The Super Bowl, the World Series, and the NBA Finals are all top games to determine the best of the best. When it comes to golf, there is more than one chance for players to show off their swing. From prizes to prestige, professionals battle it out across four tournaments for a chance to cement their name in golf history. What are the 4 Majors in golf? If you can’t get enough of the sport and want to watch the pros battle each other throughout the season, these are the tournaments to tune into.
The Masters
The Masters is the first big tournament for golfers of the year. Known as the U.S. Masters, the Masters Tournament, or simply, the Masters, this tournament started in 1934, and is played the first week of April every year. Unlike other tournaments that rotate where they are played, you will always watch the pros battle for the prize in Augusta, Georgia, at the Augusta National Golf Club, which had just opened one year before in 1933.
Going for the green
The iconic green jacket has been the coveted prize since 1949, though winners do have to give it back one year from their win. To get hyped about the event, the Championship Dinner was introduced in 1952, and is held exclusively for past winners and board members.
Prizes and past winners
Winning this tournament is a life-changing event. With $2o million in total prizes for the players for the 2024 event, the $3.6 million that goes to the winner would set anyone up for a life of good times. That’s just for winning once. Jack Nicklaus won six Masters between 1963 and 1986, giving him top honors. Tiger Woods sits in a close second with five wins from 1997 and his comeback in 2019. Nicklaus was the oldest Masters winner in 1986 at 46, and Woods was the youngest in 1997, at 21 years old.
The PGA Championship
The second of the four men’s major golf tournaments is the PGA Championship. Established in 1916, the first PGA Championship was played in October in New York at the Siwanoy Country Club. The PGA was held anywhere from May to December, and used to be a match play style tournament, but ended up as a stroke play in 1958. A lot of back and forth and moving around to accommodate wars, other tournaments, the Olympics, and football season landed it in May by 2019. While there is no set course for the PGA Championship, it is mostly played on the East Coast, with New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania hosting the most.
Winners lot
The winner of the PGA gets a replica of the first-ever Wanamaker Trophy that was awarded to Jim Barnes in the initial 1916 tournament. Though the top swing only gets to keep the replica for one year until it gets handed over to the next winner, they do get a mini size for keeps.
The pot for this tournament is $18.5 million, with the top honors taking home $3.3 million. Jack Nicklaus has won the most times with five (and has the most runners-up with four) alongside Walter Hagen.
The U.S. Open
First played in Newport, Rhode Island, on the 9-hole Newport Country Club in 1895, the U.S. Open is played in June every year, as long as the weather doesn’t mess with anything. It is the third tournament in the big four lineup and doles out the largest total prize, with the 2024 U.S. Open having $21.5 million dollars in winnings attached to it.
Perks of winning
In addition to the hefty purse players swing for, the perks that accompany winning the U.S. Open are amazing. Top honors gets you an automatic invite to the PGA tournament, British Open, and the Masters for the next five years, in addition to a handful of exemptions and invitations to other tournaments. Willie Nelson, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus have won the most, all taking home four wins.
The Open Championship
Played in July, the oldest of the four tournaments, the British Open Championship was first played in 1860 at the Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. The Open has to be played on a traditional links course, with the oldest golf course in the world, the Old Course at St. Andrews, having the honor of hosting every five years to keep the game of golf connected to its roots.
Winners and prizes
Though Old Tom Morris was the first winner of the Open at 46 years old, Harry Varden holds the record for the most wins at six, and Young Tom Morris holds the most consecutive wins at four, while also being the youngest winner at 17 years old. Players fight for the Claret Jug and a cut of the $17 million in total cash prizes, with the top spot getting $3.1 million of the purse.
Some argue others, like the Canadian Open or the Players, should be included in the PGA Majors. While you could have an argument there, for now, the 4 Majors in golf are the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and the Open Championship. The popularity of golf has exploded in the last century, with these four tournaments able to discern the next star in the sport. Players want to win for the fortune and glory that comes with each one, and fans can’t wait to see who gets it.
