To apply the label of major championship to a golf tournament is a subjective task, but it is one that can be done using objective truths. A "major" is a tournament that has the mortar of history providing its foundation. It annually assembles the best available competitors, all of whom aspire to win the championship above most any other title.
What are the major tournaments in golf?
Played at Augusta National Golf Club, many consider The Masters as the top major tournament. • The US Open tees off in June. Started in 1895, this major is played at a different location each year with 156 players attempting to finish as the No. 1 golfer. • The Open Championship, aka The British Open, is played in July on a links course in the UK.
What are the majors in golf?
Alongside the biennial Ryder Cup team competition, the majors are golf's marquee events. Elite players from all over the world participate in them, and the reputations of the greatest players in golf history are largely based on the number and variety of major championship victories they accumulate.
Can a golfer win a major championship?
Any golfer who can win one of the sport's major championships is assured that his feat will be remembered. The Masters is the first major championship of the PGA Tour season.
What is the Masters Tournament?
Any golfer who can win one of the sport's major championships is assured that his feat will be remembered. The Masters is the first major championship of the PGA Tour season. Held early in April, it has been played at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia since 1934.
What makes a major a major golf?
Although the majors are considered prestigious due to their history and traditions, besides The Players there are still other non-"major" tournaments which prominently feature top players competing for purses meeting or exceeding those of the four traditional majors, such as the European Tour's DP World Tour ...
How many golf tournaments are considered majors?
Four Major Golf TournamentsFour Major Golf Tournaments The PGA has four Major Golf Tournament events that take place during the season — The Masters Tournament, The U.S. Open, The Open Championship and The PGA Championship. The majors can make or break a player's career.
How do you qualify for a major golf tournament?
List of qualification criteria to date:Every former PGA Champion.Winners of the last five U.S. Opens.Winners of the last five Masters.Winners of the last five Open Championships.Winners of the last three The Players Championships.The current Senior PGA Champion.More items...
Is the TPC considered a major?
Despite not being a major, it has been promoted as such by the tour, dubbed the fifth major, and is often regarded as the next most prestigious tournament in golf.
Which golf major is the most prestigious?
1. The Masters. The only major played every year on the same course, Augusta National has become the definition of major championship golf. The tournament has actually become wrapped in the history and tradition it has tried so hard to establish.
Has anyone ever won all 4 golf majors in one year?
Bobby Jones, who won the pre-Masters era Career Grand Slam in 1930, is the only golfer to win four majors in the same year.
How do you get a PGA pro card?
Win a PGA Tour Event or Major Championship Anybody who wins a PGA Tour event gets an immediate two-year PGA Tour exemption. This means that any non-member who gets into the field at a PGA Tour event via a sponsor exemption or Monday qualifier, and goes on to win that event, gets their PGA Tour card.
Do Masters winners get a lifetime exemption?
Perks of winning the Masters Tournament A lifetime exemption into The Masters, plus access to the course as an honorary member in perpetuity as well. A five-year exemption for basically every event in golf, including the PGA Tour, the US Open, the Open Championship, and the PGA Championship.
How hard is it to make the PGA Tour?
Research indicates it could take seven to ten years to become a top professional golfer. It has been reported that athletes need 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill, but practice quality also counts in becoming a professional golfer.
Is the PGA Championship a major?
The PGA Championship shifted from being a fall event to being a summer one in the 1930s and then adopted the 72-hole stroke-play format in 1958. In the 1960s Arnold Palmer established himself as the finest golfer never to win this coveted tournament, the only one of the four majors to elude him.
What do they call the fifth major in golf?
Players Championship newsPlayers Championship news The PGA Tour's flagship event is regularly referred to as golf's unofficial 'fifth major', with a star-studded field and iconic venue making for a special week in the golfing calendar.
Is The Players the fifth major?
The Players Championship is the unofficial fifth major of golf, but debating whether it should become “official” shouldn't matter.
