A tiny 10% of the global population is left-handed, and just 14 left-handed golfers have ever won on the PGA Tour. Those who’ve succeeded while playing on the "wrong" side of the tee haven't just distinguished themselves as exceptional lefties; they've become legends of the game.
Here are Next Round’s top 10 lefty golfers of all time:
Lefty Golfer Number 10: Sam Adams
PGA Tour Wins: 1
Runner-Up: 1
Top 10: 6
Official Money: $82,787
Signature Win: 1973 Quad Cities Open
Born in 1946, Sam Adams (not the president) is one of the oldest golfers on this list. While his trophy cabinet may be a bit bare, Adams (not the beer, either) remains the only lefty in history to claim victory at the Quad Cities Open.
Lefty Golfer Number 9: Ted Potter Jr.
PGA Tour Wins: 2
Runner-Up: 0
Top 10: 8
Official Money: $6,194,109
Signature Win: 2018 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
2012 was both Ted Potter Jr.’s first year on the PGA Tour and the year of his first PGA Tour win at the Greenbrier Classic. Despite emerging to a hot start, a 2014 injury caused him to miss nearly two years of golf competition. After climbing his way back onto the Tour, Potter didn’t taste victory again until the 2018 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a competition which saw him tied with then-World No. 1 and two-time Pebble Beach winner Dustin Johnson going into the final round. The Florida native rattled off 11 straight pars to fuel a three-stroke victory at the event.
Lefty Golfer Number 8: Akshay Bhatia
PGA Tour Wins: 2
Runner-Up: 2
Top 10: 9
Official Money: $7,465,825
Signature Win: 2023 Barracuda Championship
22-year-old Akshay Bhatia, the youngest player on this list, has accumulated quite the resume since joining the Tour in 2023. After turning pro at 17, Bhatia has already claimed victory at the 2023 Barracuda Championship and 2024 Valero Texas Open. Both wins, coincidentally enough, have come down to sudden death playoffs. Bhatia currently sits at No. 15 in the FedExCup Standings, and if his quick ascent to the upper echelons of the PGA world are any indication, he could be eyeing a higher spot on this list before he even turns 25.
Lefty Golfer Number 7: Russ Cochran
PGA Tour Wins: 1
Runner-Up: 8
Top 10: 58
Official Money: $5,579,837
Signature Win: 1991 Centel Western Open
1991 was a white-hot year for Russ Cochran, who saw himself within arm’s reach of three PGA Tour wins: the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic, the Centel Western Open, and the TOUR Championship. Cochran lost in a playoff between himself, Mike Nicolette, and Larry Silveira at the Deposit Guaranty, and lost in another playoff against Craig Stadler at the TOUR Championship. Sandwiched in between is his sole Tour victory, just barely keeping him out of the short list of left-handed golfers to win more than one Tour competition. Hopefully his 2011 Senior Open Championship win is enough of a consolation to ease the pain of two heartbreakers in a single season.
Lefty Golfer Number 6: Brian Harman
PGA Tour Wins: 3
Runner-Up: 5
Top 10: 55
Official Money: $37,791,970
Signature Win: 2023 The Open Championship
Brian Harman was arguably the hardest golfer to place on this list. His stats alone are more than enough to justify putting him in the top ten, if not the top five. He’s racked up more money than all but two other lefties in golf history, been active on the Tour since 2009, and won an Open Championship (2023), Wells Fargo Championship (2017), and John Deere Classic (2014). The only issue is that golf is the only thing Harman does left-handed. At the end of the day, while it feels a bit wrong to include a not-so-lefty lefty on the lefty golfers list, he’s still a lefty golfer. Say that ten times fast.
Lefty Golfer Number 5: Steve Flesch
PGA Tour Wins: 4
Runner-Up: 3
Top 10: 63
Official Money: $18,299,945
Signature Win: 2004 Bank of America Colonial
Steve Flesch sits at number five both on this list and the list of all-time Tour wins by a left-handed golfer in PGA history. After joining the Tour in 1998, Flesch wouldn’t find his first win until the 2003 HP Classic of New Orleans. He then went on to win the 2004 Bank of America Colonial before a 2007 season that brought wins from the Reno-Tahoe Open and Turning Stone Resort Championship. And in all fairness to Brian Harman, it’s also worth noting that Flesch began the game of golf as a righty before moving over to his natural left hand.
Lefty Golfer Number 4: Bob Charles
PGA Tour Wins: 6
Runner-Up: 8
Top 10: 61
Official Money: $546,868
Signature Win: 1963 The Open Championship
New Zealand’s Sir Robert James Charles was a true pioneer for every left-handed golfer to come after him. His 1963 Houston Classic and Open Championship victories made him the first-ever lefty to win both a PGA Tour event and major championship respectively. The Kiwi hoisted the claret jug in ‘63 after a 36-hole playoff, and later went on to notch four more tour wins in what was a long and storied career.
Lefty Golfer Number 3: Mike Weir
PGA Tour Wins: 8
Runner-Up: 10
Top 10: 69
Official Money: $28,043,420
Signature Win: 2003 Masters Tournament
There’s no one more fitting to follow Bob Charles both on this list and in the history books. Not only are Charles and Weir (Canada) the only two non-Americans on this list, but Weir’s 2003 Masters victory was the first major championship win by a left-handed golfer since Charles at the Open Championship 40 years before. Weir’s win was even more historic, making him the first lefty in history to win at Augusta. 2003 was a monster year for Weir, bringing home not only a green jacket (which was presented to him by 2002 winner Tiger Woods), but Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and Nissan Open wins as well. Other notable wins include the 2001 TOUR Championship and a successful defense of his Nissan Open victory in 2004.
Lefty Golfer Number 2: Bubba Watson
PGA Tour Wins: 12
Runner-Up: 14
Top 10: 74
Official Money: $48,049,778
Signature Win: 2012 Masters Tournament
Inarguably one of the best golfers of the 2010s, Bubba Watson is second in Tour wins, major wins, Masters wins, and career earnings amongst all left-handed golfers in history. Unfortunately for Bubba, all of those twos keep him comfortably in second place in our rankings. Despite this, Watson has made a name for himself at the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, Olympics, LIV Tour and PGA Tour.
Lefty Golfer Number 1: Phil Mickelson
PGA Tour Wins: 45
Runner-Up: 38
Top 10: 198
Official Money: $96,685,635
Signature Win: 2004 Masters Tournament
Most wins by a lefty? Check. Most money earned by a lefty? Check. Literally nicknamed “Lefty”? Check. Right-handed when doing anything other than golf? This time we’ll let it slide. No lefty has dominated golf quite like Phil. Mickelson sits atop this list not only because of the enormous gap in accomplishments between him and his left-handed peers, but the fact that he learned to golf by swinging clubs across from his right-handed father and mirroring his movements with lefty clubs truly captures the spirit of a legendary left-handed golfer.
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