Greatest Golf Nicknames
“What’s in a name?”
– Bill Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Nicknames are listed in descending order of greatness, so the last is the best.
Honorable Mention:
“Shooter” McGavin, Roy “Tin Cup” McAvoy
Both outstanding players in the mid-to-late 90s, McGavin and McAvoy suffered crushing defeats during the 1996 season. McGavin lost the Gold Jacket to a young upstart bomber with an unorthodox style in Happy Gilmore, and McAvoy famously lost the U.S. Open to Peter Jacobsen by taking 12 on the final hole (he did get the girl when David Simms took himself out of contention by laying up though). Both remain legendary figures in the golf world.
- Scott “The Choke” Hoch
Mr. Hoch probably doesn’t relish this nickname, but it’s a great one. He was known for choking away major titles, especially at the 1989 Masters when he missed two three-foot putts to give Sir Nick Faldo the title.
- Greg “The Great White Shark” Norman
Perfectly fitting name for the Australian. He even kind of looks like a shark. In fact, if you were to picture the human version of a shark, it would be Greg Norman.
- Hal “Halimoney” Sutton
He has three ex-wives.
- Louis “Shrek” Oosthuizen
Yes, he does resemble the ogre. His real name is Lodewicus Theodorus Oosthuizen, and if that was my moniker, I’d make everyone call me by my full name at all times.
- Craig “The Walrus” Stadler and Kevin “The Smallrus” Stadler
Father and son. Fantastic.
- “Champagne Tony” Lema
A sad story but a fantastic nickname. Champagne Tony won the 1964 Open Championship at St. Andrews before dying in a plane crash in 1966 at the age of 32. He got the nickname when he promised the press champagne if he won the Orange County Open in 1962 (he did).
- Miguel “The Most Interesting Man in the World” and “The Mechanic” Angel Jimenez
Probably the smoothest dude to ever tee it up, hence “The Most Interesting Man in the World”. He also worked in a garage for 6 months before turning pro, hence, “The Mechanic”.
- Ernie “The Big Easy” Els
Named after that awesome, fluid swing. Does anyone else feel like he should have won a lot more than he did?
- Mildred “Babe” Zaharias, Jack “The Golden Bear” Nicklaus, Sam “Slammin’ Sam” Snead, Ben “The Hawk” Hogan, Gary “The Black Knight” Player, Gene “The Squire” Sarazen, Eldrick “Tiger” Woods, Arnold “The King” Palmer, Annika “Miss 59” Sorenstam
These are all in their own group because they’re collectively the best players golf has ever seen. A few great ones, but I like “The Black Knight” the best.
- John “Long John” and “Wild Thing” and “The Lion” Daly
So he may not have the greatest actual nicknames, but John Daly will always be in a league of his own. With a crazy swing and an even crazier personal life, it’s hard not to root for Long John. Unfortunately, “The Lion” nickname was self-appointed, which never works and should be avoided by every human in any endeavor.
Obviously there are more great monikers, Including “Boom Boom”, “Huckleberry Dillinger”, “The Scientist”, etc. Feel free to yell at me if I missed one. Have a fantastic rest of the weekend and happy golfing!
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