Men's major golf championships

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The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the major championships, [1] and often referred to simply as the majors, are the most prestigious tournaments in golf. Historically, the national open and amateur championships of Great Britain and the United States were regarded as the majors. With the rise of professional golf in the middle of the twentieth century, the majors came to refer to the most prestigious professional tournaments.

Contents

In modern men's professional golf, there are four globally recognized major championships. Since 2019, the order of competition dates are as follows:

Overview

MajorMonthWeekend [2] LocationOrganized byCountryPurseWinner's share
in 2024 (US$ million)
Masters Tournament AprilWeekend ending second Sunday in April Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia United States20.03.60 [3]
PGA Championship MayOne week before U.S. Memorial Day weekendvarious PGA of America United States18.53.33 [4]
U.S. Open JuneWeekend ending third Sunday in June, or U.S. Father's Day various United States Golf Association United States21.54.30 [5]
The Open Championship JulyWeek containing the third Friday in Julyvarious (selected links courses within the rotation) The R&A United Kingdom17.03.10 [6]

History

The majors originally consisted of two British tournaments, The Open Championship and The Amateur Championship, and two American tournaments, the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur. With the introduction of the Masters Tournament in 1934, and the rise of professional golf in the late 1940s and 1950s, the term "major championships" eventually came to describe the Masters, the U.S. Open, the Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. It is difficult to determine when the definition changed to include the current four tournaments, although many trace it to Arnold Palmer's 1960 season. After winning the Masters and the U.S. Open to start the season, he remarked that if he could win the Open Championship and PGA Championship to finish the season, he would complete "a grand slam of his own" to rival Bobby Jones's 1930 feat. Until that time, many U.S. players such as Byron Nelson also considered the Western Open and the North and South Open as two of golf's "majors", [7] and the British PGA Matchplay Championship was as important to British and Commonwealth professionals as the PGA Championship was to Americans.

During the 1950s, the short-lived World Championship of Golf was viewed as a "major" by its competitors, as its first prize was worth almost ten times any other event in the game, and it was the first event whose finale was televised live on U.S. television. The oldest of the majors is The Open Championship, commonly referred to as the "British Open" outside the United Kingdom. Dominated by American champions in the 1920s and 1930s, the comparative explosion in the riches available on the U.S. Tour from the 1940s onwards meant that the lengthy overseas trip needed to qualify and compete in the event became increasingly prohibitive for the leading American professionals. Their regular participation dwindled after the war years. Ben Hogan entered just once in 1953 and won, but never returned. Sam Snead won in 1946 but lost money on the trip (first prize was $600) and did not return until 1962.

Golf writer Dan Jenkins, who was often seen as the world authority on majors since he had attended more (200+) than anyone else, once noted that "the pros didn't talk much about majors back then. I think it was Herbert Warren Wind who starting using the term. He said golfers had to be judged by the major tournaments they won, but it's not like there was any set number of major tournaments." [8]

In 1960, Arnold Palmer entered The Open Championship in an attempt to emulate Hogan's 1953 feat of winning on his first visit. Though a runner-up by a stroke in his first attempt, Palmer returned and won the next two in 1961 and 1962. Scheduling difficulties persisted with the PGA Championship, but more Americans began competing in the 1960s, restoring the event's prestige (and with it the prize money that once made it an attractive prospect to other American pros). The advent of transatlantic jet travel helped to boost American participation in The Open. A discussion between Palmer and Pittsburgh golf writer Bob Drum led to the concept of the modern Grand Slam of Golf. [9]

In August 2017, after the previous year's edition was scheduled earlier due to golf at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the PGA of America announced that the PGA Championship would be moved to late-May beginning in 2019, in between the Masters and U.S. Open. The PGA Tour concurrently announced that it would move the Players Championship back to March the same year; as a result, the Players and the four majors will still be played across five consecutive months. [10] [11]

Importance

The four majors – the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and the Open Championship – are golf's most prestigious events. Elite players from all over the world participate in them, and the reputations of the greatest players in golf history are largely based on the number and variety of major championship victories they accumulate. Winning a major boosts a player's career far more than winning any other tournament. If he is already a leading player, he will probably receive large bonuses from his sponsors and may be able to negotiate better contracts. If he is an unknown, he will immediately be signed up. Perhaps more importantly, he will receive an exemption from the need to annually re-qualify for a tour card on his home tour, thus giving a tournament golfer some security in an unstable profession. He also is automatically invited to every other major championship for the next five years, and receives an exemption into the major he just won as well; depending on the major won, he can receive at minimum a 10-year exemption, and at maximum a lifetime exemption into the major. [12] Currently, both the PGA Tour and European Tour give a five-year exemption to all major winners and they receive the highest priority in those rankings.

