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Grand Slam (golf)
Encyclopedia
The Grand Slam in golf is winning all the golf's major championships in the same calendar year.
The Grand Slam in men's golf is an unofficial concept, having changed over time. In the modern era, The Grand Slam is generally considered to be winning all four of golf's major championships
in the same calendar year. Before The Masters was founded, the national amateur championships of the U.S and the UK were considered majors along with the two national opens and only Bobby Jones
has ever completed a grand slam with these. No man has ever achieved a modern grand slam, Tiger Woods
being the closest in winning all four consecutively, but over two calendar years.
The term also refers to a tour tournament, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf
, an annual off season tournament contested by the winners of the four major championships.
In annual playing order, the modern major championships are:
The term "Grand Slam" was first applied to Bobby Jones
' achievement of winning the four major golf events of 1930
: The Open Championship
, the U.S. Open
, the U.S. Amateur and The Amateur Championship
. When Jones won all four, the sports world searched for ways to capture the magnitude of his accomplishment. Up to that time, there was no term to describe such a feat because no one had thought it possible. The Atlanta Journal's O.B. Keeler dubbed it the "Grand Slam," borrowing a bridge
term. George Trevor of the New York Sun wrote that Jones had "stormed the impregnable quadrilateral of golf." Keeler would later write the words that would forever be linked to one of the greatest individual accomplishments in the history of sports:
Jones remains the only man to have achieved the grand slam, since before the creation of The Masters and the advent of the professional era, the amateur championships were considered major championships.
The modern definition could not be applied until at least 1934
, when the Masters was founded, and still carried little weight in 1953
when Ben Hogan
, after winning the Masters, the U.S. Open and The Open Championship, could not compete in the PGA Championship; the nearly concurrent PGA Championship and The Open Championship and the state of transatlantic travel made completing the Grand Slam impossible. Hogan is the only player to have won The Masters, the U.S. Open and The Open Championship in the same calendar year.
According to Arnold Palmer
's autobiography, "A Golfer's Life," in 1960 he (already having won the Masters and the U.S. Open that year) and his friend Bob Drum (of the Pittsburgh Press
) on the trans-Atlantic flight to The Open Championship at St Andrews
came up with the idea that adding the The Open Championship and PGA Championship titles that summer would constitute a modern Grand Slam. Drum spread the notion among the gathered media and it caught on.
Tiger Woods
has come closest to meeting the modern definition of golf's Grand Slam by holding all four modern major championships simultaneously — the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship in 2000
and the 2001
Masters — although not in the same calendar year. This has been referred to as a Consecutive Grand Slam or, after the only player to achieve it, a Tiger Slam. In fact, even before Woods accomplished this, there was much debate over the definition of "Grand Slam". Fred Couples
said "I don't know how I can put it more simply...if he wins all four, it's a Slam". As noted above, however, because there is no official definition, there is no definitive answer.
Only five golfers have won all four of golf's modern Majors at any time during their career, an achievement which is often referred to as a Career Grand Slam: Gene Sarazen
, Ben Hogan
, Gary Player
, Jack Nicklaus
, and Tiger Woods
. Woods and Nicklaus not only have a Career Grand Slam, they have won each of the four Majors three times.
A number of dominant players of their eras have failed to achieve the Career Grand Slam because of their inability to win a particular major. Sam Snead
failed to win a U.S. Open; Arnold Palmer
and Tom Watson
failed to win a PGA Championship; Lee Trevino
failed to win The Masters; Byron Nelson
and Raymond Floyd
failed to win the Open Championship, which the former competed only once. These shortcomings have been attributed to various factors: a particular major is ill-suited to a player's game (this was cited especially with regard to Trevino and The Masters); the player lacked the ability to fully adapt to that major; the player simply experienced bad luck; or war had led to the cancellation of a major during the player's prime.
^ Hagen co-holds the all-time record of five PGA Championship victories, which he shares with Jack Nicklaus, but all of his occurred during match-play.
∞ Never got the chance to play in The Masters Tournament during his career, as it was established in 1934. He did, however, win two Western Open
titles, which were considered as majors in the pre-Masters era of golf.
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Women's golf also has a set of majors
. No woman has completed a four-major Grand Slam, but Babe Zaharias
won all three majors contested in 1950
and Sandra Haynie
won both majors in 1974
.
Six women have completed the Career Grand Slam by winning four different majors. There are variations in the set of four tournaments involved as the players played in different eras, and the women's tournaments defined as "majors" have varied considerably over time in a way that has not been paralleled in the men's game. The six are Pat Bradley, Juli Inkster
, Annika Sörenstam
, Louise Suggs
, Karrie Webb
, and Mickey Wright
. Webb is separately recognized by the LPGA as its only "Super Career Grand Slam" winner, as she is the only one of the group to have won five different tournaments recognized as majors.
Although other women's tours, notably the Ladies European Tour
and the LPGA of Japan Tour
, recognize a different set of "majors", the U.S. LPGA
is so dominant in global women's golf that the phrase "women's majors", without further qualification, is almost universally considered as a reference to the U.S. LPGA majors.
