GGOATRANK
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Golf · Professional · United States

Gene Sarazen

1920–1973 · First man to complete the career Grand Slam, and inventor of the sand wedge.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
80.3
Cultural & brand footprint 52/100 · total legacy 75.2
Major titles
7
PGA Tour wins
39
PGA Championships
3
US Open titles
2
Career Grand Slams
1
Ryder Cup appearances
6

Category profile

Dominance
84
Peak
88
Longevity
90
Honours
86
Statistics
84

Career timeline · Wins per season

SeasonWins per seasonShare of career
19222
19231
19241
19250
19262
19273
19282
19294
19302
19313
19321
19332
19341
19351
19360
19371

Data sources

  • PGA Tour
  • USGA
  • Masters

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Gene Sarazen ranks #16 in Golf

Gene Sarazen ranks 16th among Golf athletes on GOAT Rank and 577th of 1063 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 86.4 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 84, Peak 88, Longevity 90, Honours 86, Statistics 84. Those categories are normalised against the full Golf reference universe of 266 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1920–1973 with 16 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1929, which sets the Peak component at 88. Longevity is the defining strength of the profile at 90 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes major titles 7, pga tour wins 39, pga championships 3, us open titles 2.

Immediately ahead sits Phil Mickelson on 85.8, a gap of -0.6 points. Directly behind is Pat Bradley on 86.1. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Gene Sarazen GOAT Score explained

Dominance84/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Sarazen stood above the field while competing. Scored 84/100 against the full Golf cohort.
Peak88/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1929. Scored 88/100.
Longevity90/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 53 years of competition and 16 recorded seasons. Scored 90/100.
Honours86/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 86/100.
Statistics84/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 84/100.

Gene Sarazen — frequently asked

Is Gene Sarazen the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Gene Sarazen ranks 16th in Golf with a GOAT Score of 86.4, behind Jack Nicklaus on 95.0.
What is Gene Sarazen's GOAT Score?
86.4 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 84 (25%), Peak 88 (20%), Longevity 90 (20%), Honours 86 (20%), Statistics 84 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Gene Sarazen rank all time?
577th of 1063 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 16th within Golf.
Gene Sarazen vs Phil Mickelson: who ranks higher?
Gene Sarazen, on 86.4 against Phil Mickelson's 85.8 — a margin of 0.6 points.
Compare with Nicklaus