Independent organizations, and not the PGA Tour, operate each of the majors. Three of the four majors take place in the United States. The Masters is played at the same course, Augusta National Golf Club, every year, while the other three rotate courses (the Open Championship, however, is always played on a links course). Each of the majors has a distinct history, and they are run by four separate golf organizations, but their special status is recognized worldwide. Major championship winners receive the maximum possible allocation of 100 points from the Official World Golf Ranking, which is endorsed by all of the main tours, and major championship prize money is official on the three richest regular (i.e. under-50) golf tours, the PGA Tour, European Tour and Japan Golf Tour.

The top prizes of each of the majors are not actually the largest in golf, being surpassed by The Players Championship, three of the four World Golf Championships events (the HSBC Champions, promoted to WGC status in 2009, has a top prize comparable to that of the majors), and some other invitational events. The Players Championship historically has offered a prize pool as large as or larger than the majors, because the PGA Tour wants its most important event to be as attractive. [13] Although the majors are considered prestigious due to their history and traditions, besides The Players there are still other non-"major" tournaments which prominently feature top players competing for purses meeting or exceeding those of the four traditional majors, such as the European Tour's DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, [13] and World Golf Championships. With its large prize fund of any golf event and role as PGA Tour's flagship tournament, The Players is frequently considered to be an unofficial "fifth major" by players and critics. After the announcement that the Evian Masters would be recognized as the fifth women's major by the LPGA Tour, players objected to the concept of having a fifth men's major, owing to the long-standing traditions that the existing four have established. [14] [15]

Distinctive characteristics of majors

Because each major was developed and is run by a different organization, each has characteristics that sets it apart. These involve the character of the courses used, the composition of the field, and other idiosyncrasies.

Television coverage

United Kingdom

EventNetworks
Masters Tournament Sky Sports
PGA Championship
U.S. Open
The Open Championship

In the United Kingdom, historically all four majors were broadcast on free to air TV. ITV has not broadcast live golf for many years. The BBC used to be the exclusive TV home of the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open and the Open Championship. By the early years of the first decade of the 21st century, only the Masters and Open Championship were broadcast live on the BBC. From 2011 onwards Sky Sports has exclusive live coverage of the first two days of the Masters, with the weekend rounds shared with the BBC. The U.S. Open is shown exclusively on Sky Sports. Beginning in 2016, Sky Sports also became the exclusive broadcaster of the Open Championship; the BBC elected to forego the final year of its contract. [21] The BBC continues to hold rights to broadcast a nightly highlights programme. [22]

Sky also held rights to the PGA Championship, but in July 2017, it was reported that the PGA of America had declined to renew its contract, seeking a different media model for the tournament in the United Kingdom. [23] The 2017 tournament was aired by the BBC (via BBC Red Button, with the conclusion of coverage on BBC Two) and streamed by GiveMeSport (via Facebook Live). [24] [25] Eleven Sports UK & Ireland acquired the event for 2018, as one of the first events covered by the newly launched streaming service. [26]

United States

EventNetworks
Masters Tournament ESPN/CBS
PGA Championship
U.S. Open USA Network/NBC
The Open Championship

As none of the majors fall under the direct jurisdiction of tours, broadcast rights for these events are negotiated separately with each sanctioning body. However, as of 2020, network television coverage of all four tournaments is split equally between the PGA Tour's two main television partners, CBS and NBC.

