Golf is weird. You spend four days watching a guy walk through a park, only for everything to change because of a gust of wind or a lip-out on the 72nd hole. Honestly, if you’ve been following the leaderboard lately, you know that the list of major golf championship winners from 2024 and 2025 tells a story of absolute dominance mixed with some truly heartbreaking "almosts."
People love to talk about the "Big Three" or the next Tiger Woods. But look at the actual data from the last two seasons. We aren't seeing a rotating door of one-hit wonders. Instead, we’re seeing a small group of guys basically gatekeeping the trophies.
Scottie Scheffler is Just Playing a Different Game
Let’s be real. Scottie Scheffler is making everyone else look like they’re playing with hickory sticks. In 2024, he grabbed his second Green Jacket at the Masters, and then 2025 happened. Most people expected him to stay consistent, but he went on a tear that felt personal.
He won the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow by four strokes. Then, he went over to Royal Portrush and bullied the field to win The Open Championship. That’s four majors in four years. He’s the first guy since Rory McIlroy in 2014 to snag multiple PGAs before turning 30.
The stat that actually blows my mind?
Scheffler’s second-round 64 at Quail Hollow in 2025 was the lowest round of the week. He didn't shoot higher than a 68 the entire tournament.
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That kind of consistency is gross. It’s not just that he wins; it’s that he never seems to have a "bad" day where he shoots a 75 and falls out of the hunt. He’s become the final boss of professional golf.
The Rory McIlroy "Curse" Finally Broke
If you’re a Rory fan, 2025 was probably the year you finally stopped holding your breath. For over a decade, the "Career Grand Slam" was the monkey on his back. Every April, the pressure at Augusta National seemed to cook him.
Then came the 2025 Masters.
It wasn't a clean stroll, though. Rory actually doubled the first hole on Sunday. He lost the lead immediately. Most of us watching thought, "Here we go again." But he clawed back, survived a late charge from Justin Rose, and won in a sudden-death playoff on the 18th hole.
With that win, he became only the sixth man to ever complete the career grand slam. Joining the likes of Nicklaus and Woods. It’s the kind of win that shifts a legacy from "great" to "legendary."
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Why the U.S. Open is Bryson’s House
While Scottie is the king of efficiency, Bryson DeChambeau is the king of chaos and power. He defended his reputation at the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. That win was a classic—beating Rory by a single shot after that infamous par save on the last hole.
Bryson’s approach is... divisive. He’s the "Scientist." He uses single-length irons (all 37.5 inches) and grips so thick they look like pool noodles. But you can't argue with the results at the U.S. Open. He’s won two of them now (2020 and 2024).
Interestingly, while he dominates the U.S. Open, he struggled a bit in 2025. He finished T2 at the PGA Championship, losing to Scottie. It seems Bryson has figured out the "hardest test in golf" but is still searching for that same magic at the Masters or the Open.
Recent Major Winners (2024-2025)
- 2025 The Open: Scottie Scheffler (Royal Portrush)
- 2025 U.S. Open: J.J. Spaun (Oakmont - a massive upset that nobody saw coming)
- 2025 PGA Championship: Scottie Scheffler (Quail Hollow)
- 2025 Masters: Rory McIlroy (Augusta National)
- 2024 The Open: Xander Schauffele (Royal Troon)
- 2024 U.S. Open: Bryson DeChambeau (Pinehurst No. 2)
- 2024 PGA Championship: Xander Schauffele (Valhalla)
- 2024 Masters: Scottie Scheffler (Augusta National)
Xander Schauffele: The Breakthrough of 2024
We can't talk about major golf championship winners without mentioning Xander’s 2024. For years, he was the guy who always finished T5. He was "best player without a major."
Then he won the PGA at Valhalla. Then he turned around and won The Open at Royal Troon in the same year. Just like that, the narrative changed. He didn't just win one; he proved he could handle the pressure of two different styles of golf—American parkland and Scottish links—within a few months.
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What This Means for Your Golf Bets
If you're looking at the 2026 season, the "Scheffler Era" is the only thing that matters. The guy is currently ranked No. 1 and has held that spot for over 150 weeks.
But don't ignore the outliers. J.J. Spaun winning the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont proves that even on the toughest courses, a "tier 2" player can occasionally catch lightning in a bottle if the leaders stumble.
Actionable Insights for Following the Majors:
- Watch the "Strokes Gained: Approach" stats. In almost every win listed above, the winner ranked in the top 3 for iron play. Putting is flashy, but approach shots win trophies.
- Look for course history at Augusta. Rory's win was a decade in the making. Scottie's two wins show he just "gets" the greens there.
- Don't bet against the Scientist in the U.S. Open. Bryson's game is built for the high-stress, high-rough environment of the USGA's setups.
The landscape of professional golf is shifting. We have LIV guys like Bryson competing against PGA Tour stalwarts like Scottie and Rory. But at the end of the day, the names on the trophies are the only thing people remember. Right now, those names are becoming very familiar.