Can you beat our incredibly tough golf quiz?

NCG’s incredibly tough golf quiz: Answers

Round 1: A decade in the top 100

1. 10 players spent the entirety of the 2010s – January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2019 – in the top 100 in golf’s official world ranking. Name them.

(1 point for each; 10 points available)

Dustin Johnson
Rory McIlroy
Justin Rose
Adam Scott
Lee Westwood
Sergio Garcia
Phil Mickelson
Rickie Fowler
Matt Kuchar
Louis Oosthuizen

Round 2: Who am I?

1. I was born in Scotland but grew up in Leeds and I dominated the European Tour in the 1990s, including seven straight Order of Merit titles. Who am I?

(1 point)

Colin Montgomerie

2. Though born in South Africa in 1980, I ended a 17-year wait for an English major champion in 2013. Who am I?

(1 point)

Justin Rose

3. Born in New Zealand in 1997, I had nine tour wins on my CV and became the youngest player to ever reach the top of the women’s world rankings all before my 18th birthday. Who am I?

(1 point)

Lydia Ko

4. I was not only the first male player born in Asia to win a major when I lifted the 2009 PGA Championship, I was also the first player to come from behind to beat Tiger Woods in the final round of a major. Who am I?

(1 point)

YE Yang

5. In 2014 I finished in a tie for 2nd at The Masters – a result that saw me become the youngest American to ever break into the world’s top 10. I was just 20 years and 256 days old and beat Tiger Woods’ record by almost an entire year. Who am I?

(1 point)

Jordan Spieth

Round 3: Records

1. The player in that previous question was the youngest American to ever break into the top 10 but he is the third overall. Which two Europeans broke into the top 10 at a younger age?

(1 point for each; 2 points available)

Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia

2. Who is the youngest player to represent Europe at the Solheim Cup, and the youngest player to represent the USA at the Solheim Cup?

(1 point for each; 2 points available)

Charley Hull
Lexi Thompson

3. These 5 players went wire to wire to win major championships. But in which major and which year did they do it?

Tony Jacklin
Jimmy Walker
Brooks Koepka
Martin Kaymer
Seve Ballesteros

(1 point for the correct year, 1 point for the correct major; 10 points available)

Tony Jacklin = 1970 US Open
Jimmy Walker = 2016 PGA
Brooks Koepka = 2019 PGA
Martin Kaymer = 2014 US Open
Seve Ballesteros = 1980 Masters

4. Tiger Woods’ win at the 2019 Zozo Championship in Japan saw him equal the record for most PGA Tour victories on 82. Whose long-standing record did he equal?

(1 point)

Sam Snead

5. Put these four players in order of most European Tour victories:

Padraig Harrington
Miguel Angel Jimenez
Tiger Woods
Ernie Els

(1 point for each correct position; 4 points available)

1. Tiger Woods = 41
2. Ernie Els = 28
3. Miguel Angel Jimenez = 21
4. Padraig Harrington = 15

Round 4: History

1. Golf made its long-awaited comeback to the Olympic Games in 2016. But how many years was that wait?

(1 point)

112 years

2. Five players have finished in the top 5 in all four majors in a calendar year. Who are they?

(1 point for each; 5 points available)

Jack Nicklaus (1971, ’73)
Tiger Woods (2000, ’05)
Rickie Fowler (2014)
Jordan Spieth (2015)
Brooks Koepka (2019)

3. Four different men began the 21st century as a reigning major champion. Name them.

(1 point each; 4 points available)

Jose Maria Olazabal (Masters)
Payne Stewart (US Open)
Paul Lawrie (Open)
Tiger Woods (PGA Championship)

4. Since the women’s golf calendar incorporated five majors in 2013, they have been dominated by Asian and North American players. But four European players have won one each in that time. Who are they?