The current four championships are:
Effective in 2013, the Evian Masters
, held in France
, will become the LPGA's fifth major championship. At that time, it will move from its current date of the week before the Women's British Open to September, and will be renamed The Evian. The tournament has been an LET major since its inception in 1994, and has been sanctioned as a regular LPGA tour event since 2000.
A Patty Berg is the all-time record holder of the most Titleholders and Women's Western Open victories.
B Amy Alcott is tied for the most all-time Kraft Nabisco Championships wins.
C Betsy King is tied for the most all-time Kraft Nabisco Championships wins.
D Betsy Rawls is tied for the most all-time U.S. Women's Open wins.
NOTE: Mallon won two more Canadian Women's Open
championships after it was replaced by the Women's British Open.
. Like the women's majors, the senior majors are not globally recognized. However, because the U.S.-based Champions Tour
(operated by the PGA Tour) overwhelmingly dominates worldwide senior golf, its roster of majors is by far the most widely recognized.
Unlike the mainstream men's and women's (until 2013) Grand Slams, the senior version (as recognized by the Champions Tour) now contains five events, arguably making a senior Grand Slam a greater accomplishment than in mainstream men's or women's golf.
In the current order of play, the five majors are:
The Senior PGA is by far the oldest of the senior majors, having been founded in 1937, decades before the establishment of the Champions Tour (as the Senior PGA Tour) in 1980
. The other events were all founded in the 1980s—the U.S. Senior Open in 1980, the Senior Players Championship in 1983
, The Senior Open in 1987, and The Tradition in 1989
. This era saw senior golf became a commercial success as the first golf stars of the television era, such as Arnold Palmer
and Gary Player
, reached their fifties. The Senior Open, however, was not recognized as a Champions Tour major until 2003
.
The stability of the majors in senior golf falls somewhere between mainstream men's golf and the LPGA:
No man has ever won all of the senior majors contested in a year, even in the period between 1980 and 1982 when only two senior majors existed. Also, no man has won all five of the current senior majors in his career. Miller Barber
won both of the 1980-1982 senior majors, the Senior PGA and U.S. Senior Open, during that time span, and won the inaugural Senior Players Championship in 1983. Those three tournaments would be the only senior majors until The Tradition was first played in 1989. Prior to the founding of The Tradition, Palmer and Player also completed that era's Career Senior Grand Slam. However, neither Barber, Palmer, nor Player would ever win The Tradition.
Jack Nicklaus
is the only other player to have completed any era's Career Senior Grand Slam, doing so in his first two years on the Senior Tour. In his first year of eligibility in 1990
, he won The Tradition and the Senior Players Championship. The next year
, he defended his Tradition title and went on to win the Senior PGA and U.S. Senior Open. However, he failed to defend his Senior Players title and thus missed out on a calendar-year Grand Slam.
Nicklaus is the only player to have won four different senior majors in his career. Although Nicklaus never won The Senior Open, that event was not recognized as a U.S. senior major until after he had stopped playing the Senior Tour. Player won The Senior Open three times before 2003, when it was considered a major by the European Senior Tour but not the Senior PGA/Champions Tour.
The Men's Grand Slam
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
in the same calendar year. Before The Masters was founded, the national amateur championships of the U.S and the UK were considered majors along with the two national opens and only Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
has ever completed a grand slam with these. No man has ever achieved a modern grand slam, Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
being the closest in winning all four consecutively, but over two calendar years.
The term also refers to a tour tournament, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf
PGA Grand Slam of Golf
The PGA Grand Slam of Golf is an annual off-season golf tournament contested by the year's winners of the four major championships of regular men's golf, which are the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open, The Open Championship , and the PGA Championship...
, an annual off season tournament contested by the winners of the four major championships.
In annual playing order, the modern major championships are:
- April - Masters Tournament (weekend ending 2nd Sunday in April) - hosted as an invitational by and played at Augusta National Golf ClubAugusta National Golf ClubAugusta National Golf Club, located in Augusta, Georgia, is a famous men's golf club. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts and designed by Alister MacKenzie on the site of a former indigo plantation, the club opened for play in January 1933. Since 1934, it has played host to the annual...
- June - U.S. OpenU.S. Open (golf)The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
(weekend ending with the 3rd Sunday in June) - hosted by the USGA and played at various locations in the USA - July - The Open ChampionshipThe Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
(The Open; usually called the "British Open" in the U.S.) (weekend containing the 3rd Friday in July) - hosted by The R&A and always played on a links course at various locations in the UK - August - PGA ChampionshipPGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
(USPGA) (4th weekend after The Open) - hosted by the Professional Golfers' Association of AmericaProfessional Golfers' Association of AmericaFounded in 1916, the Professional Golfers' Association of America is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and is made up of more than 28,000 men and women golf professional members...
and played at various locations in the USA.
