Longest Time Between First and Last Wins on PGA Tour
What is the biggest gap — the longest amount of time — in tour history between a golfer's first PGA Tour win and that same golfer's last PGA Tour win? The all-time record is over 30 years. Meaning the record-holder's last win happened 30 years after his first win.
Below is the list of all golfers in PGA Tour history whose last win happened at least 23 years after his first. And guess what: They are all pretty good golfers! All but one was a major championship winner.
The Record-Holder: Phil Mickelson, 30+ Years
Phil Mickelson's first win on the PGA Tour was at the Northern Telecom Open in 1991, when Mickelson was still an amateur, still in college. Mickelson earned that win on Jan. 13, 1991, to be exact. And 30 years, 4 months and 10 days later, on May 23, 2021, Mickelson won again. His last PGA Tour win was also a major championship — the PGA Championship.That win in the 2021 PGA made Mickelson the record-holder in this category, longest span between first and last PGA Tour wins. He is the only golfer in tour history whose first and last wins are more than 30 years apart.
The record Mickelson broke had belonged to Raymond Floyd since Floyd's last win in 1992. Floyd's PGA Tour wins spanned 28 years, and only Mickelson has a winning span of 29 years or more.
The List: Longest Time Between First and Last Wins
These are all the golfers in PGA Tour history with a gap of 23 years or more between their first and last victories.- 30 years, 4 months, 10 days — Phil Mickelson, first win at 1991 Northern Telecom Open, last win at 2021 PGA Championship
- 28 years, 11 months, 20 days — Raymond Floyd, first win at 1963 St. Petersburg Open Invitational, last win at 1992 Doral-Ryder Open
- 28 years, 6 months, 28 days — Sam Snead, first win at 1936 West Virginia Closed Pro, last win at 1965 Greater Greensboro Open
- 28 years, 4 months, 4 days — Davis Love III, first win at 1987 MCI Heritage Golf Classic, last win at 2015 Wyndham Championship
- 23 years, 11 months, 4 days — Macdonald Smith, first win at 1912 Western Open, last win at 1936 Seattle Open
- 23 years, 10 months, 24 days — Tom Watson, first win at 1974 Western Open, last win at 1998 MasterCard Colonial
- 23 years, 9 months, 27 days — Jack Nicklaus, first win at 1962 U.S. Open Championship, last win at 1986 Masters Tournament
- 23 years, 8 months, 22 days — Stewart Cink, first win at 1997 Canon Greater Hartford Open, last win at 2021 Safeway Open
- 23 years, 3 months, 7 days — Gene Littler, first win at 1954 San Diego Open, last win at 1977 Houston Open
