Byron Nelson, with his 18-win season in 1945, including 11 straight (one record I cannot see being beaten), but will always be an asterix against it as Ben Hogan and Sam Snead were still at war. Gary Player with his nine majors and career Grand Slam, so tough to leave a guy like that out. Gene Sarazen... another career grand-slammer, who hit 'the shot that was heard around the world' - a four-wood at 15 at Augusta for a double eagle two to help him snatch the title.

Walter Hagen... he was probably the hardest to leave out. In my mind, the greatest matchplayer to have lived. He won the US PGA five times, including four straight when it was a matchplay event. When my mates and I play, we talk about 'mind games'... getting inside your opponent's head. Sir Walter was the mind-game king. He also won 11 majors, and that was in the day before the Masters. Back then, the Western Open was considered a major, and he won that five times, so we're really talking 16 majors.

Anyway, on to the main event... the top six. I must stress that this is purely subjective, and my view only, so if your only personal favourite isn't here I'd welcome your views. I'm not going to try to rate them in any order of ability, so for want of a better method, I'm going to do this chronologically.

Allan Robertson - Born in St. Andrews, the home of golf, in 1815, Robertson was considered the first true professional golfer. This was at a time when the job of a pro was as much about making clubs and balls (a job which entailed stuffing a leather casing with a top-hat-full of boiled feathers... I wonder what Titleist would make of that!) Anyway, Robertson is in my list for a reason - rumour has it, and I've read it in numerous places, that he never lost a match. Sure people beat him when he gave them shots, but head-to-head with no handicap, he never lost. You can only beat what is put in front of you, and Allan seemed to do a pretty good job of that. And he was the first man to break 80 round the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Harry Vardon - Born in Jersey in 1870, Vardon was part of a great triumvirate which also included J.H.Taylor and James Braid. They won the Open 16 times between them, with Vardon collecting six of those wins (a record). If it hadn't of been for the outbreak of World War I, and a severe bout of tuberculosis, I'm sure Vardon's tally of Opens would have reached double figures. He was a supreme striker of the ball, and his book The Complete Golfer, was the first real instructional book. Its on my bookshelf, and still worth a read today.

Vardon was one of the first British golfers to make the journey across the Atlantic to play in the US Open, and on his first visit in 1900 he won the tournament. He then returned to America in 1913 for what could quite possibly be the greatest tournament in golfing history. After 72 holes round the Country Club in Brookline, Vardon was tied for the lead with a local amateur named Francis Ouimet. So they came back the next day in driving rain for a 36-hole play-off. Ouimet was successful, and this moment was said to be the true birth of American golf. Vardon had one last shot at the US Open at the age of 50 - and finished runner up. So that's three starts in the US Open, and never out of the top two. Not bad.

Jones took a while to learn how to win (probably related to his hot-headed temperament as a youngster) but when he learnt to control his temper he became a winning machine, and was, and still is regarded as a true credit to sportsmanship. Between 1923 and 1930, Jones won 13 of the 20 majors he entered - phenomenal! In the Grand Slam year of 1930  he won all four. Then at the age of 28 he retired to concentrate on studying law. He subsequently helped design Augusta National course, and set up the Masters tournament. His likes will never be seen again.

Ben Hogan - Born in Texas in 1912, Hogan's tale is a remarkable story of beating the odds by sheer will and determination. I very much doubt there is a man in history who has hit more golf balls than Ben. As a child, he actually caddied at the same club as Byron Nelson, and Nelson always had the edge. Hogan had a huge problem with hooking the ball, and realised that if he was going to become world class, he needed to fix this. So he embarked on a training routine unlike any previously undertaken in the game, to turn this hook into a 'power fade'.

Due to this swing change, Hogan was a late developer as a major contender. He won his first major, the US PGA, in 1946, then won the PGA again in 1948, along with US Open. Then disaster struck. In 1949 Hogan had a head-on collision in his car with a Greyhound bus. They said he'd never walk again. After a long, painful rehabilitation he resumed his career, but had to seriously curtail the number of events he could play as walking was a major struggle. He went on to win a further six majors, including the golden year of 1953 when he played in only six tournaments. He won five of these, including the Masters, the US Open and The Open (the only time he played in that event) and was only denied the chance of completing the Grand Slam as the boat couldn't get him back to America in time for the US PGA. I think if you polled all golf experts in the world, a majority would consider Hogan the greatest 'ball striker' of all time.

Jack Nicklaus - On numbers alone, Nicklaus has to be considered number one. He had 18 major victories, and was runner-up on a further 17 occasions. I think he was the first truly modern golfer who based his schedule round the majors. What Nicklaus also had was longevity. He won his first major in 1962, and his final one in 1986, a staggering 24 years later. To play any sport at the highest level for that time period is astounding. It's hard to put your finger on what made Nicklaus so great. He hit the ball a mile. He played with a fade, which helped him keep it in play, but I think what set him apart was his clutch putting. If I had to select a man to hole a six-footer for my life it would be Nicklaus in his prime. Some say he was weak with his wedges, but that's just nit picking - the guy was a model pro and a true great.

Tiger Woods - The golf commentator David Feherty summed it up well: 'When Tiger plays well ,he wins. When he plays very well he wins by 10.' Tiger is 31, a time when golfers are supposed to be reaching their prime. He's already notched up 12 major wins and 56 tour victories, so surely Nicklaus' 18 majors and Snead's 82 tours wins will be surpassed within the next five or so years. Let's have a look at what makes the guy so good. OK, he's a bit wild off the tee, but when you are so far down there, rough doesn't bother these guys when you've got loft in your hands. Tiger has definitely got the best distance control of anyone who has ever played the game, he's got a short game to die for, and he's probably the best putter on tour. But  I still haven't got to his strongest point - mental toughness. Forget golf, forget sport; mentally he is the toughest guy I've come across in any walk of like. So add that to his talent, and you've got the ingredients of the perfect golfer.