Who have been the golfers that have most lit up the Open Championship in the 62 tournaments since the end of the Second World War? We all have our favourites and a sense of who is the greatest based on the number of wins, but what happens if we include those who perenially competed but didn't win? Using a formula that gave weighted points according to finishing position (100 for a win, 75 for second, 50 for third, 30 for top five, 20 for top ten and 10 for top 20), the following list of golfers emerged*. Where golfers tie on the number of points, their best finishes have been used to determine their order. Few would dispute the man at No 1 but there are several surprises farther down the list (not least where a certain Tiger Woods sits - so far). As ever, we would welcome any comments about who you would have put in your top ten.

*The scores have been updated to take into account the Birkdale Open, with some players rocketing up the chart, not least the winner who enters the top 25.

100: Jimmy Adams, Eng, 100 points

Adams played in 21 Opens between 1930 and 1959, with a best finish of second in 1936, outside the remit of this list. However, he makes our top 100 of postwar golfers thanks to his top-five finishes in 1951 and 1954 and other good results.

99: Todd Hamilton, US, 100 points

Hamilton had made the cut in only three major championships before the 2004 Open at Royal Troon and at the age of 39 few thought he was doing anything more than make up numbers. But with rounds of 71, 67, 67, 69 Hamilton earned a place in a four-hole play-off with Ernie Els and beat him by one stroke. His best finish in a major since then is 36th at this year's Masters and US Open.

98: Ben Hogan, US, 100 points

There is no denying that Hogan, one of the all-time greats of golf, would be much higher in this list, probably in the top five, if it were purely a subjective study of ability. But the fact is, he played only once, at Carnoustie in 1953, he won it by four strokes from Dai Rees after a last round of 68 and then never played in the Open again. Hogan won nine majors in all, three of them in 1953 (and he did not have the chance to complete the set because the US PGA clashed with the Open).

97: Stuart Appleby, Aus, 105 points

Appleby had a 65 in the final round at Muirfield in 2002 to join Steve Elkington, Thomas Levet and Ernie Els, the eventual winner, in an extra four holes but he bogeyed two of them to drop out of contention. Has had three top-20 finishes at the Open as well.

96: Reginald Horne, Eng, 105 points

A runner-up at the 1947 Open at Hoylake, Horne was one stroke behind Fred Daly. He had three top-20 finishes but never challenged so closely again.