The Masters operates under one-year contracts; CBS has been the main TV partner every year since 1956, with ESPN broadcasting CBS-produced coverage of the first and second rounds since 2008 (replacing USA Network, which had shown the event since the early 1980s). [27]

Beginning in 1966, ABC obtained the broadcast rights for the other three majors and held them for a quarter century. The PGA Championship moved to CBS in 1991 and the U.S. Open returned to NBC in 1995. [28] [29] ABC retained The Open Championship as its sole major, but moved its live coverage on the weekend to sister cable network ESPN in 2010. In June 2015, it was announced that NBC and Golf Channel would acquire rights to the Open Championship under a 12-year deal. [30] While the NBC deal was originally to take effect in 2017, ESPN chose to opt out of its final year of Open rights, so the NBC contract took effect beginning in 2016 instead. [21]

As of 2020, NBC and Golf Channel hold broadcast rights to the U.S. Open and other USGA events, replacing Fox Sports — which had assumed the rights in 2015 under a 12-year contract, but withdrew and sold the remainder of the rights to NBC in June 2020. [31] [32]

As of 2020, CBS and ESPN hold the broadcast rights to the PGA Championship, under a new contract that replaces TNT as the tournament's cable partner. [33]

In November 2021, NBC announced that early round and early-weekend coverage of the U.S. Open and the Open Championship would move from Golf Channel to USA Network beginning in 2022. [34]

Major championship winners

Jack Nicklaus won a record 18 major championships. JackNicklaus.jpg
Jack Nicklaus won a record 18 major championships.

Records

Scoring records

Winning total (aggregate)

The aggregate scoring records for each major are tabulated below, listed in order of when the majors are scheduled annually.

DateTournamentPlayerRoundsScoreTo par
Nov 15, 2020 Masters Tournament Flag of the United States.svg Dustin Johnson 65-70-65-68268−20
May 19, 2024 PGA Championship Flag of the United States.svg Xander Schauffele 62-68-68-65263−21
Jun 19, 2011 U.S. Open Ulster Banner.svg Rory McIlroy 65-66-68-69268−16
Jul 17, 2016 The Open Championship Flag of Sweden.svg Henrik Stenson 68-65-68-63264−20

Winning total (to par)

The scoring records to par for each major are tabulated below, listed in order of when the majors are scheduled annually.

DateTournamentPlayerRoundsScoreTo par
Nov 15, 2020 Masters Tournament Flag of the United States.svg Dustin Johnson 65-70-65-68268−20
May 19, 2024 PGA Championship Flag of the United States.svg Xander Schauffele 62-68-68-65263−21
Jun 19, 2011 U.S. Open Ulster Banner.svg Rory McIlroy 65-66-68-69268−16
Jun 18, 2017 Flag of the United States.svg Brooks Koepka 67-70-68-67272
Jul 17, 2016 The Open Championship Flag of Sweden.svg Henrik Stenson 68-65-68-63264−20
Jul 17, 2022 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cameron Smith 67-64-73-64268

Largest margins of victory

Major championships have been won by a margin of nine strokes or greater on eight occasions. On a further eight occasions, majors have been won by a margin of eight strokes; this includes Rory McIlroy's victory in the 2012 PGA Championship at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, which is the PGA Championship event record. [35]

NationalityPlayerMarginMajorCourse
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Tiger Woods 15 2000 U.S. Open Pebble Beach
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Old Tom Morris 13 1862 Open Championship Prestwick
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Young Tom Morris 12 1870 Open Championship Prestwick
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Tiger Woods 12 1997 Masters Augusta National
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Young Tom Morris 11 1869 Open Championship Prestwick
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Willie Smith 11 1899 U.S. Open Baltimore
Flag of England.svg  England Jim Barnes 9 1921 U.S. Open Columbia
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Jack Nicklaus 9 1965 Masters Augusta National

Single round records

The record for a single round in a major championship is 62, which was first recorded by South African golfer Branden Grace in the third round of the 2017 Open Championship and equaled by Americans Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele in the first round of the 2023 U.S. Open. In the first round of the 2024 PGA Championship, Schauffele became the first player to have multiple rounds of 62 in major championships. In the third round of that same tournament, Shane Lowry became the fourth player to record a 62 at a major championship after missing a birdie putt on the 18th hole that was for a 61