What is the name of the golf tournament that is played at the same course every year?
The Masters Tournament (sometimes referred to as the U.S. Masters), the season's first major championship, is the only major that is played at the same course every year ( Augusta National Golf Club ), being the invitational tournament of that club.
When will the PGA Championship be held?
In August 2017, after the previous year's edition was scheduled earlier due to golf at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the PGA of America announced that the PGA Championship would be moved to late-May beginning in 2019, in between the Masters and U.S. Open.
How long is the PGA Tour exemption?
Currently, both the PGA Tour and European Tour give a five-year exemption to all major winners. Independent organizations, and not the PGA Tour, operate each of the majors; The Players Championship is the tour's most important event. Three of the four majors take place in the United States.
What channel owns the Open Championship?
In June 2015, it was announced that NBC and Golf Channel would acquire rights to the Open Championship under a 12-year deal. While the NBC deal was originally to take effect in 2017, ESPN chose to opt out of its final year of Open rights, so the NBC contract took effect beginning in 2016 instead.
What is a links golf course?
Links courses are generally typified as coastal, flat and often very windswept, with the fairways cut through dune grass and gorse bushes that make up the "rough", and have deep bunkers.
How many major championships did Jack Nicklaus win?
Men's major golf championships. Jack Nicklaus won a record 18 major championships. The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the major championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf. In order of play date as of 2019, they are:
Why is each major different?
Because each major was developed and is run by a different organization, each has characteristics that sets it apart. These involve the character of the courses used, the composition of the field, and other idiosyncrasies.
What is the last major golf tournament held in July?
The final golfing major of the year, held in July is The Open Championship, also known as just the Open or The British Open. It is the only major that is held outside of the USA, and it is also the oldest golf tournament in the world.
When do major championships take place?
Know Your Tournaments. The major championships are golf’s most prestigious annual events with one taking place each month from April through to July. Ask any pro golfer and they will tell you that they would love to have a major win on their resume when the time comes to hang up their clubs. Winning one of the four majors is seen as the pinnacle ...
Why are all majors special?
Each of the four majors is special for its own reasons and every golfer has their favorite, the one they would love to win.
How many golfers have won the Grand Slam?
Only five golfers have won the “grand slam” of golf, winning all 4 majors. Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Gene Sarazen. With so much talent in the game today, and no one really dominating as these five did, it means that the list of “grand slam” winners will always be short and special.
What is the first major of the year?
The Open Championship. 1. The Masters. Held in Augusta National Golf Club in April, and founded by Legendary golfer Bobby Jones, and investment banker Clifford Roberts, The Masters is the first major of the year, and for me, the most prestigious of all them all.
What major is June?
3. U.S Open. The United States Open Championship is the third major of the year, taking place in June on the same weekend as Father’s Day. The venue for the event changes year to year and it is traditionally known as the toughest of all four majors.
Where is the PGA Championship played in 2021?
PGA Championship. Played in May, this is the second major of the year and it is played on various courses around the US. Predominantly played on the East Coast, it has been held in New York 11 times. This year in 2021, it is going west and will be played in TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.
When is the PGA Championship?
PGA Championship. Although its name might seem to indicate it is the most celebrated of the majors, the PGA Championship is mainly known for being the season's final major. The event is run by the PGA of America and held in August, typically four weeks after the British Open; it is played at a different venue every year.
Where is the Masters Tournament held?
The Masters is the first major championship of the PGA Tour season. Held early in April, it has been played at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia since 1934. The legendary golfer Bobby Jones, who helped design the course, was one of the co-founders of the event, which awards a coveted green jacket to the winner each year.
How many major tournaments did Jack Nicklaus win?
Names of Major Tournaments in Golf. Jack Nicklaus won 18 majors over his storied career. Unlike baseball, football and basketball, in which the most important events come at the conclusion of the season, professional golf's four crowning events are held in the spring and summer.
