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The men's major golf championships, often referred to simply as "the majors", are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf. In order of their playing date, the current majors are:
- April - Masters Tournament (weekend ending 2nd Sunday in April) - hosted as an invitational by and played at Augusta National Golf Club in the U.S. state of Georgia.
- June - U.S. Open (weekend ending with the 3rd Sunday in June) - hosted by the USGA and played at various locations in the U.S.
- July - The Open Championship (weekend containing the 3rd Friday in July) - hosted by The R&A, an offshoot of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, and always played on a links course at one of nine various locations in the UK. In the US, this tournament is often called The British Open.
- August - PGA Championship (4th weekend after the Open Championship) - hosted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and played at various locations in the U.S.
Importance
Alongside the biennial Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team competitions, the majors are golf's marquee 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 of major championship victories they accumulate. The top prizes are not actually the largest in golf, being surpassed by the Players Championship, three of the four World Golf Championships events (the HSBC Champions, newly promoted to WGC status in 2009, has a top prize comparable to that of the majors), and one or two invitational events, but 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 requalify for a tour card on his home tour, thus giving a tournament golfer some security in an unstable profession. Currently, the PGA Tour gives a five-year exemption to all major winners.
Three of the four majors take place in the United States. The Masters (often known as the "U.S. Masters" outside North America) 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 different 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 Rankings, which are endorsed by all of the main tours, and major championship prize money is official on the three richest regular (ie under-50) golf tours, the PGA Tour, European Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
In recent years, the Players Championship, which was held two weeks before the Masters, has started to be called "the fifth major" by elements of the American media. This has not been publicly encouraged by golf authorities, but the tournament does attract a similar strength of field. With "The Players" move to mid-May in 2007, some people believe that the Players should be considered a de facto major championship, even if it's not considered part of "the grand slam". However, the idea of increasing the number of recognised "majors" from four to five has never attracted any popularity - possibly because tennis, from which the concept of the "Grand Slam" was copied - has only ever retained its own four "Grand Slam" championships. In addition to the TPC, three World Golf Championship events were established in 1999 and a fourth WGC individual event was added in 2009, bringing to nine the total number of events in which all of the world's top 50 players compete against each other every year, but so far none but the four established "majors" have been recognised as such either in prestige or in recognition (ie invitations to future events), despite the prize money available.
History
The majors originally consisted of the Open Championship, the British Amateur or The Amateur Championship, 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 (U.S.) 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, when 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 also considered the Western Open as one of golf's "majors", 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 certainly 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, which is usually 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 compete in the event became increasingly prohibitive for the leading American professionals and their regular participation dwindled after the war years (Ben Hogan, for example, entered just once after the war, winning in 1953). However, in 1960, Arnold Palmer entered in an attempt to emulate Hogan's 1953 feat of winning on his first visit, and although unsuccessful, began competing regularly thereafter, restoring the event's prestige (and with it the prize money that once again made it an attractive prospect to other American pros). The advent of transatlantic jet travel in that period also 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.[1]
Television coverage
Because none of the majors falls under the direct jurisdiction of any professional golf tour, television rights are negotiated separately from those of the tours, and were not affected by the new deals involving the PGA Tour that took effect in 2007.
The U.S. Open is shown on NBC and ESPN under a contract that ends in 2010. ESPN on ABC and TNT aired The Open Championship through the 2009 event. Starting in 2010, ESPN will have exclusive U.S. rights to The Open Championship, marking the first time in the television era that a major championship will not be aired on one of the country's major over-the-air broadcast networks. CBS and TNT have long-term deals for the PGA Championship. The Masters operates under one-year contracts; CBS has been the main TV partner every year since 1956, with ESPN televising the first and second rounds effective with the 2008 tourney, replacing USA Network, which had shown the event since the early 1980s. ABC and USA no longer carry any other men's pro golf tournaments, and TNT shows no other events.
In the United Kingdom, the BBC is the exclusive TV home of the Masters Tournament and the Open Championship. The U.S. Open and PGA Championship are shown on Sky Sports, however, PGA Tour events are shown on British Eurosport.
