Ava Romero
Golf's Grand Slam is an elusive feat, with only one player, Bobby Jones, achieving it in 1930, before the Masters era. The Grand Slam requires winning all four major championships in a calendar year, a challenging task due to overlapping schedules and travel constraints in the early years. Since then, the sport has evolved, and the Grand Slam now includes the Masters, US Open, The Open, and PGA Championship. Six golfers have accomplished the Career Grand Slam, winning all four majors at some point during their careers: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy. Woods is the only player to hold all four major titles simultaneously, earning the moniker Tiger Slam.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of golfers who have won all four majors in the same calendar year | 1 |
| Name of golfer who won all four majors in the same calendar year | Bobby Jones |
| Year of calendar Grand Slam win | 1930 |
| Number of golfers who have won the Career Grand Slam | 6 |
| Names of golfers who have won the Career Grand Slam | Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy |
| Number of golfers who have won three Career Grand Slams | 2 |
| Names of golfers who have won three Career Grand Slams | Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus |
| Number of women who have completed the Career Grand Slam | 7 |
| Names of women who have completed the Career Grand Slam | Pat Bradley, Juli Inkster, Inbee Park, Annika Sörenstam, Louise Suggs, Karrie Webb, and Mickey Wright |
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What You'll Learn
The only player to win the original Grand Slam was Bobby Jones in 1930
Winning a Golf Grand Slam is an incredible feat. It involves winning all four major golf championships in the same calendar year. The modern Grand Slam includes The Open Championship, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, and the Masters Tournament. However, before the rise of professional tournament golf and the founding of the Masters, the Grand Slam consisted of The Amateur Championship (British Amateur), The Open Championship (British Open), the United States Open, and the United States Amateur.
In 1930, Bobby Jones won all four of these amateur championships, achieving the only original Grand Slam in golf history. Jones was an amateur golfer who dominated top-level amateur competition and competed successfully against professional golfers. He was a self-taught player who made his debut at the U.S. Amateur Championship at just 14 years old. By 1930, he had already won nine of the seventeen major championships he had entered over the previous seven years.
Jones' Grand Slam victory was so extraordinary that sportswriters dubbed it the "Grand Slam," a term borrowed from bridge to capture the magnitude of his accomplishment. Jones' achievement was unprecedented, and he became the only individual to receive two ticker-tape parades in New York City in the same year. Following his Grand Slam success, Jones retired from competitive golf, choosing to pursue his career as a lawyer.
Jones' legacy extends beyond his Grand Slam victory. He is considered one of the five giants of 1920s American sports and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. He co-designed the Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta and received the first James E. Sullivan Award in 1930 as the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Jones' impact on the sport of golf and his place in American sports history are undeniable.
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Five players have won the modern Grand Slam
In golf, winning all of the sport's major championships in the same calendar year constitutes the Grand Slam. The modern Grand Slam involves winning The Open Championship, U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and Masters Tournament in the same year. While no golfer in the modern era has achieved this feat, five players have won the modern Career Grand Slam by winning all four major tournaments within their career. These five players are:
- Gene Sarazen: Sarazen became the first player to win the modern-era Career Grand Slam in 1935, a year after the Masters Tournament began.
- Ben Hogan: Hogan won the Career Grand Slam in 1953, becoming the only player to win the Masters, U.S. Open, and Open Championship in the same season.
- Gary Player: Player became the third player to win the Career Grand Slam when he won the 1965 U.S. Open, adding to his previous wins at the Open Championship in 1959, the Masters in 1961, and the PGA Championship in 1962.
- Jack Nicklaus: Nicklaus is one of only two players in golf's history to have won three Career Grand Slams.
- Tiger Woods: Woods became the fifth player to join the Grand Slam club with his victory at the 2000 Open at St Andrews. He is the only player to hold all four major titles simultaneously, known as the "Tiger Slam."
While Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson have won three of the four major championships, they are still chasing that elusive fourth title to complete the Career Grand Slam.
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Six golfers have won the Career Grand Slam
In golf, a Grand Slam is achieved when a player wins all four major championships in a calendar year. The four majors are The Open Championship, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, and the Masters Tournament. No golfer in the modern era has achieved this feat, though Bobby Jones won the Grand Slam in 1930 before the Masters Tournament era.
