Professional golfers are ultimately judged by the number of major championships that they have won throughout their careers.
Colin Montgomerie was a star on the European Tour for over 20 years. He has one of the best Ryder Cup records of all time, won 31 events on the European Tour and was that tour’s Order or Merit recipient eight times.
It was just announced that he will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame next spring but he will be forever remembered as the “Best Player to Never Win A Major”.
No player wants to end their career with zero major wins.
Here are four players that have to be very disappointed that they find themselves without a major win at this stage of their careers.
Lee Westwood has won golf tournaments around the world. He has 22 European Tour titles, six Asian Tour trophies and two PGA Tour wins, but he has never won a major.
He has come very close with eight top-10 finishes in his last 16 majors. In 2012 he was T-3 at the Masters and T-10 at the U.S. Open. Westwood will turn 40 at the end of April next year. He has had his chances but just has not been able to seal the deal.
Westwood is so disappointed with his career major record that he has moved his family to Florida and will play full time on the PGA Tour in 2013 in an effort to finally get his major.
Adam Scott is ranked No. 5 on Official World Golf Ranking and has been a professional golfer since 2000. He has won eight European Tour and eight PGA Tour events, but is still looking for his first major.
Scott was T-8 in the 2012 Masters and has to be extremely disappointed with his loss at Royal Lytham in the 2012 Open Championship.
He had a four-shot lead after No. 14 in the last round on Sunday. He just needed a couple of pars over those last four holes to win the Claret Jug. It was not to be, however. Scott made bogey on each of the final four holes and lost to Ernie Els by one shot.
Scott is only 32 years old and still has several good years ahead. He has been in the Top-10 in three of the last five major championships. If he continues to put himself in position on Sunday, he will get his major.
Justin Rose burst onto the golf scene in 1998 when he finished T-4 in the Open Championship as an amateur. He turned professional immediately after the 1998 Open Championship and missed his first 21 cuts as a professional.
Rose has been to the depths of the golf world and recovered. He is ranked No. 4 in the world rankings and had an excellent year on the PGA Tour in 2012.
He finished T-8 at the Masters and T-3 in the PGA Championship in 2012. His win in the 2012 WGC-Cadillac helped him gain valuable confidence and he knows that he can compete in the big events with a major title on the line.
Rose has to be disappointed that he has not won a major thus far in his career, but he is definitely trending in the right direction.
Luke Donald put a ton of pressure on himself to win a major in 2012. After his spectacular year in 2011 he fully expected to pick up a major title in 2012. He was not a factor in the Masters, the PGA Championship or the U.S. Open last year. He did finish T-5 at the Open Championship.
Donald has the best short game in the world and hits magnificent iron shots. When he learns how to keep the ball in play with the driver he will get his major.
His performance in the majors in 2012 has to be disappointing for him. He is too good of a player to end up like Monty with no career majors.
With both Rory McIlroy and a resurging Tiger Woods competing for major hardware, the task for these four players is not an easy one.