Distinct characteristics of majors
Because each major developed and is run by different organizations, they each have different characteristics that set them apart. These involve the character of the courses used, the composition of the field, and other idiosyncrasies.
- The Masters is the only major that is played at the same course every year (Augusta National), being the invitational tournament of that club. The Masters invites the smallest field of the majors, generally under 100 players (although, like all the majors, it now ensures entry for all golfers among the World's top 50 prior to the event). Former champions have a lifetime invitation to compete, and also included in the field are the current champions of the major amateur championships, and most of the previous year's PGA Tour winners (winners of Fall Series events or "alternate" events held opposite a high-profile tournament do not receive automatic invitations). The traditions of Augusta, such as the awarding of a green jacket to the champion, create a distinctive character for the tournament, as does the course itself, with its lack of rough but severely undulating fairways and greens, and punitive use of lakes and creeks on several key holes on the back nine.
- The U.S. Open is notorious for being played on difficult courses that have tight fairways, challenging greens, demanding pin positions and thick and high rough, placing a great premium on accuracy, especially with driving and approach play. The U.S. Open is rarely won with a score much under par (although it is often played around courses where the severity of the test might suggest par itself has been set at a punitively low level). The event is the championship of the USGA, and in having a very strict exempt qualifiers list - made up of recent major champions, professionals currently ranked high in the world rankings or on the previous year's money lists around the world, and leading amateurs from recent USGA events - about half of the 156-person field still enters the tournament through open qualification events, mostly held in the U.S. but also in Europe and Japan. The U.S. Open has no barrier to entry for either women or junior players, as long as they meet the entry criteria for the qualifying sections. As of 2009, however, no female golfer has yet to qualify for the U.S. Open. Also, the U.S. Open has a unique playoff system in that it requires all tied players to play an additional full round of golf (the other majors have three- or four-hole playoffs, and most regular events have simple sudden death playoffs.)
- The Open Championship is organised by The R&A, an offshoot of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, and has always been played on a links-style course in Britain or Northern Ireland (all of the courses on the current planned "rota" are in Scotland and England). It carries the prestige of being the original "Open" championship (although ironically the very first event was held only for British professionals) and is respected for maintaining the tradition of links play that dates back to the very invention of the game, in Scotland. This is typified by courses that, being coastal, tend to be flat and often very windswept, with the fairways cut through very high dune grass and gorse bushes that make up the "rough", and have very deep bunkers. As well as exempting from qualifying recent professional major and amateur champions and leading players from the world rankings, the R&A ensures that leading golfers from around the globe are given the chance to enter by holding qualifying events on all continents, as well as holding final qualifying events around the UK in the weeks prior to the main tournament. Several recent champions have been relatively unknown players who came through one of these qualifying routes. The champion receives (and has his name inscribed on the base of) the famous "Claret Jug", a trophy that dates back to 1872 (champions from 1860 until 1871 received instead a championship "belt", much like a champion professional boxer's belt nowadays) and the engraving of the champions' name on the trophy prior to them receiving it is, in itself, one of the traditions of the closing ceremony of the championship, as is the award of the "silver medal" to the leading amateur player to have made the cut to play the last 36 holes.
- The PGA Championship is traditionally played at a parkland club in the United States, and the courses chosen tend to be as difficult (although not set up quite as punitively) as those chosen for the U.S. Open, with several, such as Oakland Hills and Winged Foot, having hosted both. The PGA of America generally enters into a profit-sharing agreement with the host club. As well as inviting recent professional major champions and leading professionals from the world rankings (the PGA has tended in recent years to extend invitations to all players among the world's top 100) the PGA Championship field is completed by qualifiers held among members of the PGA of America, the organization of club and teaching professionals that are separate from the members of the PGA Tour. The PGA Championship is also the only one of the four majors to invite all winners of PGA Tour events in the year preceding the tournament. Amateur golfers would not normally be featured in the PGA, unless their success in other events had lifted them high enough in the world rankings (there is no qualifying section open to amateurs) or by winning one of the other major championships (allowing an amateur to play every major championship for the remainder of the year plus 5 years after the win). One particular feature of the PGA tends to be the testing weather conditions - not the wind and rain that often accompany an Open Championship held in the British Isles in July, but the high heat and humidity that characterize the American climate in August.
