Last fall, I put together a list of the most overrated golfers in history.

Admittedly, that was a tough list to put together. We’re talking about some of the best golfers to ever play. Some of them on the list are major champions or Hall of Famers. To call them “overrated” is a bit harsh and it’s highly subjective.

But, hey, we’re just gabbing it up around the water cooler here. Feel free to disagree.

This time, how about we talk about the golfers who are underrated?

I define “underrated” as golfers who have accomplishments that outpace their popularity or reverence. Guys who should probably be talked about more often but maybe they were (or are) overshadowed by others in their era.

I have a lot of confidence in this group I put together. Let’s give them a little love, because they haven’t received enough.

Let’s dig into it. Here are the 10 most underrated golfers.

10. Larry Nelson

A big theme of this list will be successful players who were overlooked because they went up against bigger names who stole the spotlight.

Nelson was somewhat immune from that given the ’80s didn’t have quite the concentration of star power that the ’60s and ’70s did, but he quietly won three majors.

While he only won 10 PGA Tour titles, the fact Nelson scored three majors and rarely gets talked about is worthy of him being an underrated player.

9. Padraig Harrington

Another three-time major champ who is sometimes seen as more of a journeyman, Harrington was superb throughout the 2000s. He also took advantage of Tiger Woods being injured for the last two majors of 2008—he won both of them.

Harrington had 16 top-10 finishes in majors, won 41 times around the world and was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.

8. Julius Boros

Although he’s rarely talked about by golf fans, Boros was a critical player in the Arnold Palmer era of the ’50s and ’60s.

Boros won two U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship while compiling 16 top-five finishes in majors. For more than 50 years, he was the oldest player to win a major (Phil Mickelson eclipsed that in 2021). He also won 18 PGA Tour titles.

The man they called “Moose” was a great player.

7. Jimmy Demaret

A name that doesn’t come up nearly as much as it should, Demaret won three Masters and 31 Tour titles with the bulk of playing career coming during the 1940s and ’50s.

Demaret was a force during those days, collecting 14 top-five major finishes. He narrowly missed out on several other major victories, which would have changed his legacy significantly.

6. Hale Irwin

Irwin is relatively well celebrated but not as much as he should be.

For starters, very few players have won three U.S. Open titles in the modern era. Irwin did so over the span of 16 years, which is remarkable.

And on top of his 20 Tour titles, Irwin also won 45 times on the senior circuit (second all-time behind Bernhard Langer).

5. Cary Middlecoff

Playing largely before the likes of Palmer and Nicklaus, Middlecoff made his hay in the 1950s. He won three major championships and is 10th all-time in Tour victories with 39.

More than his accomplishments, Middlecoff is among the greatest stories in golf history. He gave up a career as a dentist to be a full-time Tour pro and went on to a Hall of Fame career. Middlecoff is still among the greatest putters to ever live.

His is a name that doesn’t pop up much but Middlecoff is a legend.

4. Vijay Singh

Most golfers recognize that Singh was a good player but it’s grossly understated.

Singh won three majors and 34 Tour titles, almost all of which came squarely in the prime Tiger Woods era. Consider that he reached No. 1 in the world during 2004—when he won nine times—to overtake Woods at a time when he was dominant.

He also holds the record for most Tour wins (22) after the age of 40.

Because of his personality (which is, let’s say, prickly), Singh flies under the radar. But compared to a bunch of more popular players of his era, Singh blows all of their resumes out of the water.

3. Raymond Floyd

Deeply under-appreciated because he played against Nicklaus, Palmer, Trevino and others, Floyd quietly won four majors and 22 Tour titles, including a Players Championship.

Floyd was consistently great in majors for two decades. The only major he didn’t win was an Open Championship and he had a jaw-dropping 65 top-25 finishes in majors.

Floyd does get more accolades than others on this list but nowhere near the level of other players who are on a similar plane.

2. Ernie Els

While I understand that Els is a name almost every golf fan knows, his greatness is not appreciated as it should be.

There is a great case to be made that Els, not Mickelson, was most affected by the Tiger Woods vortex that stole so many victories away from other top players.

Els won four majors, 19 Tour titles and 28 European Tour events. His game rose to the occasion in majors where he had an absurd 23 top-five finishes. He was runner-up six times, a couple of those coming when Woods demolished everyone.

Els, along with Singh, would have a much higher standing in the game if Woods never played.

1. Billy Casper

Cursed by the era he played in, Casper existed in the long shadows of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. That’s not even to mention Lee Trevino, Sam Snead or Cary Middlecoff.

That’s a shame, because he might be considered among the 10 greatest golfers ever had one of those Big Three golfers taken up basketball instead.

Casper captured three majors (one Masters and two U.S. Opens) while racking up 51 PGA Tour titles. That is No. 7 all-time! Casper won at least one Tour event in 16 consecutive seasons, a mark only beaten by Nicklaus and Palmer.

I think Casper is among the top 20 golfers in history. I think he has a case to be in the top 15.

And, yet, not enough people talk about him. He passed away in 2015 but his legacy should continue as long as golf is played.

So those are my top 10 most underrated golfers of all-time. Who would you have on your list?

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