# Who is the greatest European golfer of all time?

> Europe spent decades as the away team in golf's majors. These are the players who changed that.

*By YPB Team · Published September 4, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-greatest-european-golfer-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Seve Ballesteros**
   Five majors, and the player most often credited with making European golf competitive again.
2. **Nick Faldo**
   Six majors, including three Opens and three Masters.
3. **Rory McIlroy**
   Six majors and the first European to complete the career Grand Slam.
4. **Bernhard Langer**
   Two Masters titles and a professional career that has now run past forty-five years.
5. **Jose Maria Olazabal**
   Two Masters titles, in 1994 and 1999.
6. **Sandy Lyle**
   Won the 1985 Open and the 1988 Masters.
7. **Ian Woosnam**
   Won the 1991 Masters and reached world number one the same year.
8. **Padraig Harrington**
   Three majors in thirteen months across 2007 and 2008.
9. **Sergio Garcia**
   Won the 2017 Masters and is Europe's leading Ryder Cup points scorer.
10. **Colin Montgomerie**
   Eight European Tour Order of Merit titles and no major.
11. **Henrik Stenson**
   Won the 2016 Open at Troon with a final round of 63.
12. **Justin Rose**
   Won the 2013 US Open and Olympic gold in 2016.
13. **Tony Jacklin**
   Won the 1969 Open and the 1970 US Open, then captained Europe to its first Ryder Cup wins in decades.
14. **Lee Westwood**
   Reached world number one in 2010 without winning a major.
15. **Jon Rahm**
   Won the 2021 US Open and the 2023 Masters.

Tags: sports, golf, players, legends, all-time