Major Championship winners
For each golfer with more than one major championship victory, his total number of wins and the place of each win in his sequence are shown in parentheses. For example, Tiger Woods' win in the 2005 Masters was the ninth of his 14 major titles to date. There is a more detailed table for each tournament in its own article.
| Year | The Masters | U.S. Open | The Open Championship | PGA Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Augusta: April 8-11 | Pebble Beach: June 17-20 | St Andrews: July 15-18 | Whistling Straits: August 12-15 |
| 2009 |  Ángel Cabrera (2/2) |
 Lucas Glover |
Stewart Cink |
 Yang Yong-eun |
| 2008 |  Trevor Immelman |
Tiger Woods (14/14) |
 Pádraig Harrington (2/3) |
Pádraig Harrington (3/3) |
| 2007 | Zach Johnson |
Ángel Cabrera (1/2) |
Pádraig Harrington (1/3) |
Tiger Woods (13/14) |
| 2006 | Phil Mickelson (3/3) |
 Geoff Ogilvy |
Tiger Woods (11/14) |
Tiger Woods (12/14) |
| 2005 | Tiger Woods (9/14) |
 Michael Campbell |
Tiger Woods (10/14) |
Phil Mickelson (2/3) |
| 2004 | Phil Mickelson (1/3) |
Retief Goosen (2/2) |
Todd Hamilton |
 Vijay Singh (3/3) |
| 2003 |  Mike Weir |
Jim Furyk |
Ben Curtis |
Shaun Micheel |
| 2002 | Tiger Woods (7/14) |
Tiger Woods (8/14) |
Ernie Els (3/3) |
Rich Beem |
| 2001 | Tiger Woods (6/14) |
Retief Goosen (1/2) |
David Duval |
David Toms |
| 2000 | Vijay Singh (2/3) |
Tiger Woods (3/14) |
Tiger Woods (4/14) |
Tiger Woods (5/14) |
| 1999 |  José María Olazábal (2/2) |
Payne Stewart (3/3) |
 Paul Lawrie |
Tiger Woods (2/14) |
| 1998 | Mark O'Meara (1/2) |
Lee Janzen (2/2) |
Mark O'Meara (2/2) |
Vijay Singh (1/3) |
| 1997 | Tiger Woods (1/14) |
Ernie Els (2/3) |
Justin Leonard |
Davis Love III |
| 1996 |  Nick Faldo (6/6) |
Steve Jones |
Tom Lehman |
Mark Brooks |
| 1995 | Ben Crenshaw (2/2) |
Corey Pavin |
John Daly (2/2) |
Steve Elkington |
| 1994 | José María Olazábal (1/2) |
Ernie Els (1/3) |
 Nick Price (2/3) |
Nick Price (3/3) |
| 1993 |  Bernhard Langer (2/2) |
Lee Janzen (1/2) |
Greg Norman (2/2) |
Paul Azinger |
| 1992 | Fred Couples |
Tom Kite |
Nick Faldo (5/6) |
Nick Price (1/3) |
| 1991 |  Ian Woosnam |
Payne Stewart (2/3) |
Ian Baker-Finch |
John Daly (1/2) |
| 1990 | Nick Faldo (3/6) |
Hale Irwin (3/3) |
Nick Faldo (4/6) |
Wayne Grady |
| 1989 | Nick Faldo (2/6) |
Curtis Strange (2/2) |
Mark Calcavecchia |
Payne Stewart (1/3) |
| 1988 | Sandy Lyle (2/2) |
Curtis Strange (1/2) |
Seve Ballesteros (5/5) |
Jeff Sluman |
| 1987 | Larry Mize |
Scott Simpson |
Nick Faldo (1/6) |
Larry Nelson (3/3) |
| 1986 | Jack Nicklaus (18/18) |
Raymond Floyd (4/4) |
Greg Norman (1/2) |
Bob Tway |
| 1985 | Bernhard Langer (1/2) |
Andy North (2/2) |
Sandy Lyle (1/2) |
Hubert Green (2/2) |
| 1984 | Ben Crenshaw (1/2) |
Fuzzy Zoeller (2/2) |
Seve Ballesteros (4/5) |
Lee Trevino (6/6) |
| 1983 | Seve Ballesteros (3/5) |
Larry Nelson (2/3) |
Tom Watson (8/8) |
Hal Sutton |
| 1982 | Craig Stadler |
Tom Watson (6/8) |
Tom Watson (7/8) |
Raymond Floyd (3/4) |
| 1981 | Tom Watson (5/8) |
David Graham (2/2) |
Bill Rogers |
Larry Nelson (1/3) |
| 1980 | Seve Ballesteros (2/5) |
Jack Nicklaus (16/18) |
Tom Watson (4/8) |
Jack Nicklaus (17/18) |
| 1979 | Fuzzy Zoeller (1/2) |
Hale Irwin (2/3) |
Seve Ballesteros (1/5) |
David Graham (1/2) |
| 1978 |  Gary Player (9/9) |
Andy North (1/2) |
Jack Nicklaus (15/18) |
John Mahaffey |
| 1977 | Tom Watson (2/8) |
Hubert Green (1/2) |
Tom Watson (3/8) |
Lanny Wadkins |