The term "Grand Slam" was first applied to Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
' achievement of winning the four major golf events of 1930
1930 in sports
-American football:NFL championship* Green Bay Packers win the National Football League title with a record of 10–3–1College championship* College football national championship – Alabama Crimson Tide and Notre Dame Fighting Irish...
: The Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
, the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, the U.S. Amateur and The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
. When Jones won all four, the sports world searched for ways to capture the magnitude of his accomplishment. Up to that time, there was no term to describe such a feat because no one had thought it possible. The Atlanta Journal's O.B. Keeler dubbed it the "Grand Slam," borrowing a bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
term. George Trevor of the New York Sun wrote that Jones had "stormed the impregnable quadrilateral of golf." Keeler would later write the words that would forever be linked to one of the greatest individual accomplishments in the history of sports:
This victory, the fourth major title in the same season and in the space of four months, had now and for all time entrenched Bobby Jones safely within the 'Impregnable Quadrilateral of Golf', that granite fortress that he alone could take by escalade, and that others may attack in vain, forever.
Jones remains the only man to have achieved the grand slam, since before the creation of The Masters and the advent of the professional era, the amateur championships were considered major championships.
The modern definition could not be applied until at least 1934
1934 in sports
-American football:NFL championship* New York Giants 30–13 Chicago Bears in the NFL championship gameCollege championship* College football national championship – Minnesota Golden Gophers-Association football:International...
, when the Masters was founded, and still carried little weight in 1953
1953 in sports
1953 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* NFL Championship – Detroit Lions won 17–16 over the Cleveland Browns-England:* First Division – Arsenal win the 1952–53 title....
when Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan
William Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...
, after winning the Masters, the U.S. Open and The Open Championship, could not compete in the PGA Championship; the nearly concurrent PGA Championship and The Open Championship and the state of transatlantic travel made completing the Grand Slam impossible. Hogan is the only player to have won The Masters, the U.S. Open and The Open Championship in the same calendar year.
According to Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
's autobiography, "A Golfer's Life," in 1960 he (already having won the Masters and the U.S. Open that year) and his friend Bob Drum (of the Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh Press
The Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
) on the trans-Atlantic flight to The Open Championship at St Andrews
Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. The Old Course is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament...
came up with the idea that adding the The Open Championship and PGA Championship titles that summer would constitute a modern Grand Slam. Drum spread the notion among the gathered media and it caught on.
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
has come closest to meeting the modern definition of golf's Grand Slam by holding all four modern major championships simultaneously — the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship in 2000
2000 in sports
2000 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Renate Götschl, Austria-American football:...
and the 2001
2001 in sports
2001 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Janica Kostelić, Croatia-American football:...
Masters — although not in the same calendar year. This has been referred to as a Consecutive Grand Slam or, after the only player to achieve it, a Tiger Slam. In fact, even before Woods accomplished this, there was much debate over the definition of "Grand Slam". Fred Couples
Fred Couples
Frederick Steven Couples is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. A former World No. 1, he has won numerous events, most notably the 1992 Masters Tournament. In August 2011 he won his maiden senior major at the Senior Players Championship...
said "I don't know how I can put it more simply...if he wins all four, it's a Slam". As noted above, however, because there is no official definition, there is no definitive answer.
Only five golfers have won all four of golf's modern Majors at any time during their career, an achievement which is often referred to as a Career Grand Slam: Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S...
, Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan
William Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...
, Gary Player
Gary Player
Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
, Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
, and Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
. Woods and Nicklaus not only have a Career Grand Slam, they have won each of the four Majors three times.
A number of dominant players of their eras have failed to achieve the Career Grand Slam because of their inability to win a particular major. Sam Snead
Sam Snead
Samuel Jackson Snead was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for most of four decades. Snead won a record 82 PGA Tour events including seven majors. He failed to win a U.S...
failed to win a U.S. Open; Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
and Tom Watson
Tom Watson (golfer)
Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
failed to win a PGA Championship; Lee Trevino
Lee Trevino
Lee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:...
failed to win The Masters; Byron Nelson
Byron Nelson
John Byron Nelson, Jr. was an American PGA Tour golfer between 1935 and 1946.Nelson and two other well known golfers of the time, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, were born within seven months of each other in 1912...
and Raymond Floyd
Raymond Floyd
Raymond Loran "Ray" Floyd is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour....
failed to win the Open Championship, which the former competed only once. These shortcomings have been attributed to various factors: a particular major is ill-suited to a player's game (this was cited especially with regard to Trevino and The Masters); the player lacked the ability to fully adapt to that major; the player simply experienced bad luck; or war had led to the cancellation of a major during the player's prime.