There is also a variation called the Career Grand Slam, which involves winning all four major tournaments over the course of a player's career. Six golfers have accomplished this rare achievement:
Gene Sarazen
Sarazen became the first player to win the modern-era Career Grand Slam, achieving this feat in 1935, just a year after the Masters Tournament began. He amassed seven majors in his career.
Ben Hogan
Hogan is the only player to have won The Masters, U.S. Open, and Open Championship in the same calendar year (1953). However, it was impossible for him to win all four majors that year due to overlapping tournament dates. He completed his Career Grand Slam with his PGA Championship win in 1946.
Gary Player
Player won nine majors in his career, with his first coming at the 1959 Open Championship. He won The Masters three times and the PGA Championship twice. He completed his Career Grand Slam with his U.S. Open win in 1965.
Jack Nicklaus
Nicklaus has won each of the four majors at least three times. He and Tiger Woods are the only players in golf's history to achieve this.
Tiger Woods
Woods is the only player to hold all four major titles at the same time, accomplishing this feat between 2000 and 2001, known as the Tiger Slam. He won four consecutive majors, starting with the 2000 U.S. Open and ending with the 2001 Masters.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy won his first major, the U.S. Open, in 2011. He won his second and third PGA Championship titles in 2012 and 2014, respectively, and finally claimed The Masters in 2019 after an 11-year wait.
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Women's golf majors have varied over time
Women's golf has a set of major championships, with tournaments designated to be of higher status than others. The number of women's majors has varied over time, with four majors making up the Grand Slam in most years. However, in 2013, the Evian Championship was elevated to major status, bringing the total number of women's majors recognised by the LPGA to five. These are the ANA Inspiration (formerly the Kraft Nabisco Championship), the Women's PGA Championship (formerly the LPGA Championship), the U.S. Women's Open, and the Evian Championship.
The concept of "majors" in women's golf took some time to become established, and the number and composition of these majors have evolved throughout history. For instance, the LPGA Championship became the fourth major in the LPGA's history in 1955, and the LPGA organised the LPGA Championship until 2014, after which it was taken over by the PGA of America and renamed the Women's PGA Championship.
The definition of a "Grand Slam" in women's golf has also changed over time, reflecting the evolving landscape of major championships recognised by the LPGA Tour. Traditionally, a Grand Slam referred to winning all the recognised major championships, but the specific championships included have varied. While no woman has completed a calendar year four-major Grand Slam, Babe Zaharias won all three majors contested in 1950, and Sandra Haynie won both majors in 1974.
Six women have completed a "Career Grand Slam" by winning four different majors across their careers. These are Pat Bradley, Juli Inkster, Annika Sörenstam, Louise Suggs, Karrie Webb, and Mickey Wright. Webb is separately recognised by the LPGA as its only "Super Career Grand Slam" winner, as she is the only one to have won five different tournaments recognised as majors.
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The closest active players to the Career Grand Slam are Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson
In golf, winning all of the sport's major championships in the same calendar year constitutes the Grand Slam. The modern Grand Slam involves winning The Open Championship, U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and Masters Tournament in the same year. Only one player, Bobby Jones, has achieved this feat, in 1930.
The Career Grand Slam, on the other hand, involves winning all four major tournaments at any time during a player's career. Six male golfers have accomplished this: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy.
Mickelson, on the other hand, needs to win the U.S. Open to complete the Career Grand Slam. He has come agonisingly close to winning the U.S. Open on several occasions, finishing as runner-up a record six times in 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2013. While the prime of his career may be behind him, Mickelson earned an exemption to the U.S. Open through 2025 thanks to his 2021 PGA Championship victory, where he became the oldest player ever to win a major.
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Frequently asked questions
Only one golfer, Bobby Jones, has won a Grand Slam. He achieved this in 1930, before the Masters tournament was founded.
Six golfers have won a Career Grand Slam: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy.
Yes, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus have each won three Career Grand Slams.
No golfer in the modern era has won a Grand Slam.
