Hogan and Jones are in a dead heat at the top of my list. Say whatever u want about "the competition not being as tough then", but you also have to take into account the equipment, and the course setup which was vastly inferior. Hogan (like snead) could drive 300 yards on command in the 40's and 50's!!! With those sticks!!! That's gotta be a good 350-380 with today's equiptment. Plus he hit most fairways and most greens in regulation. It is said (in the book Bogey Man), that hogan once won a 4 round PGA tournament without hitting a single ball in the rough!!! Not much needs to be said about the owner of the impregnable quadrilateral. He didn't have the machine like swing of Hogan, but his recovery was as good as anyone's and he found a way to win. The only one to ever crack the hull of the impenetrable grand slam and an amateur at that. Also, after 1925, he only played a few tournaments a year (pretty much just the majors), and says in down the fairway that he rarely picked up a club in the off season. The only four tourneys he played in 1930 were the US amateur, US Open, British Amateur, and British Open which he won all of. His record may be the most elusive in all of sports, with only tiger and jack ever coming close.
In today's game of golf, i would have to say Jim Furyk is my favorite. We followed hiim at the 04 buick open and he is just such a down to earth guy, with ball striking that will bring tears to your eyes. He only missed one green in the first 15 holes, and came back on the next with a bird. All i can say is with the Open setups getting tighter and the rough getting longer, he will be someone to watch out for in the coming years. When he feels %100 with that wrist again(evidence of this starting to happen at the wachovia this year), look out Big Four.