(1 point for each; 4 points available)

Suzann Pettersen (2013 Evian Championship)
Anna Nordqvist (2017 Evian Championship)
Pernilla Lindberg (2018 ANA Inspiration)
Georgia Hall (2018 Women’s British Open)

5. Three of Tiger Woods’ 15 major championship wins required a play-off. Name the three players Woods beat at extra holes in a major.

(1 point for each; 3 points available)

Bob May (2000 PGA Championship)
Chris DiMarco (2005 Masters)
Rocco Mediate (2008 US Open)

Round 4: Geography

1. Fay Crocker holds several LPGA Tour records, including the oldest ever women’s major champion and the first woman born outside of the US to win a women’s major. But in which South American country was she born?

(1 point)

Uruguay

2. Who are the last men’s major champions from these five countries?

England
Australia
South Africa
Northern Ireland
USA

(1 point for the correct player, 1 point for the correct major, 1 point for the correct year; 15 points available)

England = Danny Willett (2016 Masters)
Australia = Jason Day (2015 PGA Championship)
South Africa = Ernie Els (2012 Open)
Northern Ireland = Rory McIlroy (2014 PGA Championship)
USA = Gary Woodland (2019 US Open)

3. Which three golf clubs have hosted both the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup?

(1 point each, 3 points available)

The Greenbrier (1979/1994)
Muirfield Village (1987/1998)
Gleneagles (2014/2019)

4. Which two Open venues on the current rota are the furthest apart as the crow flies?

(1 point for each; 2 points available)

Royal St George’s to Royal Portrush = 427 miles

5. The following golf courses all hosted a European Tour event in 2019. In which country are they situated?

Royal Green Golf & Country Club
13th Beach Golf Links
Lahinch Golf Club
Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort
Leopard Creek Country Club

(1 point for each; 5 points available)

Royal Green Golf & Country Club = Saudi Arabia (Saudi International)
13th Beach Golf Links = Australia (Vic Open)
Lahinch Golf Club = Republic of Ireland (Irish Open)
Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort = Denmark (Made in Denmark)
Leopard Creek Country Club = South Africa (Alfred Dunhill Championship)

Round 6: The Masters

1. In total 15 players not born in the USA have won the Masters, but who was the first?

(1 point)

Gary Player

2. Americans have won more Masters titles than any other nationality with 61 wins from 37 different winners. Which two countries are next with five wins each? And which three players from each of those countries contributed to the number?

(1 point for the correct country, 1 point for each correct player; 8 points available)

South Africa (Gary Player, Trevor Immelman, Charl Schwartzel)
Spain (Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia)

3. It’s generally considered the most dramatic final round in major history when Jack Nicklaus came from four shots back in the final round to win the 1986 Masters – his 18th and final major victory. But which player led going into that famous final day?

(1 point)

Greg Norman

4. In 2013, Guan Tianlang became the youngest player to ever compete in the Masters. A day later he became the youngest player to make the cut in a men’s major. How old was he? And in which country was he born?

(1 point for each; 2 points available)

14 years (and 168 days)
China

5. In the last 10 years, three players have won the Masters in a play-off. Who are they, who did they beat, and in which year?

(1 point for each, 9 points available)

Bubba Watson (beat Louis Oosthuizen in 2012)
Adam Scott (beat Angel Cabrera in 2013)
Sergio Garcia (beat Justin Rose in 2017)

Round 6: Tie breaker

If you started at Augusta, then travelled as the crow flies to Bethpage Black, the home of last year’s PGA Championship, then travelled as the crow flies to Pebble Beach, where last year’s US Open was held, then travelled as the crow flies to Royal Portrush, home of the 2019 Open, how many miles have you travelled?

(If you are playing with friends, use this as a tie-breaker. If you are playing alone, award yourself 2 points if you get within 500 miles; 2 points available)

Augusta-Bethpage = 687 miles
Bethpage-Pebble Beach = 2,599 miles
Pebble Beach-Royal Portrush = 5,040 miles
TOTAL: 8,326 miles

How did you get on? Let us know in the comments below, or send me a tweet with your score.

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