The golf majors 101: What makes these tournaments legendary
The big four: A brief overview
Every sport has its defining moments. Moments that are often created on the biggest stages.
In golf, those moments belong to the majors. From the pristine fairways of Augusta to the challenging courses of The Open, the majors aren’t just another date in the tour schedule, they’re tests of character, tradition, and endurance.
These are the events that even non-golf fans will tune in to. If you are reading this off the back of Rory’s first Masters win, or Europe’s brilliant Bethpage performance, there is plenty more major magic for you to get stuck in to.
Whether you’re a casual fan or a lifelong player, understanding why these four events matters is to understand the soul of golf itself.
Setting the stage: What makes a major, a major
The majors are four competitions which spearhead the golfing season. They are:
The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open
Together, the four majors form golf’s ultimate proving ground. a blend of history, skill, and mental toughness. Each has its own rhythm, personality, and challenges, often leading to unforgettable drama.
These events have the biggest purses, the best players across the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, and the most pressure.
Simply getting onto the field of a major is a challenge. There are multiple routes to qualification, but ultimately there are hundreds of golfers vying for the same spots.
Perhaps even more crucially, winning a major grants exemption from the need to annually re-qualify for a tour card. Simply put, this gives a tournament golfer some security in an unstable profession.
Only 6 players in the history of men’s golf have ever won the career grand slam. This means winning all the major tournaments within a player’s career.
Most recently, Rory McIlroy finally won The Masters to achieve this feat. He joins Tiger Wood, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen.
Let’s look at each event in isolation and find out what makes each one so special.
The Masters: Golf’s most exclusive stage
The Masters is a tradition unlike any other. If you are a tennis fan, you can liken it to Wimbledon; where history, beauty, and prestige converge.
Differentiating itself from the other majors even further, The Masters takes place at the same course every year: Augusta National in Georgia. A tradition which started in 1934.
It is the first major of the year and is certainly the most recognisable. It is considered one of the toughest courses in the world with unforgiving greens and well-designed holes.
In essence, you need a bit of everything to win the Masters. And by winning, you join an elite group of golfers who are gifted the ‘green jacket’. The jacket has become an icon of the event, and the sport itself.
Every major has its unique qualities. But my gut instinct says that if you asked every golfer which event they would like to win the most, 99 out of 100 would say The Masters.
Iconic Masters moments
Tiger Woods’ record-breaking win in 1997.
Tiger’s comeback win in 2019
Phil Mickelson’s leap in 2004
Jack Nicklaus’s stunning comeback in 1986 at age 46.
Rory McIlroy completing the career grand slam in 2025
PGA Championship: The strongest field in golf
Taking place in May, this competition brings together the strongest field in golf.
The reason it is dubbed ‘the strongest field in golf’ is because it is an event purely for professionals. Whilst the other majors allow spots for amateurs.
Jumping from The Masters to the PGA Championship takes you away from tradition and towards performance under pressure.
The PGA Championship definitely feels contemporary compared to the other majors. It’s a tournament that rewards strength, precision, and composure.
At the beginning of this article, I spoke about exemptions a winner receives. The PGA champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors and The Players Championship for the next five years and are eligible for the PGA Championship for life.
They also earn a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a seven-year membership on the DP World Tour. Showing how vitally important a win could be for those playing for their place every year.
Iconic PGA Championship moments
Rory McIlroy’s dominance at Valhalla in 2014
Brooks Koepka’s back-to-back titles
Phil Mickelson’s record-breaking win at age 50 in 2021
Tiger Woods’ victory in 2000
Mickleson’s 18th heroics in 2005
The U.S. Open: One of golf’s ultimate tests
The U.S. Open is one of golf’s ultimate tests, often featuring fast greens, punishing roughs, and narrow fairways.
The USGA sets up courses to push players to their limit. Naturally this has a ‘sink or swim’ impact with big-name players often crashing out at the cut.
Par is sacred, birdies are precious, and eagles? Count your lucky stars.
Courses are usually set up to reward the longest hitters. With the winning score often sitting not far under-par, each shot is particularly vital.
The risk is high, but the reward is astronomical. As of 2024, the U.S. Open awards a $21.5 million purse, the largest of all four major championships.
Until 2018, if players were tied at the end of 72 holes, they would play another round of 18 the following day. Nowadays, it is a two-hole play-off. Far less demanding!
Iconic U.S. Open moments
Tiger Woods’ 2008 triumph at Torrey Pines on one leg
Payne Stewart’s clutch putt at Pinehurst in 1999
Arnold Palmers’ comeback in 1960
Bryson DeChambeau wins at 27 years old in 2020
Bubba Watson wedges his way to victory at Pebble Beach in 1982
The Open: Steeped in history
The Open, sometimes referred to as the British Open, is golf’s oldest major.
In 2026, the 154th Open will take place at Royal Birkdale in Liverpool. Since first hosting The Open in 1954, Royal Birkdale has been the most regular venue, other than St Andrews. In 2025 Scottie Scheffler cruised to his fourth major trophy with a 4-shot lead.
With its unpredictable weather, pot bunkers, rolling dunes, and the ever-present roar of the British crowd, The Open is a true test for any golfer.
A quirk of The Open is that the competition is played on Links courses. A links is the oldest style of golf course and are generally built on sandy coastland that offers a firmer playing surface.
The ball can travel further down the fairway, but the rough is often unforgiving. Accuracy is vital around this type of course.
It is called The Open because it is in theory “open” to all, i.e. professional and amateur golfers.
Iconic The Open moments
Tom Watson’s five titles
Seve Ballesteros’s magic at St Andrews,
The duel between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson in 2016.
Tiger’s 19 under-par in 2000
Justin Rose’s fourth place finish as an amateur in 1998
Conclusion: The legacy of the majors
Golf’s majors are far more than four tour meets; they are chapters of the game’s history.
Every year we think “nothing could top that, could it?”. Well, every year we get surprised with more unthinkable drama.
Long after the last putt drops, the names remain, Nicklaus, Woods, McIlroy, Player, etched not just on trophies, but in the memory of the sport itself.
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