutive national championships in 1971 and ’72. Crenshaw won the individual title for a record three consecutive seasons from 1971 through ’73 and shared the title with Kite in 1972. 3. Bobby Jones-Walter Hagen One can only speculate how awesome Jones and Hagen would be taking on all comers during the Roaring Twenties. Both were masters of match play; Jones won a record five U.S. Amateur championships while Hagen won a record five PGA Championships, including four in a row (all at match play). And it’s even fun to imagine what these all-timers would wear. I guess the film “The Legend of Bagger Vanceâ€� gave us a peek at what playing against them would be like, but it’s doubtful there would be any Hollywood endings when facing these two all-timers. 4. Byron Nelson-Harold “Jugâ€� McSpaden During World War II, Nelson couldn’t serve in the military because he had issues with blood clotting. Nonetheless, he wanted to contribute to the cause. So, together with McSpaden, they barnstormed around the country playing in exhibitions. Crisscrossing the country in a beat-up car on terrible roads, they were labelled “The Gold Dust Twins.â€� Not only did they help raise several million dollars for the war effort, they kept their games razor sharp. When the war was over and the 1945 season rolled around, they were ready to go. They teamed up to win the Miami Four-ball; it was the start of Nelson’s 11 consecutive victories … in a season when he finished with 18 titles. Both PGA TOUR records that are likely to stand forever. Meanwhile, McSpaden finished second 13 times. This year marks the 75th anniversary of that historic season; the “Gold Dust Twinsâ€� left their mark as a team for the ages. 5. Davis Love III-Fred Couples Given their unique last names, it seems destiny that Love and Couples would make a great pair. They set the golf world afire in 1992 when they each won three times in March and April, including Love at THE PLAYERS Championship and Couples at the Masters. In November that year they teamed up to win the World Cup in Madrid, Spain. Then they created World Cup history when the tandem won four consecutive titles. In addition, they were a part of four winning Presidents Cup teams, going 5-2-1 as teammates. 6. Hale Irwin-Lanny Wadkins Irwin and Wadkins were two of the toughest competitors in the history of the game. What’s surprising is that they didn’t play together more often. Both won at least 20 PGA TOUR tournaments in their respective careers. Although they both made several Ryder Cup squads, they only teamed up one time, playing two Foursome matches together in the 1991 Ryder Cup. They won both matches handily: 4 & 2. Not surprising. Nobody wanted a piece of those guys. 7. Lee Trevino-Mike Hill Trevino couldn’t be any more different than Hill. The “Merry Mexâ€� was outgoing, funny, a real chatterbox — and a Hall of Fame member. Hill didn’t say much … or do much as a career journeyman on the PGA TOUR, albeit winning three times. When they got to the PGA TOUR Champions (then known as the Senior PGA TOUR), Trevino kept on winning. He duplicated his 29 TOUR titles with 29 more on the senior circuit. Meanwhile, Hill excelled in the greatest mulligan in sports. Both players finished in the top 20 on the money list for the first 10 years of their second careers. They were ideal complements for each other as a team. Together they won four Legends of Golf team tournaments (on two different venues), the most in event history. 8. Nick Faldo-Ian Woosnam These two dominating Ryder Cup teammates make an interesting pair. One is tall, dark and handsome; the other is short and stocky … and looks like he’s ready to punch your lights out. But Faldo and Woosnam were part of the spectacular wave of European players who snatched the Ryder Cup away from the United States in the late 1980s. In the 1985 and ’87 matches, both won by Europe, Sir Nick and “Wee Woosieâ€� combined to go 5-1-2. Although they did struggle to a 0-2-0 record in ’89, these World Golf Hall of Fame members must be acknowledged as one of the great teams of all time. 9. Sam Snead-Ben Hogan Snead and Hogan were archrivals with very different personalities, so it might come as a surprise that they should be included among the greatest teammates of all-time. What they had in common more than made up for their differences; they both grew up hungry during the Depression and had incredible talent. Oh, and they liked winning. Two of the four players with the most PGA TOUR victories in history (82 + 64 = 146 titles!), Snead and Hogan dominated as teammates. Look no further than the 1956 World Cup at Wentworth in England. They won by 14 strokes. (The runner-up South African team featured fellow future World Golf Hall of Fame members Bobby Locke and 20-year-old Gary Player.) 10. Seve Ballesteros-Jose Marie Olazabal This team of Spaniards is recognized as the best Ryder Cup duo in history. Their record together is a remarkable 11-2-2, including 6-1-1 in Foursomes and 5-1-1 in Four-ball. all Ryder Cup records. Although one could argue that Seve was so good he could win with anybody (he did win the 1976 and ’77 World Cups with compatriots Manuel Pinero and Antonio Garrido, respectively), that assumption would sell Olazabal short. Like Seve, Ollie was a two-time Masters champion and a World Golf Hall of Fame member. Together, though, they were even better … maybe the best ever. Longtime PGA TOUR employee Tom Alter is the Vice President of Editorial Development.
