At first glance, including Sergio Garcia on this list may seem rather unfair.
After all, the fiery Spaniard has put together quite a nice career, notching a total of 18 victories on the PGA and European Tours and climbing as high as No. 2 in the world golf rankings.
He has contended for major championships over the years quite frequently and has become a legendary figure in the sport's most pressure-packed arena, The Ryder Cup.
Honestly, probably not even a dozen players could say they've been better than Sergio since he came onto the golfing stage in 1999.
So, why so negative on a 32-year-old who has put forth a solid career?
One word sums it up: expectations.
In 1999, a time that seems about 100 years ago, considering what has transpired since, Garcia was the next "It" in golf. He had won the previous year's British Amateur and flashed big time in his maiden year as a pro.
He won his first European tour event in July, but in August he really turned up the heat.
Unfazed by finishing DFL (Dead Freakin' Last) at the previous month's Open Championship, Garcia brought out his best at the PGA.
He found himself five shots off of Tiger Woods' lead heading into the final nine holes of the tournament, only to charge to within one, partly due to a dazzling shot from the base of a tree.
The 19-year-old fell one stroke short of his first major title, but it appeared a rivalry had been born. Woods, the game's preeminent star, was to have many battles in the future with this cheeky teenager.
For years to come, prognosticators envisioned, Woods and Garcia would wage a furious fight for the top spot in the game.
Such a forecast never came remotely true. The "Old World charm" that Garcia had used to captivate media and fans alike at the PGA was a mask for the petulant child that lay beneath.
But a man who could fiercely challenge the best player in the game and bring home the major championship hardware, he was not.
Garcia would get his fair share of chances in majors, but something always seemed to stop him short. Whether it be a final-round meltdown (which usually happened when he was in the final pairing with Woods), a series of misfortunes perpetrated by some abstract outside force, or simply a fall to the freight train that was Padraig Harrington in his prime, the talented Spaniard could not close the door once in the majors.
Luckily, the man nicknamed "El Niño" can still storm his way into the record books. He clearly still has immense talent and is far more mature than the days of yesteryear, but has enough scar tissue built up for him to ever reach even close to his potential?
The answer will come soon enough, but for now Garcia remains one of golf's greatest underachievers.
