Our list of the best 8 players without a major

Let the 19^th hole chatter continue.

Even with Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith on the recent list of first-time major winners, there’s still ample opportunity for fans to debate who is the best player never to have won a major and deliberate over who will become the next player to win his first major.

The best player never to win a major has been a double-edged tag over the years, to some an annoying attachment next to their logoed wardrobe, to others a dose of praise despite not having a major triumph on the resume.

Curtis Strange heard about it before he won the U.S. Open in back-to-back years. Ben Crenshaw, Payne Stewart, Fred Couples, Tom Kite, Davis Love III and Adam Scott all got an earful before joining the major fraternity.

Phil Mickelson finally left the conversation when he leaped for joy in the 2004 Masters, snapping a frustrating 0-for-42 stretch as a pro. Sergio Garcia ended his 0-for-73 futility in majors at the 2017 Masters. Dustin Johnson’s name stopped coming up with his win in the 2016 U.S. Open, as did Henrik Stenson’s a month later at the Open Championship.

Without further ado, here’s our list (in alphabetical order), which was recently updated ahead of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

Sam Burns wins the championship match against Cameron Young during the final day of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play golf tournament. (Photo: Dustin Safranek-USA TODAY Sports)

Burns has five PGA Tour victories, all coming in the past two years. his latest victory at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play came after knocking off defending champion Scottie Scheffler in the semifinals before a win against Cameron Young in the finals. Burns is an excellent iron player, but he hasn’t figured it out in the majors. In 11 starts, his best finish is T-20 (2022 PGA) and he has missed three cuts and withdrawn once.

Patrick Cantlay poses with the BMW Trophy and The Western Golf Association Trophy after winning the 2022 BMW Championship in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)

Patrick Cantlay is one of the best players in the world and has been for some time. He has won eight times on the PGA Tour, including three FedEx Cup Playoff events and two Memorial tournaments. He also won the FedEx Cup in 2021 after capturing the BMW Championship and Tour Championship in consecutive weeks. However, he has only three top 10s in majors the past five years, his best…