Consecutive victories

NationalityPlayerMajor#Years
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Young Tom Morris The Open Championship 41868, 1869, 1870, 1872 [a]
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Walter Hagen PGA Championship 41924, 1925, 1926, 1927
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Jamie Anderson The Open Championship31877, 1878, 1879
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Bob Ferguson The Open Championship31880, 1881, 1882
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Willie Anderson U.S. Open 31903, 1904, 1905
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Peter Thomson The Open Championship31954, 1955, 1956
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Old Tom Morris The Open Championship21861, 1862
Flag of Jersey.svg  Jersey Harry Vardon The Open Championship21898, 1899
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland James Braid The Open Championship21905, 1906
Flag of England.svg  England John Henry Taylor The Open Championship21894, 1895
Flag of the United States.svg  United States John McDermott U.S. Open21911, 1912
Flag of England.svg  England Jim Barnes PGA Championship21916, 1919 [a]
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Gene Sarazen PGA Championship21922, 1923
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Bobby Jones The Open Championship21926, 1927
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Walter Hagen The Open Championship21928, 1929
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Leo Diegel PGA Championship21928, 1929
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Bobby Jones U.S. Open21929, 1930
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Denny Shute PGA Championship21936, 1937
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Ralph Guldahl U.S. Open21937, 1938
Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg  South Africa Bobby Locke The Open Championship21949, 1950
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Ben Hogan U.S. Open21950, 1951
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Arnold Palmer The Open Championship21961, 1962
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Jack Nicklaus Masters Tournament 21965, 1966
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Lee Trevino The Open Championship21971, 1972
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Tom Watson The Open Championship21982, 1983
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Curtis Strange U.S. Open21988, 1989
Flag of England.svg  England Nick Faldo Masters Tournament21989, 1990
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Tiger Woods PGA Championship21999, 2000
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Tiger Woods Masters Tournament22001, 2002
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Tiger Woods The Open Championship22005, 2006
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Tiger Woods PGA Championship (2)22006, 2007
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland Pádraig Harrington The Open Championship22007, 2008
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Brooks Koepka U.S. Open22017, 2018
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Brooks Koepka PGA Championship22018, 2019

a These are consecutive because there was no The Open Championship in 1871 and no PGA Championship in 1917 and 1918.

Wire-to-wire victories

Players who have led or been tied for the lead after each round of a major.

Top ten finishes in all four modern majors in one season

It was rare, before the early 1960s, for the leading players from around the world to have the opportunity to compete in all four of the "modern" majors in one season, because of the different qualifying criteria used in each at the time, the costs of traveling to compete (in an era when tournament prize money was very low, and only the champion himself would earn the chance of ongoing endorsements), and on occasion even the conflicting scheduling of the Open and PGA Championships. In 1937, the U.S. Ryder Cup side all competed in The Open Championship, but of those who finished in the top ten of that event, only Ed Dudley could claim a "top ten" finish in all four of the majors in 1937, if his defeat in the last-16 round of that year's PGA Championship (then at match play) was considered a "joint 9th" position.

Following 1960, when Arnold Palmer's narrowly failed bid to add the Open Championship to his Masters and U.S. Open titles (and thus emulate Hogan's 1953 "triple crown") helped to establish the concept of the modern professional "Grand Slam", it has become commonplace for the leading players to be invited to, and indeed compete in, all four majors each year. Even so, those who have recorded top-ten finishes in all four, in a single year, remains a small and select group.

NationalityPlayerYearWinsMajor championship resultsLowest
placing
MastersU.S. OpenOpen Ch.PGA Ch.
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Ed Dudley 19370^3rd5th6thR16R16
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Arnold Palmer 19602112ndT7T7
Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg  South Africa Gary Player 19630T5T8T7T8T8
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Arnold Palmer (2)19660T42ndT8T6T8
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Doug Sanders 19660^T4T8T2T6T8
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Miller Barber 19690^7thT610thT510th
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Jack Nicklaus 19711T22ndT51T5
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Jack Nicklaus (2)19731T3T44th1T4
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Jack Nicklaus (3)19740T4T103rd2ndT10
Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg  South Africa Gary Player (2)197421T817thT8
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Hale Irwin 19750T4T3T9T5T9
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Jack Nicklaus (4)197521T7T31T7
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Tom Watson 19751T8T919thT9
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Jack Nicklaus (5)197702ndT102nd3rdT10
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Tom Watson (2)197721T71T6T7
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Tom Watson (3)19822T511T9T9
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Ben Crenshaw 19870T4T4T4T7T7
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Tiger Woods 200035th1115th
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Sergio García 200208th4thT810th10th
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Ernie Els 200402ndT92ndT4T9
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Phil Mickelson 2004112nd3rdT6T6
Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji Vijay Singh 20050T5T6T5T10T10
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Tiger Woods (2)2005212nd1T4T4
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Rickie Fowler 20140^T5T2T2T3T5
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Jordan Spieth 2015211T42ndT4
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Brooks Koepka 20191T22ndT41T4
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Jon Rahm 20211T51T3T8T8
Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy 202202ndT5388
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Xander Schauffele 202428T7118

^ Never won a regular tour major championship in his career.

