Ask any professional golfer what a truly great career is built on, and the answer will almost always revolve around the majors. These four tournaments are the pinnacle of the sport, the ultimate test of skill, mental toughness, and strategy. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about golf's four major championships, explaining what makes each one unique and why winning one cements a player's place in history.
Kicking off the season’s major championships each April, The Masters is an event unlike any other in golf. It is a tournament steeped in tradition, mystique, and exclusivity, beloved by players and fans for its beauty and uncompromising standards.
The Masters is the only one of the four men's majors held at the same course every year: the breathtaking Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The tournament reliably takes place during the first full week of April, a time when the club's famous azaleas and dogwoods are in full bloom, creating one of the most stunning backdrops in all of sports.
Augusta National itself is the star. Designed by the legendary amateur Bobby Jones and architect Alister MacKenzie, it’s a course of immense beauty and strategic challenge. Every hole presents a unique problem, demanding imagination and flawless execution. Holes like the par-3 12th over Rae's Creek and the risk-reward par-5 13th, which together form part of "Amen Corner," are famous for creating dramatic swings on Sunday afternoon.
The traditions are just as important as the golf. There's the Champions Dinner on Tuesday night, attended only by past winners and hosted by the defending champion. The family-friendly Par 3 Contest on Wednesday is a lighthearted prelude to the intense competition. But the ultimate symbol of victory is the iconic Green Jacket, awarded to the winner in a televised ceremony following the final putt.
While the prize money is substantial, the true prize is the illustrious Green Jacket. The winner receives his jacket from the previous year's champion and gets to keep it for one year, after which it must be returned to Augusta National to be stored in the Champions Locker Room, ready for him whenever he visits.
The Masters has the smallest field of all the majors, typically around 90-100 players. It’s an invitational, but with very specific criteria. You can earn an invitation by winning a previous Masters (a lifetime exemption), winning one of the other three majors in the last five years, winning The Players Championship, or finishing in the Top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of the previous calendar year, among other categories.
Once known as "Glory's Last Shot" when it was held in August, the PGA Championship moved to May in 2019, making it the second major on the calendar. Organized by the PGA of America, it stakes its claim as having the strongest field in golf, composed almost exclusively of the world’s best professional players.
The PGA Championship is played in mid-May at a rotation of prestigious courses across the United States. Unlike The Masters, it travels to a new venue almost every year. The list of past hosts reads like a who's who of classic American golf course design, including venues like Oak Hill, Southern Hills, and Valhalla Golf Club.
Its main distinction is its field. The PGA of America reserves 20 spots for its own club professionals who earn their way in through a qualifying tournament. However, the rest of the 156-player field is made up of the top touring professionals from around the globe. This has led to the claim that it features the strongest FOG (Strength of Field) rating of any major because it lacks some of the high-handicap amateurs or older past champions found in other majors.
The courses chosen are typically long, demanding parkland layouts that require an all-around game. Players need to be long off the tee, precise with their irons, and sharp on and around the greens to contend. In 2021, Phil Mickelson made history by winning the PGA at 50 years old, becoming the oldest major champion ever.
The winner of the PGA Championship is awarded the massive Wanamaker Trophy. It's named after Rodman Wanamaker, a department store magnate who was instrumental in founding the PGA of America in 1916. It's one of the largest trophies in sports, standing 28 inches tall and weighing 27 pounds.
Qualification is geared towards professionals. This includes:
Conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), the U.S. Open is famously known as golf's ultimate test. Held annually in June, its identity is built on brutally difficult course setups designed to examine every aspect of a player’s game and composure.
The U.S. Open is held the week of Father's Day in June and rotates among some of America's most iconic and difficult golf courses. Venues like Pebble Beach, Shinnecock Hills, Oakmont, and Pinehurst No. 2 are common hosts. Each one presents a different architectural challenge, but the USGA's setup philosophy remains consistent.
More than any other tournament, the U.S. Open is defined by its setup. The USGA narrows the fairways, grows out the rough to unmanageable lengths, and makes the greens glass-like and firm. The goal is to make par a significant achievement on every single hole. This tournament isn't about making a ton of birdies, it’s about mental fortitude and avoiding big numbers. Grinding out pars is the path to victory, and a final score of even par is often good enough to win.
What also makes it special is its "open" nature. About half of the field must earn their spot through local and sectional qualifiers. This allows any amateur or professional with a low enough handicap index a chance to fulfill a dream and compete alongside the world's best. Stories of local heroes qualifying and making the cut are a beloved part of the tournament's narrative.
The champion receives the U.S. Open Championship Trophy. Along with a handsome paycheck, the winner also earns an exemption into the other three majors and The Players Championship for the next five years, plus a ten-year exemption into the U.S. Open itself.
The U.S. Open has the most extensive qualification system in golf. Exemptions are granted to past winners, recent major champions, and top-ranked players. However, the rest of the 156-person field is filled through:
Simply referred to as "The Open," this is the oldest golf championship in the world. First played in 1860, it represents the birthplace of golf and offers a challenge completely different from its American counterparts: classic links golf.
The Open is played in mid-July and is hosted by a select group of legendary seaside links courses in the an official rota across the United Kingdom. Courses like the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland ("The Home of Golf"), Royal St. George's in England, and Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland are part of this revered rotation.
It's all about links golf. This style of play is defined by firm, fast-running fairways, deep and unforgiving pot bunkers, wispy fescue grasses, and the ever-present, often unpredictable weather coming off the sea. Players can’t simply rely on hitting high, soft-landing shots like they do in America. Here, creativity and intellect are just as important as technique.
Winning an Open requiresan ability to control the ball's trajectory, hitting low runners that stay under the wind. It asks players to use the contours of the ground to their advantage and have an impeccable short game from tight lies around the greens. Being a great shot-maker who can improvise is what separates champions from the rest of the field.
The winner of The Open receives the Golf Champion Trophy, better known as the Claret Jug. It is perhaps the most iconic and sought-after trophy in the sport. After being crowned on the 18th green, the winner gets their name engraved on its silver base and is announced as the "Champion Golfer of the Year" - a title that signifies true mastery of the game.
Similar to the U.S. Open, The Open has a mix of exemptions and a broad qualifying series. Top-ranked players and recent winners of major events gain automatic entry. The remaining spots are filled through the Open Qualifying Series, a set of designated tournaments on various a number of worldwide professional tours where top finishers earn a place in The Open field.
The four majors - The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and The Open - each present a unique identity and a different but equally demanding test. From the manicured perfection of Augusta to the raw, windy challenge of a links course, they are the four pillars that define the professional golf season and etch players' names into the history books.
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