Career Grand Slam
| Deceased golfer † |
| Most overall ‡ |
Pre-Masters Era
| Player | GS Titles |
Grand Slams |
U.S. Amateur | U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
The Open The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
The Amateur The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bobby JonesBobby Jones (golfer) Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level... † |
13 | 1: 1930 | 5: 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1930 ‡ |
4: 1923, 1926, 1929, 1930 ‡ |
3: 1926, 1927, 1930 |
1: 1930 |
Masters Era
| Player | GS Titles |
Career Slams |
Masters | U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
The Open The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
PGA PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a... |
18 ‡ | 3 ‡ | 6: 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986 ‡ |
4: 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980 ‡ |
3: 1966, 1970, 1978 |
5: 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980‡ |
| Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No... |
14 | 3 ‡ | 4: 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 |
3: 2000, 2002, 2008 |
3: 2000, 2005, 2006 |
4: 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007 |
| Ben Hogan Ben Hogan William Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game... † |
9 | 1 | 2: 1951, 1953 | 4: 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953 ‡ |
1: 1953 | 2: 1946, 1948 |
 Gary PlayerGary Player Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six... |
9 | 1 | 3: 1961, 1974, 1978 |
1: 1965 | 3: 1959, 1968, 1974 |
2: 1962, 1972 |
| Gene Sarazen Gene Sarazen Gene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S... † |
7 | 1 | 1: 1935 | 2: 1922, 1932 | 1: 1932 | 3: 1922, 1923, 1933 |
Men's Missing Major
| Player | Major Missing | GS Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Walter Hagen Walter Hagen Walter Charles Hagen was a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of eleven professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods . He won the U.S. Open twice, and in 1922 he became the first native-born American to win the British Open, which he went on... ^ † |
Masters Tournament | 11 |
 Jim Barnes ∞ † |
Masters Tournament | 4 |
| Lee Trevino Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:... |
Masters Tournament | 6 |
 / Tommy ArmourTommy Armour Thomas Dickson Armour was a Scottish-American professional golfer. He was nicknamed The Silver Scot.Armour was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and educated at Fettes College and the University of Edinburgh.... † |
Masters Tournament | 3 |
| Sam Snead Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for most of four decades. Snead won a record 82 PGA Tour events including seven majors. He failed to win a U.S... † |
U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
7 |
| Harold Hilton Harold Hilton Harold Horsfall Hilton was an English amateur golfer.-Biography:Hilton was born in West Kirby. In 1892, he won The Open Championship at Muirfield, becoming the second amateur to do so. He won again in 1897 at his home club, Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake... † |
U.S. Open | 7 |
| Byron Nelson Byron Nelson John Byron Nelson, Jr. was an American PGA Tour golfer between 1935 and 1946.Nelson and two other well known golfers of the time, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, were born within seven months of each other in 1912... † |
The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
5 |
| Raymond Floyd Raymond Floyd Raymond Loran "Ray" Floyd is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour.... |
The Open Championship | 4 |
| Tom Watson Tom Watson (golfer) Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour.... |
PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
8 |
| Arnold Palmer Arnold Palmer Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955... |
PGA Championship | 7 |
^ Hagen co-holds the all-time record of five PGA Championship victories, which he shares with Jack Nicklaus, but all of his occurred during match-play.
∞ Never got the chance to play in The Masters Tournament during his career, as it was established in 1934. He did, however, win two Western Open
Western Open
The Western Open, a professional golf tournament, was first played in 1899. At the time of its 2006 playing, the Western Open was the 3rd oldest active PGA Tour tournament, after the British Open and U.S. Open...
titles, which were considered as majors in the pre-Masters era of golf.
The Women's Grand Slam
Women's major golf championships
Women's golf has a set of major championships which parallels that in men's golf, but the women's system is younger and has been less stable than the men's. Many professional stroke play events for women are played over three rounds , but the majors are played over four rounds , which is the...
. No woman has completed a four-major Grand Slam, but Babe Zaharias
Babe Zaharias
Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias was an American athlete who achieved outstanding success in golf, basketball, and track and field...
won all three majors contested in 1950
1950 in sports
-American football:* NFL Championship – Cleveland Browns win 30–28 over the Los Angeles Rams* Oklahoma Sooners – college football champions.* Coaches Poll established to rank top 20 American college football teams-Association football:...
and Sandra Haynie
Sandra Haynie
Sandra Jane Haynie is an American professional golfer.Haynie was born in Fort Worth, Texas. She won 42 events on the LPGA Tour, including four major championships. She finished in the top ten on the money list every year from 1963 and 1975 and a 14th and final time in 1982, her best placing being...
won both majors in 1974
1974 in sports
1974 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Piero Gros, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:...
.
Six women have completed the Career Grand Slam by winning four different majors. There are variations in the set of four tournaments involved as the players played in different eras, and the women's tournaments defined as "majors" have varied considerably over time in a way that has not been paralleled in the men's game. The six are Pat Bradley, Juli Inkster
Juli Inkster
Juli Inkster is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. With a professional career spanning 27 years to date, Inkster's 31 wins rank her second in wins among all active players on the LPGA Tour; she has over $11 million in career earnings...
, Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
, Louise Suggs
Louise Suggs
Mae Louise Suggs is a retired professional golfer, one of the founders of the LPGA Tour and thus modern ladies' golf.-Amateur career:Born in Atlanta, Suggs had a very successful amateur career, beginning as a teenager...