| 1976 | Raymond Floyd (2/4) |
Jerry Pate |
Johnny Miller (2/2) |
Dave Stockton (2/2) |
| 1975 | Jack Nicklaus (13/18) |
Lou Graham |
Tom Watson (1/8) |
Jack Nicklaus (14/18) |
| 1974 | Gary Player (7/9) |
Hale Irwin (1/3) |
Gary Player (8/9) |
Lee Trevino (5/6) |
| 1973 | Tommy Aaron |
Johnny Miller (1/2) |
Tom Weiskopf |
Jack Nicklaus (12/18) |
| 1972 | Jack Nicklaus (10/18) |
Jack Nicklaus (11/18) |
Lee Trevino (4/6) |
Gary Player (6/9) |
| 1971 | Charles Coody |
Lee Trevino (2/6) |
Lee Trevino (3/6) |
Jack Nicklaus (9/18) |
| 1970 | Billy Casper (3/3) |
Tony Jacklin (2/2) |
Jack Nicklaus (8/18) |
Dave Stockton (1/2) |
| 1969 | George Archer |
Orville Moody |
Tony Jacklin (1/2) |
Raymond Floyd (1/4) |
| 1968 | Bob Goalby |
Lee Trevino (1/6) |
Gary Player (5/9) |
Julius Boros (3/3) |
| 1967 | Gay Brewer |
Jack Nicklaus (7/18) |
Roberto DeVicenzo |
Don January |
| 1966 | Jack Nicklaus (5/18) |
Billy Casper (2/3) |
Jack Nicklaus (6/18) |
Al Geiberger |
| 1965 | Jack Nicklaus (4/18) |
Gary Player (4/9) |
Peter Thomson (5/5) |
Dave Marr |
| 1964 | Arnold Palmer (7/7) |
Ken Venturi |
Tony Lema |
Bobby Nichols |
| 1963 | Jack Nicklaus (2/18) |
Julius Boros (2/3) |
Bob Charles |
Jack Nicklaus (3/18) |
| 1962 | Arnold Palmer (5/7) |
Jack Nicklaus (1/18) |
Arnold Palmer (6/7) |
Gary Player (3/9) |
| 1961 | Gary Player (2/9) |
Gene Littler |
Arnold Palmer (4/7) |
Jerry Barber |
| 1960 |  Arnold Palmer (2/7) |
Arnold Palmer (3/7) |
Kel Nagle |
Jay Hebert |
| 1959 |  Art Wall, Jr. |
Billy Casper (1/3) |
Gary Player (1/9) |
Bob Rosburg |
| 1958 | Arnold Palmer (1/7) |
Tommy Bolt |
Peter Thomson (4/5) |
Dow Finsterwald |
| 1957 | Doug Ford (2/2) |
Dick Mayer |
Bobby Locke (4/4) |
Lionel Hebert |
| 1956 | Jack Burke, Jr. (1/2) |
Cary Middlecoff (3/3) |
Peter Thomson (3/5) |
Jack Burke, Jr. (2/2) |
| 1955 | Cary Middlecoff (2/3) |
Jack Fleck |
Peter Thomson (2/5) |
Doug Ford (1/2) |
| 1954 | Sam Snead (7/7) |
Ed Furgol |
Peter Thomson (1/5) |
Chick Harbert |
| 1953 | Ben Hogan (7/9) |
Ben Hogan (8/9) |
Ben Hogan (9/9) |
Walter Burkemo |
| 1952 | Sam Snead (6/7) |
Julius Boros (1/3) |
Bobby Locke (3/4) |
Jim Turnesa |
| 1951 | Ben Hogan (5/9) |
Ben Hogan (6/9) |
Max Faulkner |
Sam Snead (5/7) |
| 1950 | Jimmy Demaret (3/3) |
Ben Hogan (4/9) |
Bobby Locke (2/4) |
Chandler Harper |
| 1949 | Sam Snead (3/7) |
Cary Middlecoff (1/3) |
Bobby Locke (1/4) |
Sam Snead (4/7) |
| 1948 | Claude Harmon |
Ben Hogan (2/9) |
Henry Cotton (3/3) |
Ben Hogan (3/9) |
| 1947 | Jimmy Demaret (2/3) |
Lew Worsham |
 Fred Daly |
Jim Ferrier |
| 1946 | Herman Keiser |
Lloyd Mangrum |
Sam Snead (2/7) |
Ben Hogan (1/9) |
| 1945 | No tournament (World War II) | No tournament (World War II) | No tournament (World War II) | Byron Nelson (5/5) |
| 1944 | No tournament (World War II) | No tournament (World War II) | No tournament (World War II) | Bob Hamilton |
| 1943 | No tournament (World War II) | No tournament (World War II) | No tournament (World War II) | No tournament (World War II) |
| 1942 | Byron Nelson (4/5) |
No tournament (World War II) | No tournament (World War II) | Sam Snead (1/7) |
| 1941 | Craig Wood (1/2) |
Craig Wood (2/2) |
No tournament (World War II) | Vic Ghezzi |
| 1940 | Jimmy Demaret (1/3) |
Lawson Little |
No tournament (World War II) | Byron Nelson (3/5) |
| 1939 | Ralph Guldahl (3/3) |
Byron Nelson (2/5) |
Richard Burton |
Henry Picard (2/2) |
| 1938 | Henry Picard (1/2) |
Ralph Guldahl (2/3) |
Reg Whitcombe |
