Loser Elected to Hall of Fame

Craig Wood wasn't a loser, of course. He was a very good golfer - well, I guess now we have to call him one of the "all-time greats" since he's been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame - but what he's best-known for is losing all four of the professional majors in playoffs. Just about every article over the past couple days about the Hall of Fame selections has mentioned this when talking about Wood. It's his hook, you might say.

He also won 21 times total, with victories in two majors. But it's those four playoff losses that make him memorable:

1933 British Open: Lost 36-hole playoff to Denny Shute.
1934 PGA Championship: Lost to Paul Runyan on second extra hole of final match.
1935 Masters: Lost to Gene Sarazen in 36-hole playoff.
1939 U.S. Open: Lost to Byron Nelson in 36-hole playoff.

That last major playoff loss was scheduled for 18 holes, and Denny Shute - also elected to the Hall of Fame along with Wood, Carol Semple Thompson and Herbert Warren Wind - was part of it, too. Shute dropped out after the first 18, but Nelson and Wood were tied, so they played another 18.

Wood finally won a major in 1941, and he won both his majors that year.

He's not the only golfer ever to lose all four professional majors in playoffs, however. The first, and for decades the only, but he was finally joined in this dubious distinction (yet a distinction that definitely indicates the "loser" was a very good golfer - you don't get into contention that often in majors without being very good) by ... Greg Norman. Is anyone surprised it's Norman who duplicated Wood's "feat"?

1984 U.S. Open: Lost to Fuzzy Zoeller in 18-hole playoff.
1987 Masters: Lost sudden-death playoff to Larry Mize.
1989 British Open: Lost four-hole aggregate playoff to Mark Calcavecchia.
1993 PGA Championship: Lost to Paul Azinger in sudden-death playoff