The 100 Most Influential People In Golf
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Welcome to The 100 Most Influential People in Golf, a brand-new ranking of the men and women who have made the biggest difference in the game in the last year…
Influence Noun; The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.
JUMP TO: How we did it | 100-76 | 75-51 | 50-26 | 25-11 | 10-1
According to the R&A, there are around 66.6 million golfers in the world – and every single one of them has, in some way, been influenced by people on this list – the first ranking of its kind.

Whether you’ve bought a dozen balls, a new driver, watched a clip on YouTube, shared a Tweet, liked an Instagram post or played a top course, the reach of the 100 people on the following pages is simply staggering.Â
Of course, the word ‘influencer’ has evolved in the last decade; it’s no longer the sole preserve of men in suits who make decisions behind closed doors to have an ‘influence’. Social media has given everyone a voice; but some are more influential than others.

When we started planning this list back in the summer, we spent hours and hours discussing what merits influence. Is it a massive YouTube following? Is it setting trends in equipment design? Is it endless wealth, having a Major to your name, or running a TV company, or having a million-plus Instagram followers? It’s all of those things and more.
We also debated what our sphere of influence would encompass. Just social media? Just tour players? Just the UK? In the end, we opened it up to anyone, anywhere – this is a global list open to anyone whose decisions, designs, money or content affects the way you enjoy and consume the game.

Finally, we scored every person who made the final shortlist (more than 540 names in all) and split them according to their influence over YOUR game (governance, media, rules, equipment design) and THE game (players, tour bosses, rights holders).
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How we ranked the 100 most influential people in golf
Measuring individual influence in the golf industry isn’t easy. Sifting through hundreds of worthy candidates is even harder. This list is based on how these people influenced ‘your game’ and ‘the game’ over the last 12 months; other years will be different.
You will recognise many of the people – Bob Vokey, Jay Monaghan, Greg Norman (including an incredible exclusive interview!), Tiger Woods are all in there.. There are some you will not have heard of; and others who may not be household names, but play a crucial role in your enjoyment of the game. There are people from the world of equipment and course design, from social media, the tours, the governing bodies, tech firms and broadcast media.Â
We measured their influence across seven categories, which were then marked by a panel of golf industry experts:Â
YOUR GAME
Equipment design (max 10 marks) | Course architecture (max 10) | Instruction (max 10) | Inspiration (max 15)
THE GAME
Financial Influence (max 25 marks) | Voice (max 15) | Innovation (max 15)
THE WRITERS
A project like this requires vast golf knowledge and a pool of talented writers. A big thank you to Michael Catling, Keith Jackson, Rob Jerram, Chris Jones, Simon Daddow, Nick Harper, Rob McGarr, Chris Bertram, Duncan Lennard and Kevin Brown for their hours of work.
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The Top 100 Most Influential People in Golf
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Aimee Cho
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Andrew Georgiou
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Chip Brewer
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Greg McLaughlin
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Greg Norman
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Jay Monahan
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Martin Slumbers
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Mike McCarley
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Mike Whan
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Aimee Cho.
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Alan Hocknell has a huge influence on Callaway's golf equipment.
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Alan Shipnuck has been one of the most influential people in golf in 2022.
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Alexandra Armas.
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Annika Sorenstam is a legend of the game and continues to have huge influence over golf.
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Mike Clayton.
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Ben Crenshaw is a golf architect and two-time Masters champion.
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Bill Coore forms a formidable design team with Ben Crenshaw.
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PXG owner Bob Parsons is one of the most influential people in golf in 2022.
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Bob Rotella.
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Bob Vokey.
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Brandel Chamblee has rarely been out of the headlines in 2022.
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Brian Bazzel.
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Bryson DeChambeau is undoubtedly one of the most influential people in golf.
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Cameron Smith.
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Cho Minn Thant.
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Chris Linder is one of the Top 100 influential figures in golf.
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Chris Ryan is one of TG's Elite Coaches.
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Claude Harmon III.
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Golf coach Danny Maude has a huge following on YouTube.
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Daric Ashford is the new president of Nike Golf.
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As the boss of TaylorMade, David Abeles is one of the most influential men in golf.
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David Maher.
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David Pillsbury.
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David Rickman.
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David Spencer.
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Donald Trump is one of the most influential people in golf..
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Dude Perfect with Tiger Woods.
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Dustin Johnson.
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Fred Ridley is in charge at Augusta National.
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The legendary Gary Player remains one of the most influential people in golf.
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George Gankas is one of golf's most influential figures.
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Gil Hanse is one of the world's most influential golf designers.
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Good Good are one of the biggest golf YouTube channels in the world.
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Greg McLaughlin.
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Guy Kinnings.
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Hideki Matsuyama's influence transcends golf.
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J.P. McManus is one of the most influential people in golf.
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Unsurprisingly, Jack Nicklaus is one of the most influential people in golf.
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James Ledford.
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Jason Wessely is the head of golf at Sky, meaning he has plenty of influence.
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Jin Young Ko.
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Joe Assell.
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John K. Solheim of Ping.
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Jon Rahm is one of the world's best golfers.
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Jon Watters.
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Jonathan Smith.
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Jordan Spieth is one of the most influential golfers in the world.
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Justin Rose is proving particularly influential in the women's and junior games.
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Justin Thomas.
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Keith Pelley, DP World Tour CEO, has a huge amount of influence on golf.
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Klaus Eldrup-Jorgensen.
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Luke Donald is Europe's Ryder Cup captain.
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Lydia Ko is one of the most influential people in golf.
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Mark Steinberg is one of the most influential men in golf.
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Martin Ebert is one of the most influential people in golf.
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Marty Jertson.
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Mary Lou Bohn.
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Matt Fitzpatrick has had an incredible 2022.
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Me And My Golf are YouTube golf superstars.
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Mike Keiser is one of the most influential people in golf.
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Mohammed Bin Salman is the man who bankrolls LIV Golf.
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Mollie Marcoux Samaan.
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Nelly Korda is one of the most influential people in golf.
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No Laying Up.
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Paige Spirinac.
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Pete Cowen is one of the most respected golf coaches in golf.
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Peter Dawson is the chairman of the Official World Golf Rankings.
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YouTube star Peter Finch is one of the most influential people in golf.
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Phil Kenyon is one of the most influential people in golf.
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Phil Mickelson has had plenty of influence on the world of golf in 2022.
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Raj Subramaniam.
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Robert Maxfield.
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Sal Syed.
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Scottie Scheffler has had an incredible year.
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Scotty Cameron.
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Seth Waugh is among the most influential people in golf.
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Steve Otto.
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Steve Pelisek is one of the most influential people in golf.
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Thomas Pagel.
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Tim Schantz.
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Tom Doak is one of the most influential golf architects in the world.
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Tom Fazio.
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Tony Finau has been in incredible form in 2022.
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Yasir Al-Rumayyan is one of the most influential people in golf.
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Zach Johnson is the USA's Ryder Cup captain.
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Niall Horan
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Paige Spiranac
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Paige Spirinac is the golfer with the most social media followers.
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Rick Shiels
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Rory McIlroy
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Sean McManus
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Sean Toulon
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Tiger Woods