You’ve likely seen the highlights of Tiger Woods pumping his fist at Augusta or Jack Nicklaus raising the putter at 46 years old. These moments aren't just great TV; they are the currency of greatness in this game. If you aren't winning most major golf titles, your name probably isn't going to live forever in the record books. It’s a harsh reality. Honestly, a guy could win 40 regular PGA Tour events, but if he has zero majors, the history books will treat him like a footnote compared to a person who won three or four big ones.
Why? Because the majors are different. The grass is longer, the greens are faster, and the pressure is basically suffocating. We are talking about the four pillars of the men's game—The Masters, the U.S. Open, the Open Championship (don't call it the British Open around purists), and the PGA Championship. On the women's side, it's even more complex with five majors that have shifted and changed over the decades.
The Men's Big Four: Where Legends Are Born
When we talk about the most major golf titles in the men’s game, we always start with the Masters. It’s the only one played at the same place every year: Augusta National. Because of that, the course becomes a character itself. You know the holes—Amen Corner, the 16th green, the azaleas. Winning there gets you a Green Jacket and a lifetime invitation. That’s a pretty sweet deal.
Then there’s the U.S. Open. If the Masters is a beauty pageant with teeth, the U.S. Open is a street fight. The USGA (United States Golf Association) loves to make players suffer. We’ve seen years where the winning score is over par. Imagine being the best in the world and struggling to make a bogey. It’s brutal.
The Oldest and the Longest
- The Open Championship: This is the original. First played in 1860 at Prestwick. It’s played on "links" courses—coastal, sandy, windy, and often rainy. You don't just play the course; you play the elements.
- The PGA Championship: Often called "Glory's Last Shot" back when it was in August, it moved to May in 2019. It’s run by the PGA of America, meaning 20 club professionals (the guys who teach lessons at your local course) actually get to compete with the stars.
The race for the most major golf titles is currently a two-man conversation at the top. Jack Nicklaus has 18. Tiger Woods has 15. For a long time, everyone thought Tiger would breeze past Jack. Then injuries happened. Now, in 2026, we look at Rory McIlroy—who finally completed his Career Grand Slam by winning the 2025 Masters—and Scottie Scheffler as the new kings. Scheffler, at just 29, already has 3 majors and is playing some of the most dominant golf we've seen since the early 2000s.
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The Women’s Majors: A Changing Landscape
The LPGA has a much more fluid history when it comes to its biggest prizes. Right now, there are five. That’s one more than the men. But it wasn't always like that. Back in the day, the Western Open and the Titleholders were the big ones.
Patty Berg holds the record for the most major golf titles with 15. However, there’s a bit of a "yeah, but" there for some historians because several of those were won before the LPGA was even founded in 1950. If you look at the modern era, Mickey Wright is the goat with 13. Annika Sorenstam has 10. These women didn't just play golf; they dominated it.
The Current Five
- The Chevron Championship: Famous for the winner jumping into "Poppie’s Pond."
- U.S. Women's Open: The most prestigious and usually the biggest purse.
- Women's PGA Championship: Run by the same folks who do the men's version.
- The Evian Championship: Played in France. It’s the newest major, elevated in 2013.
- AIG Women's Open: The counterpart to the men's Open, often played on the same legendary links courses.
It’s interesting because the women’s game has seen a massive surge in depth. While Annika or Karrie Webb used to win everything, we now see a rotating door of superstars from Korea, the U.S., and Thailand. The competition is insane.
The "Grand Slam" Myth and Reality
You’ve heard the term. The Grand Slam. In the modern era, it means winning all the majors in a single calendar year.
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Spoiler: Nobody has done it in the professional era.
Bobby Jones did it in 1930, but that was a mix of amateur and professional events. Tiger Woods did the "Tiger Slam" in 2000-2001, holding all four trophies at once, but it wasn't in the same year. That’s probably the closest anyone will ever get. The pressure of the final leg—usually the Open or the PGA—is just too much.
Winning the most major golf titles over a career is a "Career Grand Slam." Only six men have ever done it: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and now, Rory McIlroy. Rory’s 2025 Masters win was a massive weight off his shoulders. He had been stuck on three legs of the slam since 2014. Eleven years of "when are you going to win the Masters?" is enough to drive anyone crazy.
Why Some Majors Aren't Created Equal
There’s a lot of debate about whether the PGA Championship or the Evian Championship "count" as much as the others. Honestly, if you ask a player, a trophy is a trophy. But the fans? They love the history.
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The Masters and the Open Championship have a soul. You feel the ghosts of Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer when you walk those fairways. The PGA Championship sometimes feels like a very, very big regular tour event. It lacks a bit of that "holy ground" vibe. Same goes for the Evian. It’s a beautiful place in France, but it doesn't have 100 years of tradition yet.
But tradition is a funny thing. It’s being built right now. When Scottie Scheffler or Nelly Korda goes on a tear, they are building the "tradition" of the 2020s. We’re living in a golden age of ball-striking.
What You Should Watch For
If you’re trying to keep track of the most major golf titles and who is chasing whom, here is the short list of what actually matters going forward:
- Scottie Scheffler's Peak: He is 29 and has 4 majors as of late 2025. If he stays healthy, he’s the only one with a realistic shot at getting near Tiger’s 15.
- Rory's Second Act: Now that he has the Grand Slam, does he relax and win three more? Or was that the finish line for him?
- The LIV Factor: We can't talk about golf without mentioning the split. Seeing guys like Brooks Koepka (who has 5 majors) come back to play against the PGA Tour guys in the majors is the only time we see the full "world's best" field anymore. It makes the majors even more important because they are the only true benchmarks left.
Actionable Takeaways for the Casual Fan
If you want to sound like you know what you're talking about at the 19th hole, keep these points in mind:
- Jack is still the king. 18 majors is the number. Tiger is stuck at 15. Unless Tiger finds a fountain of youth for his back and ankles, that record is safe.
- The Masters is an invitation. You can't just "qualify" for it in the traditional sense. You have to be invited based on specific criteria. That's why the field is so small.
- Check the weather. For the Open Championship, the "draw" is everything. If you play in the morning and it's calm, but the afternoon is a hurricane, your tournament is over. It’s the most luck-dependent major.
- Follow the money. The U.S. Open and the Tour Championship (not a major, but huge) have seen purses explode. We’re talking $20 million plus. Winning a major is a legacy move, but it’s also a massive payday.
Keep an eye on the schedule. The majors run from April to July. It’s a sprint. If a player gets hot in April, they can change their entire life by August. That's the magic of the most major golf titles. They aren't just tournaments; they are the only things that truly define a career in this sport.
Next Steps for Your Golf Knowledge:
- Review the current Official World Golf Rankings to see which major-winners are trending upward.
- Research the qualification criteria for the upcoming U.S. Open if you're interested in how "open" the tournament actually is for amateurs.
- Look into the history of Augusta National's course changes to see how they've "Tiger-proofed" the venue over the years.