On 14 of the 29 occasions the feat has been achieved, the player in question did not win a major that year – indeed, three of the players (Dudley, Sanders and Barber) failed to win a major championship in their careers (although Barber would go on to win five senior majors), and Fowler has also yet to win one.

Multiple victories in a calendar year

Four

  • 1930: Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Jones; The Open Championship, U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur Championship, The Amateur Championship

Three

  • 1953: Flag of the United States.svg Ben Hogan; Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, and The Open Championship; he was unable to play in both the Open Championship and the PGA Championship because the dates effectively overlapped.
  • 2000: Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods; U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and PGA Championship

Two

Masters and U.S. Open
Masters and Open Championship
Masters and PGA Championship
  • 1949: Flag of the United States.svg Sam Snead
  • 1956: Flag of the United States.svg Jack Burke Jr
  • 1963: Flag of the United States.svg Jack Nicklaus
  • 1975: Flag of the United States.svg Jack Nicklaus
U.S. Open and Open Championship
U.S. Open and PGA Championship
  • 1922: Flag of the United States.svg Gene Sarazen
  • 1948: Flag of the United States.svg Ben Hogan
  • 1980: Flag of the United States.svg Jack Nicklaus
  • 2018: Flag of the United States.svg Brooks Koepka
Open Championship and PGA Championship

Consecutive victories (spanning years)

Four

  • 1868–1872: Flag of Scotland.svg Young Tom Morris 1868 Open, 1869 Open, 1870 Open, 1872 Open (No Open Championship played in 1871)
  • 1930: Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Jones 1930 Amateur, 1930 Open, 1930 U.S. Open, 1930 U.S. Amateur
  • 2000–01: Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods 2000 U.S. Open, 2000 Open, 2000 PGA, 2001 Masters

Three

Two

Note: The order in which the majors were contested varied between 1895 and 1953. Before 1916, the PGA Championship did not exist; Before 1934, the Masters did not exist. From 1954 through 2018, the order of the majors was Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, PGA except in 1971, when the PGA was played before the Masters. From 2019, the order has been Masters, PGA, U.S. Open, Open Championship.

  • 1861–62: Flag of Scotland.svg Old Tom Morris 1861 Open, 1862 Open
  • 1894–95: Flag of England.svg J.H. Taylor 1894 Open, 1895 Open
  • 1920–21: Flag of Scotland.svg Jock Hutchison 1920 PGA, 1921 Open (The Open Championship was the first major contested in 1921)
  • 1921–22: Flag of the United States.svg Walter Hagen 1921 PGA, 1922 Open (The Open Championship was the first major contested in 1922)
  • 1922: Flag of the United States.svg Gene Sarazen 1922 U.S. Open, 1922 PGA
  • 1924: Flag of the United States.svg Walter Hagen 1924 Open, 1924 PGA
  • 1926: Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Jones 1926 Open, 1926 U.S. Open (The Open Championship was played before the U.S. Open in 1926)
  • 1927–28: Flag of the United States.svg Walter Hagen 1927 PGA, 1928 Open (The Open Championship was the first major contested in 1928)
  • 1930–31: Flag of Scotland.svg Tommy Armour 1930 PGA, 1931 Open (The Open Championship was the first major contested in 1931)
  • 1932: Flag of the United States.svg Gene Sarazen 1932 Open, 1932 U.S. Open (The Open Championship was the first major contested in 1932, followed by the U.S. Open)
  • 1941: Flag of the United States.svg Craig Wood 1941 Masters, 1941 U.S. Open
  • 1948: Flag of the United States.svg Ben Hogan 1948 PGA, 1948 U.S. Open (The PGA was played between the Masters and U.S. Open in 1948)
  • 1949: Flag of the United States.svg Sam Snead 1949 Masters, 1949 PGA (As in 1948, the 1949 PGA was played between the Masters and U.S. Open)
  • 1951: Flag of the United States.svg Ben Hogan 1951 Masters, 1951 U.S. Open
  • 1953: Flag of the United States.svg Ben Hogan; 1953 Masters, 1953 U.S. Open (The 1953 Open Championship, also won by Hogan, was actually concluded only 3 days after 1953 PGA; he chose not to play in the PGA because of the strain on his legs, and the conflict with the Open championship.)
  • 1960: Flag of the United States.svg Arnold Palmer 1960 Masters, 1960 U.S. Open
  • 1971: Flag of the United States.svg Lee Trevino 1971 U.S. Open, 1971 Open
  • 1972: Flag of the United States.svg Jack Nicklaus 1972 Masters, 1972 U.S. Open (The 1971 PGA, also won by Nicklaus, was not consecutive due to being played before the Masters in 1971)
  • 1982: Flag of the United States.svg Tom Watson 1982 U.S. Open, 1982 Open
  • 1994: Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Nick Price 1994 Open, 1994 PGA
  • 2002: Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods 2002 Masters, 2002 U.S. Open
  • 2005–06: Flag of the United States.svg Phil Mickelson 2005 PGA, 2006 Masters
  • 2006: Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods 2006 Open, 2006 PGA
  • 2008: Flag of Ireland.svg Pádraig Harrington 2008 Open, 2008 PGA
  • 2014: Ulster Banner.svg Rory McIlroy 2014 Open, 2014 PGA
  • 2015: Flag of the United States.svg Jordan Spieth 2015 Masters, 2015 U.S. Open