Two-man teams: Top 10 classic favorites
Betsoft is one of the best studios for online casino games. Visit our sponsor Hypercasinos.com to find the best Betsoft Casinos in the USA! |
2nd Round 3 Balls – J. Svensson / H. Li / M. Manassero | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Haotong Li | +135 |
Jesper Svensson | +170 |
Matteo Manassero | +250 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – T. Kho / T. McKibbin / Y. Paul | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Tom McKibbin | +120 |
Yannick Paul | +145 |
Taichi Kho | +325 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – H. Xue / S. Tarrio / S. Jamieson | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Scott Jamieson | +100 |
Santiago Tarrio | +145 |
Han Xue | +425 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – A. Cockerill / Z. Jin / M. Kieffer | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Aaron Cockerill | +120 |
Maximilian Kieffer | +140 |
Zihao Jin | +350 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – M. Elvira / C. Jarvis / X. Luo | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Manuel Elvira | +105 |
Casey Jarvis | +130 |
Xuewen Luo | +475 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – R. Gouveia / A. Pavan / OM Prakash Chouhan | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Andrea Pavan | +135 |
Ricardo Gouveia | +145 |
Om Prakash Chouhan | +275 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – D. Hillier / J. Wang / D. Bradbury | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Daniel Hillier | +135 |
Dan Bradbury | +140 |
Jeunghun Wang | +300 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – S. Kodaira / S. Gallacher / N. Colsaerts | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Satoshi Kodaira | +120 |
Nicolas Colsaerts | +180 |
Stephen Gallacher | +250 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – R. Werenski / R. Sloan / C. Young | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Carson Young | +125 |
Richy Werenski | +185 |
Roger Sloan | +230 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – J. Walker / A. Smalley / S. Gutschewski | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alex Smalley | -115 |
Jimmy Walker | +225 |
Scott Gutschewski | +300 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – G. Higgo / L. Griffin / D. Thompson | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Davis Thompson | +140 |
Garrick Higgo | +185 |
Lanto Griffin | +200 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – J. Vegas / B. Hossler / D. Wu | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Beau Hossler | +130 |
Dylan Wu | +200 |
Jhonattan Vegas | +200 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – S. Kang / D. Lipsky / S. Stevens | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sam Stevens | +120 |
David Lipsky | +170 |
Sung Kang | +280 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – H. Buckley / J. Suh / H. Hall | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Justin Suh | +150 |
Hayden Buckley | +185 |
Harry Hall | +190 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – S. Power / R. Brehm / J. Dahmen | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Seamus Power | +135 |
Joel Dahmen | +160 |
Ryan Brehm | +250 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – J. Knapp / L. List / A. Schenk | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Adam Schenk | +140 |
Jake Knapp | +185 |
Luke List | +200 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – N. Hardy / J.J. Spaun / B. Snedeker | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Nick Hardy | +130 |
J J Spaun | +145 |
Brandt Snedeker | +285 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – S. Jaeger / N. Dunlap / B. Hun An | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Byeong Hun An | +135 |
Stephan Jaeger | +165 |
Nick Dunlap | +250 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – D. Riley / C. Ramey / Z. Johnson | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Davis Riley | +150 |
Chad Ramey | +175 |
Zach Johnson | +200 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – S.W. Kim / K.H. Lee / A. Scott | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Si Woo Kim | +140 |
Adam Scott | +190 |
K H Lee | +200 |
Insperity Invitational | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Steven Alker | +450 |
Padraig Harrington | +600 |
Stephen Ames | +1200 |
Jerry Kelly | +1400 |
Miguel Angel Jimenez | +1400 |
David Toms | +1600 |
Ernie Els | +1600 |
Alex Cejka | +2000 |
Retief Goosen | +2000 |
KJ Choi | +2200 |
Click here for more… | |
1st Round 3-Balls – J. Leonard / S. Ames / P. Harrington | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Padraig Harrington | +105 |
Stephen Ames | +170 |
Justin Leonard | +330 |
1st Round 3-Balls – S. Alker / R. Goosen / E. Els | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Steven Alker | -105 |
Ernie Els | +230 |
Retief Goosen | +260 |
1st Round 3-Balls – M.A. Jimenez / J. Kelly / P. Broadhurst | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jerry Kelly | +160 |
Miguel Angel Jimenez | +160 |
Paul Broadhurst | +220 |
1st Round 3-Balls – V. Singh / K.J. Choi / D. Toms | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
David Toms | +130 |
K.J. Choi | +170 |
Vijay Singh | +250 |
1st Round 3-Balls – C. Montgomerie / A. Cejka / D. Clarke | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alex Cejka | +120 |
Darren Clarke | +170 |
Colin Montgomerie | +280 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – M. Kim / A. Noren / J. Lower | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alex Noren | +100 |
Justin Lower | +185 |
Michael Kim | +300 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – K. Chappell / T. Pendrith / K. Yu | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Taylor Pendrith | +120 |
Kevin Yu | +160 |