When is the British Open?
The British Open takes place the third week of July and is the lone PGA Tour major to be played outside the U.S.
Who won the 2011 Masters?
Horton Smith won the inaugural tournament; Jack Nicklaus won the event six times and, as of 2011, Tiger Woods has four Masters victories. Augusta National is perhaps best known for Amen Corner, a beautiful sequence of three difficult holes -- the 11th, 12th and 13th -- which play a major role in determining the champion.
Overview
History
Importance
Distinctive characteristics of majors
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the major championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the most prestigious tournaments in golf. Historically, the national open and amateur championships of Great Britain and the United States were regarded as the majors. With the rise of professional golf in the middle of the twentieth century…
Television coverage
The majors originally consisted of two British tournaments, The Open Championship and The Amateur Championship, and two American tournaments, the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur. With the introduction of the Masters Tournament in 1934, and the rise of professional golf in the late 1940s and 1950s, the term "major championships" eventually came to describe the Masters, the U.S. Open, the Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. It is difficult to determine when …
Records
Alongside the biennial Ryder Cup team competition, the majors are golf's most important events. Elite players from all over the world participate in them, and the reputations of the greatest players in golf history are largely based on the number and variety of major championship victories they accumulate. The top prizes are not actually the largest in golf, being surpassed by The Players Championship, three of the four World Golf Championships events (the HSBC Champions, promot…
See also
Because each major was developed and is run by a different organization, each has characteristics that sets it apart. These involve the character of the courses used, the composition of the field, and other idiosyncrasies.
• The Masters Tournament (sometimes referred to as the U.S. Masters), the season's first major championship, is the only major that is played at the same course every year (Augusta National …
External links
In the United Kingdom, historically all four majors were broadcast on free to air TV. ITV has not broadcast live golf for many years. The BBC used to be the exclusive TV home of the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open and the Open Championship. By the early years of the first decade of the 21st century, only the Masters and Open Championship were broadcast live on the BBC. From 2011 onwards Sky Sports has exclusive live coverage of the first two days of the Masters, with th…
Masters
The aggregate scoring records for each major are tabulated below, listed in order of when the majors are scheduled annually.
The scoring records to par for each major are tabulated below, listed in order of when the majors are scheduled annually.
Major championships have been won by a margin of nine strokes or greater on eight occasions. …
U.S. Open
• Chronological list of men's major golf champions
• List of men's major championships winning golfers
• Triple Crown of Golf
• Women's major golf championships
Open Championship
• Coverage of the four majors by the PGA of America
• Listing of golf major championship courses, winners and countries
PGA Championship
- The only men's major that is held on the same golf course each year is the Masters, which is played in early April at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Established in 1934, the Masters is known for its picturesque setting and for the green jacket that is presented to the winner. The Masters also includes the fewest golfers of any major; invitations usually are sent t…
History
- The United States Open Championship, or U.S. Open, was established in 1895 and is conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA) each June. The field of 156 golfers consists of both those who receive exemptions to play based on certain criteria, similar to the Masters qualifications, as well as those who earn their spots by competing in special local and sectional …
Grand Slam
- Established in 1860, the Open Championship is the oldest of golf's major tournaments and is especially known for its great tradition. It is conducted by The R&A, which derived its name from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, and is considered to be one of the governing bodies of golf. Held in July, this tournament usually tak...
Women's Majors
- The PGA Championship is conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America, which is the organization for golf instructors and other golf officials in the U.S. This tournament is held in August at a course in the U.S. The field of 156 golfers includes 20 who are professional instructors — or "club pros" — and 136 other qualifiers based on various criteria. It is the only tou…
Senior Men's Majors
- The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship have been considered to be the four majors since about 1960. Before the Masters was established in 1934, the British Amateur and U.S. Amateur were considered to be majors, along with the U.S. Open and British Open. By the late 1950s, the Masters and PGA Championship had replaced the two amateur events as majors.