In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the 10 greatest Hispanic golfers in PGA Tour history.
We have just finished witnessing another European victory at the Ryder Cup, which will not be contested again until it comes to Bethpage Black in New York two years from now, when the Americans will try to overcome their lopsided loss on the final weekend of September.
By then, the LIV, PGA, and European tours will have merged, and if all goes well, we will have all the top golfers competing together week after week after week. Let’s hope it goes smoothly so that 2024 is a year when golf becomes watchable on a weekly basis rather than just four or five times per year (the four majors and the bi-annual Ryder Cup.)
We will also have a golf competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and some of the top players from every country in the world will be eligible to qualify. That is going to include quite a few Hispanic golfers, as the sport is immensely popular in South America, Latin America, and Spain. Who knows, we might even see the makings of the next Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm, or Lee Trevino.
Who was the first Hispanic golfer?
The first famous Hispanic golfers were brothers Al and Abe Espinosa. Most notably, Abe captured the prestigious Western Open in 1928, becoming the first Mexican-American golfer to win a major professional tournament. His triumph signaled to countless aspiring Hispanic golfers that they, too, could achieve greatness on the fairways and greens.
Current Hispanic Golfers
What percent of golfers are Hispanic? Most higlighted Hispanic golfers on the PGA tour include Spain’s Jon Rahm – who is often among the favourites in the golf betting – is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, Emiliano Grillo of Argentina is No. 36, Joaquin Niemann of Chile is No. 61, Pablo Larrazabal of Spain is No. 76, and Mito Pereira of Chile is one spot behind him. Abraham Ancer of Mexico is ranked No. 88, and Alejandro Tosti of Argentina is No. 100.
Celebrating the Top 10 Most Influential Hispanic Golfers in PGA Tour History
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Robert Gamez
Nationality: Mexican-American
Career Span: 1991 to 2008
Professional Wins: 5
Awards and Honors: PGA Tour Rookie of the Year (1990), Jack Nicklaus Award (1989)
Robert Gamez started out winning two tournaments in his rookie season on the Tour, including his first event, the Northern Telecom Tucson Open. He is possibly best known for holing his second shot from the fairway on the tough 18th hole in the final round at May Hill in March 1990, giving him a one-stroke victory over Greg Norman. From 1991 to 1997, Gamez had six runner-up finishes and one third-place finish on the PGA Tour. A 1998 car accident slowed his career, but he competed on the Champions Tour through 2008 and now plays recreationally in Tampa.
9. Al Espinosa
Nationality: Mexican-American
Career Span: 1924 to 1947
Professional Wins: 20
Al Espinosa emerged as a pioneer for Hispanic golfers during the 1920s and 1930s, becoming one of the first Mexican-American professional golfers to gain recognition on the global stage. Espinosa’s greatest claim to fame was his agonizingly close runner-up finish at the 1928 U.S. Open — falling to Johnny Farrell in a 36-hole playoff after tying for the lead. He also lost by 23 strokes to Bobby Jones in a 36-hole playoff at Winged Foot in 1929.
8. Miguel Angel Jimenez
Nationality: Spain
Career Span: 1988 to present
Professional Wins: 41
Although he never won a major, finishing second at the U.S. Open, third at the British Open, and fourth at the Masters, the native of Malaga, Spain, had 21 wins on the European Tour, 13 on the PGA Tour, and seven on the Asian Tour. Miguel Angel Jimenez holds the record for most starts on the European Tour and has been a member of two victorious Ryder Cup teams. While defending his BMW championship in 2008, he had a rare albatross (a double-eagle on a par-5) by holing out from the fairway on No. 17 at Valderrama.
7. Homero Blancas
Nationality: Mexican-American
Career Span: 1965 to 1989
Professional Wins: 7
Awards and Honors: PGA Rookie of the Year (1965)
The 1965 PGA Rookie of the Year, a native of Houston, Texas, had a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Open and a fifth-place finish at the Masters and is best known for shooting the lowest score ever recorded, a 55 on a course that measured just over 5,000 yards (which some have used to discount it) that he played while a member of the University of Houston golf team. Homero Blancas had 18 holes-in-one during his career.
6. Lorena Ochoa
Nationality: Mexico
Career Span: 2003 to 2010
Professional Wins: 30
Awards and Honors: LPGA Rookie of the Year (2003), World Golf Hall of Fame (2017), LPGA Player of the Year (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Bob Jones Award (2011)
Lorena Ochoa was the top-ranked female golfer in the world for a record 158 consecutive and total weeks, from April 23, 2007, until her retirement on May 2, 2010, at age 28. As the first Mexican golfer of either gender to be ranked No. 1 in the world, the native of Guadalajara is considered the best Mexican golfer and the best Latin American female golfer of all time. She took up golf at the age of 5, won her first state event at the age of 6, and her first national event at 7.
