Who has the most majors in golf history? Scottie Scheffler rises up list

Scottie Scheffler is building his resume.

The 28-year-old Texas alum, already with a pair of wins at the Masters Tournament, continued to bolster his growing list of achievements on Sunday.

Scheffler, the World No. 1 golfer, won the third major tournament of his career with a victory at the PGA Championship. Scheffler, who had second-place finishes at the 2023 PGA Championship and 2022 U.S. Open, won the Masters in 2022 and 2024.

Let's take a look at the players with the most major championships:

What are the four major golf tournaments in golf?

Golf’s four majors are the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship.

The Masters kicks off each major season with an April tournament held at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Then it’s the PGA Championship on the weekend before Memorial Day, which rotates sites throughout the country. After that, the U.S. Open is held on Father’s Day weekend at various venues, generally where scoring is extra difficult with long holes. Finally, The Open is played at different coastal links courses across the United Kingdom in mid-July.

Has anyone ever held all four majors in golf?

Six players have won all four majors throughout their careers. None have accomplished the career grand slam in the same year.

Tiger Woods and Ben Hogan came the closest to pulling it off, each winning three of the four majors in a given year.

In 2000, Woods finished fifth in the Masters before winning the U.S. Open in June, The Open in July and the PGA in August. Woods is the only player in history to complete what is now called the “Tiger Slam,” by winning four consecutive majors but not within the same calendar year. He did it from the 2000 U.S. Open to the 2001 Masters.

Hogan won the Masters and U.S. Open in 1953, but he did not compete in the PGA due to scheduling before winning The Open a week later. So while Hogan technically didn’t lose a major in 1953, he did not complete the calendar grand slam.

Rory McIlroy is the most recent player to accomplish the feat, doing so with his win at the 2025 Masters Tournament. The North Ireland native finally put on the green jacket after his 17th career start at Augusta.

What active golfer has the most major wins?

Scheffler still has a lot of work to do to rise up this list. Woods leads all active golfers, though he hasn't played this year and won't after suffering a ruptured Achilles in February.

Here are the active players with multiple major wins:

1. Tiger Woods, 15

2. Phil Mickelson, 6

T-3. Rory McIlroy, 5

T-3. Brooks Koepka, 5

5. Ernie Els, 4

T-6. Scottie Scheffler, 3

T-6. Jordan Spieth, 3

T-6. Pádraig Harrington, 3

T-6. Vijay Singh, 3

T-10. Bryson DeChambeau, 2

T-10. Jon Rahm, 2

T-10. Justin Thomas, 2

T-10. Collin Morikawa, 2

T-10. Dustin Johnson, 2

T-10. Zach Johnson, 2

T-10. Martin Kaymer, 2

T-10. Bubba Watson, 2

T-10. Ángel Cabrera, 2

T-10. Retief Goosen, 2

T-10. José María Olazábal, 2

T-10. Bernhard Langer, 2

T-10. John Daly, 2

Who has the most majors in golf?

Jack Nicklaus stands above all players with his 18 major championships. Woods is close behind with 15, while Walter Hagen has 11. No other player has double-digit majors.

Here’s the full list of players with at least four majors in golf (active players italicized):

1. Jack Nicklaus, 18

2. Tiger Woods, 15

3. Walter Hagen, 11

T-4. Ben Hogan, 9

T-4. Gary Player, 9

6. Tom Watson, 8

T-7. Harry Vardon, 7

T-7. Bobby Jones, 7

T-7. Gene Sarazen, 7

T-7. Sam Snead, 7

T-7. Arnold Palmer, 7

T-12. Lee Trevino, 6

T-12. Nick Faldo, 6

T-12. Phil Mickelson, 6

T-15. Rory McIlroy, 5

T-15. Brooks Koepka, 5

T-15. Steve Ballesteros, 5

T-15. Peter Thomson, 5

T-15. Byron Nelson, 5

T-15. John Henry Taylor, 5

T-15. James Braid, 5

T-22. Ernie Els, 4

T-22. Raymond Floyd, 4

T-22. Bobby Locke, 4

T-22. Jim Barnes, 4

T-22. Willie Anderson, 4

T-22. Willie Park Sr., 4

T-22. Tom Morris Sr., 4

T-22. Tom Morris Jr., 4

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story was published in June 2023.