Jim McCabe: Jason Day looks dangerous as ‘Big Three’ embrace battle royal

Contrived in so many ways, “The Big Three” was a phrase that clearly caught on with golf journalists nearly a half-century ago. The fact it encompassed the three most popular golfers at the time — Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player — made it an easy embrace for both writers and fans.

Forget that at certain times in those years, Palmer and Player may not have been worthy of being included in conversation about the best golfers — Billy Casper likely deserved inclusion at one point, ditto Johnny Miller, and Lee Trevino later — The Big Three was cemented into our lexicon.

Playing to our passion for celebrities, The Big Three gave us a way to get people’s attention in a hurry.