Paul Runyan (2/2) |
| 1937 | Byron Nelson (1/5) |
Ralph Guldahl (1/3) |
Henry Cotton (2/3) |
Denny Shute (3/3) |
| 1936 | Horton Smith (2/2) |
Tony Manero |
Alf Padgham |
Denny Shute (2/3) |
| 1935 | Gene Sarazen (7/7) |
Sam Parks, Jr |
Alf Perry |
Johnny Revolta |
| 1934 | Horton Smith (1/2) |
Olin Dutra (2/2) |
Henry Cotton (1/3) |
Paul Runyan (1/2) |
| 1933 | Not yet founded | Johnny Goodman |
Denny Shute (1/3) |
Gene Sarazen (6/7) |
| 1932 | Not yet founded | Gene Sarazen (4/7) |
Gene Sarazen (5/7) |
Olin Dutra (1/2) |
| 1931 | Not yet founded | Billy Burke |
Tommy Armour (3/3) |
Tom Creavy |
| 1930 | Not yet founded | Bobby Jones (6/7) |
Bobby Jones (7/7) |
Tommy Armour (2/3) |
| 1929 | Not yet founded | Bobby Jones (5/7) |
Walter Hagen (11/11) |
Leo Diegel (2/2) |
| 1928 | Not yet founded | Johnny Farrell |
Walter Hagen (10/11) |
Leo Diegel (1/2) |
| 1927 | Not yet founded | Tommy Armour (1/3) |
Bobby Jones (4/7) |
Walter Hagen (9/11) |
| 1926 | Not yet founded | Bobby Jones (2/7) |
Bobby Jones (3/7) |
Walter Hagen (8/11) |
| 1925 | Not yet founded | Willie MacFarlane |
Jim Barnes (4/4) |
Walter Hagen (7/11) |
| 1924 | Not yet founded | Cyril Walker |
Walter Hagen (5/11) |
Walter Hagen (6/11) |
| 1923 | Not yet founded | Bobby Jones (1/7) |
Arthur Havers |
Gene Sarazen (3/7) |
| 1922 | Not yet founded | Gene Sarazen (1/7) |
Walter Hagen (4/11) |
Gene Sarazen (2/7) |
| 1921 | Not yet founded | Jim Barnes (3/4) |
Jock Hutchison (2/2) |
Walter Hagen (3/11) |
| 1920 | Not yet founded |  Ted Ray (2/2) |
George Duncan |
Jock Hutchison (1/2) |
| 1919 | Not yet founded | Walter Hagen (2/11) |
No tournament (World War I) | Jim Barnes (2/4) |
| 1918 | Not yet founded | No tournament (World War I) | No tournament (World War I) | No tournament (World War I) |
| 1917 | Not yet founded | No tournament (World War I) | No tournament (World War I) | No tournament (World War I) |
| 1916 | Not yet founded | Chick Evans |
No tournament (World War I) | Jim Barnes (1/4) |
| 1915 | Not yet founded | Jerome Travers |
No tournament (World War I) | Not yet founded |
| 1914 | Not yet founded | Walter Hagen (1/11) |
Harry Vardon (7/7) |
Not yet founded |
| 1913 | Not yet founded | Francis Ouimet |
John Henry Taylor (5/5) |
Not yet founded |
| 1912 | Not yet founded |  John McDermott (2/2) |
Ted Ray (1/2) |
Not yet founded |
| 1911 | Not yet founded | John McDermott (1/2) |
Harry Vardon (6/7) |
Not yet founded |
| 1910 | Not yet founded | Alex Smith (2/2) |
James Braid (5/5) |
Not yet founded |
| 1909 | Not yet founded | George Sargent |
John Henry Taylor (4/5) |
Not yet founded |
| 1908 | Not yet founded | Fred McLeod |
James Braid (4/5) |
Not yet founded |
| 1907 | Not yet founded | Alec Ross |
 Arnaud Massy |
Not yet founded |
| 1906 | Not yet founded | Alex Smith (1/2) |
James Braid (3/5) |
Not yet founded |
| 1905 | Not yet founded | Willie Anderson (4/4) |
James Braid (2/5) |
Not yet founded |
| 1904 | Not yet founded | Willie Anderson (3/4) |
Jack White |
Not yet founded |
| 1903 | Not yet founded | Willie Anderson (2/4) |
Harry Vardon (5/7) |
Not yet founded |
| 1902 | Not yet founded | Laurie Auchterlonie |
Sandy Herd |
Not yet founded |
| 1901 | Not yet founded | Willie Anderson (1/4) |
James Braid (1/5) |
Not yet founded |
| 1900 | Not yet founded | Harry Vardon (4/7) |
John Henry Taylor (3/5) |
Not yet founded |
| 1899 | Not yet founded | Willie Smith |
Harry Vardon (3/7) |
Not yet founded |