Most runner-up finishes

For the purposes of this section a runner-up is defined as someone who either (i) tied for the lead after 72 holes (or 36 holes in the case of the early championships) but lost the playoff or (ii) finished alone or in a tie for second place. In a few instances players have been involved in a playoff for the win or for second place prize money and have ended up taking the third prize (e.g. 1870 Open Championship, 1966 Masters Tournament). For match play PGA Championships up to 1957 the runner-up is the losing finalist.

Along with his record 18 major victories, Jack Nicklaus also holds the record for most runner-up finishes in major championships, with 19, including a record 7 at the Open Championship. Phil Mickelson has the second most with 12 runner-up finishes after the 2023 Masters, which includes a record 6 runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open, the one major he has never won. Nicklaus and Mickelson are the only golfers with multiple runner-up finishes in all four majors. Arnold Palmer had 10 second places, including 3 in the major he never won, the PGA Championship. There have been three golfers with 8 runner-up finishes – Sam Snead, Greg Norman and Tom Watson. Norman shares the distinction of having lost playoffs in each of the four majors with Craig Wood (who lost the 1934 PGA final – at match play – on the second extra hole).

Most runner-up finishes without a victory

a Crampton was second to Jack Nicklaus on each occasion.

Most appearances

StartsNameCountryWinsSpan
164 Jack Nicklaus Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 181957–2005
150 Gary Player Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 91956–2009
145 Tom Watson Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 81970–2016
142 Arnold Palmer Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 71953–2004
127 Raymond Floyd Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 41963–2009
125 Phil Mickelson Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 61990–2024
118 Sam Snead Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 71937–1983
117 Ben Crenshaw Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 21970–2015
115 Gene Sarazen Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 71920–1976
111 Bernhard Langer Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 21976–2023
110 Mark O'Meara Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 21980–2018
109 Tom Kite Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 11970–2004
108 Ernie Els Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 41989–2024
105 Fred Couples Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 11979–2024
101 Davis Love III Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 11986–2020
Sandy Lyle Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 21974–2023
Vijay Singh Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji 31989–2024
100 Nick Faldo Flag of England.svg  England 61976–2015

Lee Westwood holds the record for the most major championship appearances without a victory, with 91 starts. [36] [37]

See also

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The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open national championship of golf in the United States. It is the third of the four men's major golf championships, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. Since 1898 the competition has been 72 holes of stroke play, with the winner being the player with the lowest total number of strokes. It is staged by the United States Golf Association (USGA) in mid-June, scheduled so that, if there are no weather delays, the final round is played on the third Sunday. The U.S. Open is staged at a variety of courses, set up in such a way that scoring is very difficult, with a premium placed on accurate driving. As of 2024, the U.S. Open awards a $21.5 million purse, the largest of all four major championships.