Kevin Chappell | +300 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – C.T. Pan / M. Trainer / G. Sigg | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Greyson Sigg | +130 |
C T Pan | +140 |
Martin Trainer | +320 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – R. Palmer / P. Kizzire / B. Taylor | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Ryan Palmer | +120 |
Patton Kizzire | +145 |
Ben Taylor | +330 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – B. Garnett / T. Hoge / D. Berger | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Tom Hoge | +110 |
Daniel Berger | +175 |
Brice Garnett | +300 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – M. Wallace / K. Kisner / C. Champ | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Matt Wallace | +115 |
Cameron Champ | +135 |
Kevin Kisner | +400 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – C. Villegas / T. Kim / M. Hughes | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Tom Kim | -105 |
Mackenzie Hughes | +140 |
Camilo Villegas | +500 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – V. Norrman / S. Cink / M. Kuchar | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Matt Kuchar | +150 |
Vincent Norrman | +165 |
Stewart Cink | +220 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – N. Echavarria / C. Reavie / K. Mitchell | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Keith Mitchell | -105 |
Nico Echavarria | +200 |
Chez Reavie | +300 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – M. Hubbard / M. NeSmith / D. Ghim | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Doug Ghim | +145 |
Mark Hubbard | +165 |
Matt NeSmith | +225 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – N. Lashley / A. Baddeley / M. Schmid | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Nate Lashley | +135 |
Matti Schmid | +160 |
Aaron Baddeley | +250 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – J. Hahn / Z. Blair / T. Montgomery | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Taylor Montgomery | +150 |
Zac Blair | +175 |
James Hahn | +200 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – K. Streelman / B. Wu / R. Shelton | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Brandon Wu | +160 |
Robby Shelton | +160 |
Kevin Streelman | +210 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – M. McNealy / J. Bramlett / B. Kohles | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Maverick McNealy | +135 |
Joseph Bramlett | +175 |
Ben Kohles | +225 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – B. Martin / C. Hadley / C. Tarren | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Chesson Hadley | +150 |
Ben Martin | +165 |
Callum Tarren | +215 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – R. MacIntyre / T. Crowe / P. Fishburn | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Robert MacIntyre | +130 |
Patrick Fishburn | +190 |
Trace Crowe | +220 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – Z. Dou / C. Gotterup / R. Pereda | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Zecheng Dou | +140 |
Chris Gotterup | +150 |
Raul Pereda | +260 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – J. Bridgeman / B. Hale / M. McGreevy | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jacob Bridgeman | +105 |
Max McGreevy | +145 |
Blaine Hale Jr | +400 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – J. Stanger / M. Meissner / R. McCormick | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jimmy Stanger | +150 |
Mac Meissner | +160 |
Ryan McCormick | +225 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – T. Olesen / W. Furr / P. Kuest | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Thorbjorn Olesen | +140 |
Peter Kuest | +160 |
Wilson Furr | +240 |
2nd Round 3-Balls – A. Smotherman / S. Valimaki / B. Hopfinger | |
Type: 2nd Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sami Valimaki | +145 |
Austin Smotherman | +160 |
Brad Hopfinger | +225 |
Scottie Scheffler Specials | |
Type: Scottie Scheffler Specials – Status: OPEN | |
Win Any Remaining Signature Event | -200 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) | +115 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +125 |
US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +135 |
All Remaining Signature Events – Top 10 Finish | +200 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +200 |
US Open (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +210 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +240 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & US Open (Top 5 Finish) | +280 |
Win 2 Remaining Signature Events | +450 |
Click here for more… | |
PGA Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +2500 |
Collin Morikawa | +2500 |
Max Homa | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
Rory McIlroy – RBC Canadian Open Winner | +1000 |
Miles Russell – Win a Major before 30th birthday | +3500 |
Scottie Scheffler & Nelly Korda – Win All Remaining 2024 Majors | +50000 |
US Open 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Viktor Hovland | +2000 |
Brooks Koepka | +2500 |
Cameron Smith | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
Xander Schauffele | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
The Open Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
Jon Rahm | +1000 |
Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
Viktor Hovland | +1100 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Cameron Smith | +2000 |
Cameron Young | +2000 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2000 |
Jordan Spieth | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
The Open Championship – Alex Noren – Top 20 Finish | +200 |
Solheim Cup 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -140 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1200 |
Ryder Cup 2025 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -135 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1000 |