5. Sergio Garcia
Nationality: Spain
Career Span: 1999 to present
Professional Wins: 36.
Awards and Honors: Vardon Trophy, 2008. Byron Nelson Award, 2008. European Your Player of the Year 2017
A native of Borriol, Spain, who won a club championship at age 12, Sergio Garcia is the most famous golfer in Spanish history and currently plays on the LIV Tour after compiling 11 PGA Tour wins and earning the green jacket at Augusta when he won the 2017 Masters. He has a signature swing that reminds some of Ben Hogan, and his “waggle” before hitting consists of a sequence in which he repeatedly grips, releases and re-grips his hands on the club handle before finally taking a shot. In a 2002 practice round at Augusta, he had a 2 on the par-5 second hole by making a 3-iron from 235 yards.
4. Nancy Lopez
Nationality: Mexican-American
Career Span: 1976 to 2008
Professional Wins: 52
Awards and Honors: Women’s Golf Hall of Fame (1987), LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year (1978), Bob Jones Award (1998), Old Tom Morris Award (2000)
Undoubtedly the most accomplished Latina golfer of all time, Nancy Lopez, a native or Torrance, Calif., raised the bar for women’s golf with her 48 LPGA Tour victories, highlighted by three major championships – all coming in the prestigious LPGA Championship. With a passion and determination that was infectious, the New Mexico native made a lasting impact on the game both on and off the course, becoming the first woman to garner the prestigious William Richardson Award in recognition of her contributions to golf. Beyond her numerous accolades, Lopez was known for her marriage to baseball player Ray Knight.
3. Jon Rahm
Nationality: Spain
Career Span: 2016 to present
Professional Wins: 20
Awards and Honors: Ben Hogan Award (2015, 2016), Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year (2017), European Tour Golfer of the Year (2019, 2021), PGA Player of the Year (2021), Vardon Trophy (2021), Byron Nelson Award (2021)
The bearded ball-blaster from Barrika, Spain, is currently ranked No. 3 in the world behind Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy — pretty exclusive company. The reigning Masters champion won three other times on the PGA Tour this year, taking home the trophy at the Genesis Invitational (Riviera Country Club), the American Express (Pete Dye Stadium Course) and the Sentry Tournament of Champions (Kapalua, Hawaii). Over the course of his career, Jon Rahm has 20 professional wins on the PGA Tour and European Tour. He also won the U.S. Open in 2021. Rahm spent 60 weeks as the top-ranked amateur golfer in the world before turning pro in 2016. He lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his American wife, Kelley, and has two toddlers.
2. Seve Ballesteros
Nationality: Spain
Career Span: 1974 to 2007
Professional Wins: 90
Awards and Honors: European Tour Golfer of the Year (1986, 1988, 1991), European Tour Order of Merit Winner (1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1991)
The best Hispanic golfer in European history, Seve Ballesteros, a native of Pedrena, Spain, won The Masters in 1980 and 1983 and the British Open in 1979, 1984, and 1988. He became the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer in April 1986, and held that ranking for 61 consecutive weeks. He learned the game while playing on the beaches near his home, during the hours he was supposed to be in school, mainly using a 3-iron. A back injury brought an early end to his career, and he spent his final years as the non-playing captain of the Ryder Cup European team and as a golf course designer in Spain.
1. Lee Trevino
Nationality: Mexican-American
Career Span: 1960 to 2003
Professional Wins: 92
Awards and Honors: PGA Player of the Year (1971), Vardon Trophy (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1980), Byron Nelson Award (1980, 1990, 1991, 1992), Jack Nicklaus Trophy (1990, 1992, 1994), Arnold Palmer Award (1990, 1992)
By many experts, the greatest Hispanic golfer of all time. Beloved for his sense of humor as much for his talent, Lee Trevino, from Garland, Texas, learned the game at age 14 when he dropped out of high school and decided to be a full-time caddie and shoe-shiner at Dallas Country Club, making $30 a week. After work, he would hit at least 300 balls per day. He won the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship twice, with The Masters the only title that eluded him. He honed his game in Asia, playing courses while he was a U.S. Marine, and he was at his best in the early 1970s as Jack Nicklaus’ chief rival.
Parameters of Rankings
Historical context is very important in ranking golfers in an all-time Top 10 list, and Lorena Ochoa and Nancy Lopez are quite high on this list because of the dominance they displayed in women’s golf when they were at their peaks. Jon Rahm might be ranked too high for some, but the guy is as consistent as they come and has been for the past decade, and his future is extraordinarily bright. Career victories are also a significant factor that has to be balanced into the rankings, but the difficulty of the different tours where those victories took place is important to factor into the equation, too.