The four majors are now more important than ever. Money rules men’s professional golf.
LIV Golf has split the sport. The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and Open Championship remain the top events. They are free from tour politics.
These events have long held prestige. They are the only ones that always draw top players, strengthening their status as golf’s true peak.
Golf is changing. Platforms like 22Bet let fans connect with the sport in new ways. They offer great odds on major tournaments and up-and-coming events.
Golf’s four major tournaments have always stood apart, limiting the PGA Tour’s control.
Simply counting major wins shouldn’t be the only way to judge a player’s greatness. Consider Nick Faldo with six majors and Seve Ballesteros with five. The stats favor Faldo, but does that mean he’s the better player?
Faldo had plenty of fans, but Seve’s charisma and flair made him a legend. Faldo was respected; Seve was adored.
The Rarity of Major Champions: Chasing the Career Grand Slam
Here’s the thing, though. Faldo and Ballesteros each claimed victory in two of golf’s four majors—the Masters and the Open Championship. This adds to the debate about who is better. Neither won the U.S. PGA or the U.S. Open. This brings me to David Graham, the only Australian male who has won two of the four majors, the U.S. PGA and the U.S. Open. Is that achievement more remarkable than Greg Norman’s two Open titles or Peter Thomson’s five? It’s a debate worth having. Being skilled in more than one of the four main fields is very helpful. It offers advantages over being highly skilled in one area.
Some players have come even closer to a career Grand Slam, winning three of the four majors. Currently, 12 players have achieved this feat: Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Ray Floyd, Tom Watson, Tommy Armour, Jim Barnes, Walter Hagen, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, and Lee Trevino. Let’s be honest: only McIlroy and Spieth have a real shot at the tough quadrilateral. Only five players have done it before: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. The others are either past it (Mickelson), retired (Player, Trevino, Watson), or long-deceased (Armour, Barnes, Hagen, Nelson, Snead, Palmer). Some are all three.
The Value of Major Wins and McIlroy’s Pursuit of History
Winning across many majors carries more weight than stacking victories in one. It is undoubtedly a tie-breaker if two players have the same significant wins. As an example, Trevino has six wins (two Opens, two U.S. Opens, and two U.S. PGAs). This is better than Faldo’s six wins (three Opens and three Masters).
Inevitably, this stroll through my significant musings must climax with thoughts on McIlroy. Even if Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele rise to the top of men’s golf in 2025, the Northern Irishman will still be the most talked about. The four-time major champion has been trying for a green jacket for over ten years. This long wait raises questions about his ability to succeed.
My hopes on that front remain high, though. In the past year, especially in recent months, McIlroy has performed at a very high level. But (newsflash) winning a major is tough. Each time McIlroy gets high on a leaderboard, he has to beat others playing at the top of their games. Happily, though, we can assume none of those guys will, at the moment, be driven by thoughts of money. Amidst the current mess, that is perhaps professional golf’s one saving grace.