, Karrie Webb
Karrie Webb
Karrie Ann Webb AM is Australia's most successful female professional golfer, and one of the top players in the history of global women's golf. She currently plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of...
, and Mickey Wright
Mickey Wright
Mary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright is an American professional golfer. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
. Webb is separately recognized by the LPGA as its only "Super Career Grand Slam" winner, as she is the only one of the group to have won five different tournaments recognized as majors.
Although other women's tours, notably the Ladies European Tour
Ladies European Tour
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money,...
and the LPGA of Japan Tour
LPGA of Japan Tour
The Japan LPGA Tour is a professional golf tour for women organised by the Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan. It is the second richest women's golf tour in the world. The U.S.-based LPGA Tour is the most important women's tour, but the prize money gap has closed markedly since the...
, recognize a different set of "majors", the U.S. LPGA
LPGA
The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
is so dominant in global women's golf that the phrase "women's majors", without further qualification, is almost universally considered as a reference to the U.S. LPGA majors.
The current four championships are:
- March/April—The Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipKraft Nabisco ChampionshipThe Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983...
(week ending in the first Sunday of April)—Founded by Dinah ShoreDinah ShoreDinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
, it is most remembered for the winners taking a "lake jump" into the water surrounding the 18th green, also called the "Green Jacket of the LPGALPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
" in reference to the ceremony held at The Masters. It shares another trait with The Masters—it is held at the same venue every year, Mission Hills Country ClubMission Hills Country ClubThe Mission Hills Country Club is a country club located in Rancho Mirage, California, United States. Among the facilities at the club are 3 championship golf courses, 27 tennis courts of various surfaces, a spa and sports center....
in Rancho Mirage, CaliforniaRancho Mirage, CaliforniaRancho Mirage is a resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal population can exceed 20,000. In between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the eight cities of the Coachella...
. - June—The Wegmans LPGA Championship (historically held in the week ending on the second Sunday in June; since 2010, finishing on the last Sunday of June)—hosted by the LPGA and played at various courses throughout its tenure (by picking a course and sticking there for a few years); since 2010, it has been held at Locust Hill Country ClubLocust Hill Country ClubLocust Hill Country Club is a championship golf club located in the Towns of Henrietta and Pittsford, New York, suburbs six miles southeast of downtown Rochester....
in the RochesterRochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
suburb of Pittsford, New YorkPittsford (town), New YorkPittsford is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States and is an affluent suburb of Rochester. The population was 29,405 at the 2010 census....
. - June/July—The U.S. Women's Open (historically three weeks after the LPGA Championship; in 2010, the week after and in 2011 two weeks after)—Hosted by the USGAUnited States Golf AssociationThe United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
, it is held at various golf courses around the nation. It is considered by some to be the biggest major in the LPGA circuit, despite the fact it is not sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour. It is held at various courses throughout the United States. - July/August—The Ricoh Women's British Open (historically the week of the first Sunday of August; since 20092009 LPGA TourThe 2009 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world that took place from February through November 2009. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States based Ladies Professional Golf Association ....
, three weeks after the U.S. Women's Open)—It is hosted by the Ladies' Golf UnionLadies' Golf UnionThe Ladies' Golf Union is the governing body for women's and girls' amateur golf in Great Britain and Ireland . It was founded in 1893 and is based in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, which is often known as the "Home of Golf"...
and has been hosted at a links courseLinks (golf)A links is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word "links" comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes and sometimes to open parkland. It also retains this more general meaning in the Scottish English dialect...
since 20022002 LPGA TourThe 2002 LPGA Tour was the 53rd season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from February 28 to November 24. The season consisted of 32 official money events. Annika Sörenstam won the most tournaments, 11. She also led the money list with earnings of $2,863,904.The season...
. 20072007 LPGA TourThe 2007 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world that took place from February through December 2007. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States based Ladies Professional Golf Association...
marked the first time it was held at what is considered by many to be the greatest golf course in the world, and certainly the most historic, the Old Course at St AndrewsOld Course at St AndrewsThe Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. The Old Course is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament...
. The 2012 edition will be held in September to avoid conflict with the 2012 Summer Olympics2012 Summer OlympicsThe 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
in London. Currently, this is the only championship sanctioned as a major by both the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour, but this will change in 2013.
Effective in 2013, the Evian Masters
Evian Masters
The Evian Masters is a women's professional golf tournament played at the Evian Masters Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France each July.Founded in 1994 on the Ladies European Tour, it is one of two major championships on the LET. Not a major on the LPGA Tour, it became an LPGA co-sanctioned event in...
, held in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, will become the LPGA's fifth major championship. At that time, it will move from its current date of the week before the Women's British Open to September, and will be renamed The Evian. The tournament has been an LET major since its inception in 1994, and has been sanctioned as a regular LPGA tour event since 2000.