| 1898 | Not yet founded | Fred Herd |
Harry Vardon (2/7) |
Not yet founded |
| 1897 | Not yet founded | Joe Lloyd |
Harold Hilton (2/2) |
Not yet founded |
| 1896 | Not yet founded | James Foulis |
Harry Vardon (1/7) |
Not yet founded |
| 1895 | Not yet founded | Horace Rawlins |
John Henry Taylor (2/5) |
Not yet founded |
| 1894 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | John Henry Taylor (1/5) |
Not yet founded |
| 1893 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Willie Auchterlonie |
Not yet founded |
| 1892 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Harold Hilton (1/2) |
Not yet founded |
| 1891 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Hugh Kirkaldy |
Not yet founded |
| 1890 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | John Ball, Jnr |
Not yet founded |
| 1889 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Willie Park, Jnr (2/2) |
Not yet founded |
| 1888 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Jack Burns |
Not yet founded |
| 1887 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Willie Park, Jnr (1/2) |
Not yet founded |
| 1886 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | David Brown |
Not yet founded |
| 1885 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Bob Martin (2/2) |
Not yet founded |
| 1884 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Jack Simpson |
Not yet founded |
| 1883 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Willie Fernie |
Not yet founded |
| 1882 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Bob Ferguson (3/3) |
Not yet founded |
| 1881 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Bob Ferguson (2/3) |
Not yet founded |
| 1880 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Bob Ferguson (1/3) |
Not yet founded |
| 1879 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Jamie Anderson (3/3) |
Not yet founded |
| 1878 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Jamie Anderson (2/3) |
Not yet founded |
| 1877 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Jamie Anderson (1/3) |
Not yet founded |
| 1876 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Bob Martin (1/2) |
Not yet founded |
| 1875 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Willie Park, Snr (4/4) |
Not yet founded |
| 1874 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Mungo Park |
Not yet founded |
| 1873 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Tom Kidd |
Not yet founded |
| 1872 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Young Tom Morris (4/4) |
Not yet founded |
| 1871 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Not played | Not yet founded |
| 1870 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Young Tom Morris (3/4) |
Not yet founded |
| 1869 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Young Tom Morris (2/4) |
Not yet founded |
| 1868 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Young Tom Morris (1/4) |
Not yet founded |
| 1867 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Old Tom Morris (4/4) |
Not yet founded |
| 1866 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Willie Park, Snr (3/4) |
Not yet founded |
| 1865 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Andrew Strath |
Not yet founded |
| 1864 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Old Tom Morris (3/4) |
Not yet founded |
| 1863 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Willie Park, Snr (2/4) |