The Grand Slam in professional golf is winning all of golf's major championships in the same calendar year. The only player who has accomplished a similar feat is Bobby Jones in 1930, winning the four major tournaments of that era open to amateurs: the British Amateur, the British Open, the United States Open, and the United States Amateur. Modern variations include a Career Grand Slam: winning all of the major tournaments within a player's career and the Tiger Slam: winning four consecutive major titles but not in the same calendar year.

The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major golf championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Nicklaus</span> American professional golfer (born 1940)

Jack William Nicklaus, nicknamed "the Golden Bear", is an American retired professional golfer and golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tournaments in his career. Over a quarter-century, he won a record 18 major championships, three more than second-placed Tiger Woods. Nicklaus focused on the major championships—the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship—and played a selective schedule of regular PGA Tour events. He competed in 164 major tournaments, more than any other player, and finished with 73 PGA Tour victories, third behind Sam Snead (82) and Woods (82).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Trevino</span> American professional golfer

Lee Buck Trevino is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Trevino won six major championships and 29 PGA Tour events over the course of his career. He is one of only four players to twice win the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. The Masters Tournament was the only major that eluded him. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "the Merry Mex" and "Supermex," both affectionate nicknames given to him by other golfers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Watson (golfer)</span> American golfer

Thomas Sturges Watson is an American retired professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour.

The U.S. Women's Open, one of 15 national golf championships conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), is the oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships, which includes the Chevron Championship, Women's PGA Championship, Women's Open Championship, and The Evian Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Miller</span> American former professional golfer (born 1947)

John Laurence Miller is an American former professional golfer. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 U.S. Open, and he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. Miller won 25 PGA Tour events, including two majors. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998. He was the lead golf analyst for NBC Sports, a position he held from January 1990 to February 2019. He is also an active golf course architect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Tournament</span> Golf tournament held in Columbus, Ohio, United States

The Memorial Tournament is a PGA Tour golf tournament founded in 1976 by Jack Nicklaus. It is played on a Nicklaus-designed course at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb north of Columbus. The golf course passes through a large neighborhood called Muirfield Village, which includes a 1999 bronze sculpture of Nicklaus mentoring a young golfer located in the wide median of Muirfield Drive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Senior Open</span> One of the five major championships in senior golf

The U.S. Senior Open is one of the five major championships in senior golf, introduced 44 years ago in 1980. It is administered by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and is recognized as a major championship by both the PGA Tour Champions and the European Senior Tour. The lower age limit was 55 in 1980, but it was lowered to 50 for the second edition in 1981, which is the standard limit for men's senior professional golf tournaments. By definition, the event is open to amateurs, but has been dominated by professionals; through 2022, all editions have been won by pros. Like other USGA championships, it has been played on many courses throughout the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pebble Beach Golf Links</span> Public golf course in California, U.S.

Pebble Beach Golf Links is a public golf course on the west coast of the United States, located in Pebble Beach, California.

The following is a partial timeline of the history of golf.

The 1953 U.S. Open was the 53rd U.S. Open, held June 11–13 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, a suburb northeast of Pittsburgh. Ben Hogan won a record-tying fourth U.S. Open title, six strokes ahead of runner-up Sam Snead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PGA Tour</span> Golf tour in the United States

The PGA Tour is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, as well as the PGA Tour Champions and the Korn Ferry Tour, as well as the PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour Latinoamérica, and formerly the PGA Tour China. The PGA Tour is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, a suburb southeast of Jacksonville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 U.S. Open (golf)</span> Golf tournament

The 2015 United States Open Championship was the 115th U.S. Open, played June 18–21, 2015 at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington, southwest of Tacoma on the shore of Puget Sound. Jordan Spieth won his first U.S. Open and consecutive major titles, one stroke ahead of runners-up Dustin Johnson and Louis Oosthuizen. This was the first U.S. Open televised by Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports, launching a 12-year contract with the United States Golf Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 U.S. Open (golf)</span> 122nd U.S. Open - golf

The 2022 United States Open Championship was the 122nd U.S. Open, the national open golf championship of the United States. It was a 72-hole stroke play tournament that was played between June 16–19 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, a suburb west of Boston. It was the club's fourth U.S. Open, having been held there in 1913, 1963, and 1988.

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