Women's Career Grand Slam
| Deceased golfer † |
| Most overall ‡ |
Super Grand Slam
| Player | |Kraft Nabisco Championship Kraft Nabisco Championship The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983... |
LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
U.S. Women's Open | du Maurier Canadian Women's Open The CN Canadian Women's Open is a women's professional golf tournament managed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour.-History:... |
Women's British Open Women's British Open The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons... |
GS Titles | GS Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Karrie WebbKarrie Webb Karrie Ann Webb AM is Australia's most successful female professional golfer, and one of the top players in the history of global women's golf. She currently plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of... |
2: 2000, 2006 | 1: 2001 | 2: 2000, 2001 | 1: 1999 | 1: 2002 | 7 | 1 |
Titleholders/Western Open Era
| Player | Women's Western Open | |LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
U.S. Women's Open | Titleholders Championship Titleholders Championship The Titleholders Championship was a women's golf tournament played from in 1937 to 1966 and again in 1972. It was later designated a major championship by the LPGA Tour.It should not be confused with two other LPGA events with similar names:... |
GS Titles | GS Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mickey Wright Mickey Wright Mary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright is an American professional golfer. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.-Early life:... |
3: 1962, 1963, 1966 | 4: 1958, 1960, 1961, 1963 ‡ | 4: 1958, 1959, 1961, 1964 ‡ | 2: 1961, 1962 | 13 | 2 ‡ |
| Louise Suggs Louise Suggs Mae Louise Suggs is a retired professional golfer, one of the founders of the LPGA Tour and thus modern ladies' golf.-Amateur career:Born in Atlanta, Suggs had a very successful amateur career, beginning as a teenager... |
4: 1946, 1947, 1949, 1953 | 1: 1957 | 2: 1949, 1952 | 4: 1946, 1954, 1956, 1959 | 11 | 1 |
du Maurier Classic Era
| Player | |Kraft Nabisco Championship Kraft Nabisco Championship The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983... |
LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
U.S. Women's Open | du Maurier Canadian Women's Open The CN Canadian Women's Open is a women's professional golf tournament managed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour.-History:... |
GS Titles | GS Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juli Inkster Juli Inkster Juli Inkster is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. With a professional career spanning 27 years to date, Inkster's 31 wins rank her second in wins among all active players on the LPGA Tour; she has over $11 million in career earnings... |
2: 1984, 1989 | 2: 1999, 2000 | 2: 1999, 2002 | 1: 1984 | 7 | 1 |
| Pat Bradley |
1: 1986 | 1: 1986 | 1: 1981 | 3: 1980, 1985, 1986 ‡ | 6 | 1 |
Women's British Open Championship Era
| Player | |Kraft Nabisco Championship Kraft Nabisco Championship The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983... |
LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
U.S. Women's Open | Women's British Open Women's British Open The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons... |
GS Titles | GS Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Annika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam Annika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer... |
3: 2001, 2002, 2005 ‡ | 3: 2003, 2004, 2005 | 3: 1995, 1996, 2006 | 1: 2003 | 10 | 1 |
Women's Missing Major
| Player | Major(s) Missing | GS Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Kathy Whitworth Kathy Whitworth Kathy Whitworth is an American professional golfer. Throughout her playing career she won 88 LPGA Tour tournaments, more than anyone else has won on either the LPGA Tour or the PGA Tour. In 1981 she became the first woman to reach career earnings of $1 million on the LPGA Tour... |
Kraft Nabisco Championship Kraft Nabisco Championship The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983... U.S. Women's Open du Maurier Canadian Women's Open The CN Canadian Women's Open is a women's professional golf tournament managed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour.-History:... |
6 |
 Se Ri PakSe Ri Pak Pak Se Ri is a South Korean professional golfer, playing on the LPGA Tour. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in November 2007.-Career overview:... |
Kraft Nabisco Championship | 5 |
| Laura Davies Laura Davies Laura Jane Davies CBE is an English professional golfer.She is considered the most accomplished English female golfer of modern times being the first non-American to finish at the top of the LPGA money list... |
Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's British Open Women's British Open The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons... |
4 |
| Sandra Haynie Sandra Haynie Sandra Jane Haynie is an American professional golfer.Haynie was born in Fort Worth, Texas. She won 42 events on the LPGA Tour, including four major championships. She finished in the top ten on the money list every year from 1963 and 1975 and a 14th and final time in 1982, her best placing being... |
Kraft Nabisco Championship | 4 |
| Meg Mallon |
Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's British Open |
4 |
| Jan Stephenson Jan Stephenson Jan Lynne Stephenson is an Australian professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1974 and won three major championships and 16 LPGA Tour events in all.... |
Kraft Nabisco Championship | 3 |
| Patty Berg Patty Berg Patricia Jane Berg was an American professional golfer and a founding member and then leading player on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Her 15 major title wins remains the all-time record for most major wins by a female golfer... †A |
LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
15 ‡ |
| Babe Zaharias Babe Zaharias Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias was an American athlete who achieved outstanding success in golf, basketball, and track and field... † |