Not yet founded |
| 1862 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Old Tom Morris(2/4) |
Not yet founded |
| 1861 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Old Tom Morris(1/4) |
Not yet founded |
| 1860 | Not yet founded | Not yet founded | Willie Park Snr (1/4) |
Not yet founded |
Major champions by nationality
The table below shows the number of major championships won by golfers from various countries. Tallies are also shown for major wins by golfers from Europe and from the "Rest of the World" (RoW), i.e. the world excluding Europe and the United States. The United States plays Europe in the Ryder Cup and an International Team representing the Rest of the World in the Presidents Cup. The table is complete through the 2009 PGA Championship.
| Decade | Total | ARG | AUS | CAN | ENG | FJI | FRA | GER | KOR | NZL | NIR | IRL | SCO | ZAF | ESP | USA | WAL | ZWE | EUR | RoW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 411 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 55 | 19 | 7 | 256 | 1 | 3 | 108 | 47 |
| 2000s | 40 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | 3 | - | 4 | - | 25 | - | - | 3 | 12 |
| 1990s | 40 | - | 4 | - | 4 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 10 |
| 1980s | 40 | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 4 | 29 | - | - | 9 | 2 |
| 1970s | 40 | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 1 | 33 | - | - | 2 | 5 |
| 1960s | 40 | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 4 | - | 31 | - | - | 1 | 8 |
| 1950s | 40 | - | 4 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | 31 | - | - | 1 | 8 |
| 1940s | 26 | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 22 | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| 1930s | 36 | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 30 | - | - | 6 | - |
| 1920s | 30 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | 25 | - | - | 5 | - |
| 1910s | 15 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | 9 | - | - | 6 | - |
| 1900s | 20 | - | - | - | 5 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | 20 | - |
| 1890s | 15 | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 15 | - |
| 1880s | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - |
| 1870s | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | 9 | - |
| 1860s | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - |
Scoring records
Scoring records - aggregate
The aggregate scoring records for each major are tabulated below. Green indicates an outright record and yellow indicates a shared record.
| Date | Tournament | Player | Country | Rounds | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 1980 | U.S. Open | Jack Nicklaus | United States |
63-71-70-68 | 272 | -8 |
| Jun 20, 1993 | U.S. Open | Lee Janzen | United States |
67-67-69-69 | 272 | -8 |
| Jul 18, 1993 | The Open Championship | Greg Norman | Australia |
66-68-69-64 | 267 | -13 |
| Apr 13, 1997 | Masters Tournament | Tiger Woods | United States |
70-66-65-69 | 270 | -18 |
| Jun 18, 2000 | U.S. Open | Tiger Woods | United States |
65-69-71-67 | 272 | -12 |
| Aug 19, 2001 | PGA Championship | David Toms | United States |
66-65-65-69 | 265 | -15 |
| Jun 15, 2003 | U.S. Open | Jim Furyk | United States |
67-66-67-72 | 272 | -8 |
Scoring records - to par
The scoring records to par for each major are tabulated below. Green indicates an outright record and yellow indicates a shared record.