LPGA Championship | 10 |
| Amy Alcott Amy Alcott Amy Alcott is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1975, and won five major championships and 29 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.... ‡B |
LPGA Championship | 5 |
| Beverly Hanson Beverly Hanson Beverly Hanson is an American professional golfer who played on the United States-based LPGA Tour.Hanson was born in Fargo, North Dakota. She studied at the University of North Dakota, Mills College in Oakland, California and the University of Wisconsin and was a bassoon player, performing with... |
U.S. Women's Open | 3 |
 Yani TsengYani Tseng Yani Tseng is a Taiwanese professional golfer currently playing on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five major championships and is currently ranked number 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings.... |
U.S. Women's Open | 5 |
| Betsy King Betsy King Betsy King is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won six major championships and 34 LPGA Tour victories in all.-Career:... ‡C |
du Maurier Women's British Open |
6 |
| Patty Sheehan Patty Sheehan Patty Sheehan is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1980 and won six major championships and 35 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.... |
du Maurier | 6 |
| Betsy Rawls Betsy Rawls Elizabeth Earle "Betsy" Rawls is an American professional golfer.Rawls was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. After attending the University of Texas, Rawls joined the LPGA Tour in its second season in 1951. She won 55 tournaments on the tour, including eight major championships... ‡D |
Titleholders Championship Titleholders Championship The Titleholders Championship was a women's golf tournament played from in 1937 to 1966 and again in 1972. It was later designated a major championship by the LPGA Tour.It should not be confused with two other LPGA events with similar names:... |
8 |
A Patty Berg is the all-time record holder of the most Titleholders and Women's Western Open victories.
B Amy Alcott is tied for the most all-time Kraft Nabisco Championships wins.
C Betsy King is tied for the most all-time Kraft Nabisco Championships wins.
D Betsy Rawls is tied for the most all-time U.S. Women's Open wins.
NOTE: Mallon won two more Canadian Women's Open
Canadian Women's Open
The CN Canadian Women's Open is a women's professional golf tournament managed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour.-History:...
championships after it was replaced by the Women's British Open.
The Senior Grand Slam
Senior (i.e., 50 and over) men's golf also has a set of majorsSenior major golf championships
Men's professional senior golf is for players aged 50 and above. Golf differs from all other sports in having lucrative competitions for this age group. The leading senior tour is the U.S. based Champions Tour, which was established in 1980 . It has established a roster of five major championships...
. Like the women's majors, the senior majors are not globally recognized. However, because the U.S.-based Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
(operated by the PGA Tour) overwhelmingly dominates worldwide senior golf, its roster of majors is by far the most widely recognized.
Unlike the mainstream men's and women's (until 2013) Grand Slams, the senior version (as recognized by the Champions Tour) now contains five events, arguably making a senior Grand Slam a greater accomplishment than in mainstream men's or women's golf.
In the current order of play, the five majors are:
- The TraditionThe TraditionThe Tradition is one of the five major championships recognized by the U.S.-based Champions Tour, the world's leading tour for professional golfers aged fifty and older. The inaugural event was staged in 1989.Unlike the U.S...
(ending on either the first or second Sunday in May, three weeks before the Senior PGA Championship) - Senior PGA ChampionshipSenior PGA ChampionshipThe Senior PGA Championship is one of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour. It was formerly an unofficial money...
(ending on the day before the U.S. holiday of Memorial DayMemorial DayMemorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
, observed on the last Monday of May) - The Senior Open ChampionshipSenior British Open ChampionshipThe Senior Open Championship, or simply The Senior Open is a professional golf tournament for men aged 50 and over. It is run by The R&A, the same body that organises The Open Championship. Prize money won in the event is official money on both the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour...
(ending on the last Sunday in July) - U.S. Senior OpenUnited States Senior OpenThe U.S. Senior Open is one of the major championships in men's senior golf. It was first played in 1980 and is administered by the United States Golf Association and is recognized as a major championship by both the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour...
(ending on the first Sunday in August, one week after The Senior Open Championship) - Senior Players ChampionshipSenior Players ChampionshipThe Senior Players Championship is one of the five major championships on golf's Champions Tour. Unlike the U.S. Senior Open, the Senior PGA Championship and the Senior British Open, it is not recognized as a major by the European Seniors Tour, and is not part of that tour's schedule. The inaugural...
(three weeks after the U.S. Senior Open)
The Senior PGA is by far the oldest of the senior majors, having been founded in 1937, decades before the establishment of the Champions Tour (as the Senior PGA Tour) in 1980
1980 Senior PGA Tour
The 1980 Senior PGA Tour was the first season of the Senior PGA Tour . The season consisted of only four official money events with purses totalling $475,000, including two majors...
. The other events were all founded in the 1980s—the U.S. Senior Open in 1980, the Senior Players Championship in 1983
1983 Senior PGA Tour
The 1983 Senior PGA Tour was the fourth season since the Senior PGA Tour officially began in 1980 . The season consisted of 16 official money events with purses totalling $2,612,000, including two majors. Don January won the most tournaments, six...
, The Senior Open in 1987, and The Tradition in 1989
1989 Senior PGA Tour
The 1989 Senior PGA Tour was the 10th season since the Senior PGA Tour officially began in 1980 . The season consisted of 35 official money events with purses totalling $13,345,000 , including four majors. Bob Charles won the most tournaments, five...
. This era saw senior golf became a commercial success as the first golf stars of the television era, such as Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
and Gary Player
Gary Player
Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
, reached their fifties. The Senior Open, however, was not recognized as a Champions Tour major until 2003
2003 Champions Tour
The 2003 Champions Tour was the 24th season since the Champions Tour officially began in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour. The season consisted of 31 official money events with purses totalling $53,600,000. For the first time, the Senior British Open was recognized as a Champions Tour major, bringing...
.
The stability of the majors in senior golf falls somewhere between mainstream men's golf and the LPGA:
- The roster of mainstream men's majors has not changed since the concept of the professional "Grand Slam" was generally recognized. The number of tournaments recognized by the LPGA as majors, as well as the identity of these events, has varied considerably over the decades. Two tournaments that were once considered as LPGA majors no longer exist, and a third lost its major status but survives as a regular tour event. In senior golf, the number of majors has changed over the years, but always by the addition of a new major.
- In terms of in-season scheduling, the senior majors have been much less stable than those of mainstream men's golf or the LPGA, especially in recent years. With the exception of a one-off staging of the PGA Championship in February 19711971 PGA ChampionshipThe 1971 PGA Championship was the 53rd PGA Championship played February 25-28 at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida....
, the mainstream majors have been held in the same order, and in almost exactly the same weeks of the year, since 1969. In women's golf, the scheduling of the majors has stabilized in recent years, with occasional minor changes of dates but no change of order. However, in senior golf, the order of the five majors has changed three times since 2006. The Senior Players Championship, held in July in 2006, moved to October in 2007 and to August in 2011. The U.S. Senior Open, which previously preceded The Senior Open in July, moved to early August, following The Senior Open, in 2008. The Tradition, previously held in late August, moved to early May in 2011.
No man has ever won all of the senior majors contested in a year, even in the period between 1980 and 1982 when only two senior majors existed. Also, no man has won all five of the current senior majors in his career. Miller Barber
Miller Barber
Miller Barber is an American professional golfer who enjoyed significant success on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s, and a greater degree of success on the Senior PGA Tour in the 1980s.-Career:...
won both of the 1980-1982 senior majors, the Senior PGA and U.S. Senior Open, during that time span, and won the inaugural Senior Players Championship in 1983. Those three tournaments would be the only senior majors until The Tradition was first played in 1989. Prior to the founding of The Tradition, Palmer and Player also completed that era's Career Senior Grand Slam. However, neither Barber, Palmer, nor Player would ever win The Tradition.
Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
is the only other player to have completed any era's Career Senior Grand Slam, doing so in his first two years on the Senior Tour. In his first year of eligibility in 1990
1990 Senior PGA Tour
The 1990 Senior PGA Tour was the 11th season since the Senior PGA Tour officially began in 1980 . The season consisted of 38 official money events with purses totalling $17,800,000, including four majors. Lee Trevino won the most tournaments, seven...
, he won The Tradition and the Senior Players Championship. The next year
1991 Senior PGA Tour
The 1991 Senior PGA Tour was the 12th season since the Senior PGA Tour officially began in 1980 . The season consisted of 37 official money events with purses totalling $18,925,000, including four majors. Mike Hill won the most tournaments, five...
, he defended his Tradition title and went on to win the Senior PGA and U.S. Senior Open. However, he failed to defend his Senior Players title and thus missed out on a calendar-year Grand Slam.
Nicklaus is the only player to have won four different senior majors in his career. Although Nicklaus never won The Senior Open, that event was not recognized as a U.S. senior major until after he had stopped playing the Senior Tour. Player won The Senior Open three times before 2003, when it was considered a major by the European Senior Tour but not the Senior PGA/Champions Tour.
See also
- Triple Crown of GolfTriple Crown of GolfThe Triple Crown in golf usually refers to the winning of the world's three oldest golf tournaments in the same year. Those tournaments are The Open Championship, also known as the British Open and founded in 1860, the U.S. Open, founded in 1895, and the South African Open, founded in 1903.The term...
- Men's major golf championshipsMen's major golf championshipsThe men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
- Chronological list of men's major golf championsChronological list of men's major golf championsThrough the 2011 season, 205 golfers have won one of men's professional golf's four professional major championships. They are listed here in order of their first win. For a complete list of results in these tournaments see the major championships article...
- Golfers with most major championship wins
- PGA Grand Slam of GolfPGA Grand Slam of GolfThe PGA Grand Slam of Golf is an annual off-season golf tournament contested by the year's winners of the four major championships of regular men's golf, which are the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open, The Open Championship , and the PGA Championship...
- an annual off-season tournament contested by the winners of the four men's major championships.