| Date | Tournament | Player | Country | Rounds | Score | To Par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 1997 | Masters Tournament | Tiger Woods | United States |
70-66-65-69 | 270 | -18 | Won |
| Jun 18, 2000 | U.S. Open | Tiger Woods | United States |
65-69-71-67 | 272 | -12 | Won |
| Jul 23, 2000 | The Open Championship | Tiger Woods | United States |
67-66-67-69 | 269 | -19 | Won |
| Aug 20, 2000 | PGA Championship | Tiger Woods | United States |
66-67-70-67 | 270 | -18 | Won |
| Aug 20, 2000 | PGA Championship | Bob May | United States |
72-66-66-66 | 270 | -18 | 2nd |
| Aug 20, 2006 | PGA Championship | Tiger Woods | United States |
69-68-65-68 | 270 | -18 | Won |
Single round records
The single round scoring record for all four majors is 63.[2] This has occurred 23 times by 21 golfers between 1973 and 2007. Greg Norman and Vijay Singh are the only golfers to record two rounds of 63 in the majors. Johnny Miller was the first golfer to shoot 63 in a major and remains the only golfer to shoot 63 in the final round to win a major.
'Player of the Year' in major championships
There is no official award presented to the player with the best overall record in the four majors, although the PGA Tour's Player of the Year system favours performances in the major championships. Since 1984, world ranking points have been assigned to finishes in the majors, which has allowed a calculation of which player has earnt the most ranking points in majors in a season - in almost every year since, one of the year's major winners has either won two of them, or has been the only player to win one and record a high finish in another (like Lucas Glover in 2009, David Duval in 2001 or Justin Leonard in 1997), enough to finish top of such a merit table in those years. The single exception was Nick Faldo in 1988, whose finishes of 2nd, 3rd and 4th earned him more world ranking points than any of that year's champions achieved during the season.
Tables are occasionally constructed for interest showing the overall scoring records for those players who have completed all 288 holes in the majors during a season, sometimes with interesting results. One notable example was in 1987, when Ben Crenshaw was shown to be top of just such a compilation, after finishing 4th, 4th, 4th and 7th in the four majors. In total Crenshaw took 1,140 strokes, only 12 more than the sum total of the four respective champions' scores of 1,128.
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 matchplay) was considered a "joint 9th" position.
However, following 1960, when Arnold Palmer's narrowly failed bid for the Open Championship helped to establish the concept of the modern professional "Grand Slam", it has become normal for the leading players to 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 select group.
- Ed Dudley in 1937 (including reaching last-16 round at the PGA)
- Arnold Palmer in 1960 and 1966
- Gary Player in 1963 and 1974
- Doug Sanders in 1966
- Miller Barber in 1969
- Jack Nicklaus in 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1977
- Hale Irwin in 1975
- Tom Watson in 1975, 1977 and 1982
- Ben Crenshaw in 1987
- Tiger Woods in 2000 and 2005
- Sergio García in 2002
- Ernie Els in 2004
- Phil Mickelson in 2004
- Vijay Singh in 2005.
On 12 of the 23 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 García has also yet to win one (as of 2009).
See also
- List of men's major championships winning golfers
- Chronological list of men's major golf champions
- Senior major golf championships
- Women's major golf championships
- Triple Crown of Golf
References
- ^ Harig, Bob (2008-04-07). "Golf's professional Grand Slam has developed over time". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/masters08/columns/story?columnist=harig_bob&id=3330050. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
- ^ Fields, Bill (June 15, 2009). "The Magic Number". Golf World: pp. 52-59. http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/special/usopen/2009/golf_preview_usopen_63. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
External links
- Listing of golf major championship courses, winners and countries
- The aggregate scores for the Majors since 1960
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