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The 4 most prestigious golf tournaments are the major championships: the Masters, the US Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. A golfer's career legacy is measured by major wins above everything else.
The 4 major championships
| Major | When | Where | 2024 purse | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | April | Augusta National, Georgia (same course every year) | $20 million | Augusta National Golf Club |
| PGA Championship | May | Rotates among US courses | $17.5 million | PGA of America |
| US Open | June | Rotates among US courses | $21.5 million | USGA |
| The Open Championship | July | Rotates among UK links courses | $17 million | R&A |
The Masters
First played in 1934 at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. It's the only major played at the same course every year. The winner receives a green jacket and an invitation to play in the Masters for life.
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Augusta National is a private club with roughly 300 members. Tickets (called "badges") are distributed through a lottery, and secondary market prices reach $5,000-$10,000 per day.
Most Masters wins: Jack Nicklaus (6). Tiger Woods has 5, including his 2019 comeback at age 43.
US Open
The toughest test in golf. The USGA sets up courses with narrow fairways (25-28 yards vs 35-40 on Tour), thick rough (4-6 inches), and fast, firm greens. The goal is to identify the best player under the hardest conditions.
Winning scores are often near even par. At the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, Wyndham Clark won at -10, an unusually low score. At Winged Foot in 2020, Bryson DeChambeau won at -6 while only 3 players finished under par.
Most US Open wins: Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus (4 each).
The Open Championship (British Open)
The oldest golf tournament in the world. First played in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Played on links courses along the UK coastline, with firm ground, pot bunkers, and coastal wind.
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The Open rotates among courses on a rota: St Andrews, Royal Liverpool, Royal Troon, Royal Portrush, Carnoustie, Royal St George's, Royal Birkdale, Muirfield, and Turnberry. St Andrews is considered the spiritual home of golf.
The Claret Jug goes to the winner. Most wins: Harry Vardon (6). Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus each have 3.
PGA Championship
Run by the PGA of America (the organization of club professionals, separate from the PGA Tour). Originally a match play event until 1958, now 72-hole stroke play.
The PGA Championship has the strongest field of any major because it gives 20 spots to PGA club professionals who qualify through the PGA Professional Championship. This means you might see a teaching pro from Ohio playing alongside Rory McIlroy.
Most PGA wins: Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus (5 each).
Beyond the majors: other prestigious events
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| Event | Format | Why it's prestigious |
|---|---|---|
| The Ryder Cup | Team match play (US vs Europe), every 2 years | National pride, passionate galleries, no prize money (only prestige) |
| The Players Championship | 72-hole stroke play at TPC Sawgrass | Often called "the 5th major," $25 million purse (2024), strongest non-major field |
| The Presidents Cup | Team match play (US vs International, excluding Europe) | Similar to Ryder Cup but with rest-of-world team |
| WGC Match Play | 64-player single elimination bracket | Best players in the world in head-to-head competition |
| The Olympic Golf Event | 72-hole stroke play, 60 players | Gold medal, Olympic status since 2016 |
The Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is the most emotional event in golf. 12 Americans vs 12 Europeans, 3 days of match play (foursomes, fourballs, singles). No prize money. Players represent their continent.
The 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome drew global TV audiences of over 500 million. Galleries are loud and partisan. It's the closest golf gets to a stadium atmosphere.
Europe has won 11 of the last 15 Ryder Cups (1995-2023). The US has struggled in away matches, winning in Europe only once since 1993.
Women's major championships
The LPGA has 5 majors: Chevron Championship (formerly ANA Inspiration), KPMG Women's PGA Championship, US Women's Open, Women's Open (in the UK), and the Evian Championship.
The US Women's Open has the largest purse among women's majors at $12 million (2024). Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb are among the most decorated women's major winners with multiple Grand Slams.
All-time major wins leaders
| Player | Total majors | Masters | US Open | Open | PGA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Nicklaus | 18 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Tiger Woods | 15 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Walter Hagen | 11 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Ben Hogan | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Gary Player | 9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
How to attend a major championship
Tickets to majors sell out quickly. Here's how to get in:
The Masters: Practice round tickets ($75) are available through a lottery. Apply on masters.com in June for the following year's tournament. Odds of winning are roughly 1 in 100. Tournament day badges are not available to the public (only through the patron list, which has been closed since the 1970s).
US Open: Tickets available through usga.org, typically going on sale 6-9 months before the event. Daily tickets range from $85 (practice rounds) to $150-$225 (competition rounds).
The Open Championship: Tickets through theopen.com. Daily prices are £75-£95 for competition rounds. The Open is the most accessible major to attend because the large links venues can accommodate 40,000+ spectators per day.
PGA Championship: Tickets through pgachampionship.com. Daily grounds tickets $75-$150. The PGA is the most affordable major to attend in person.
LIV Golf and the future of tournament golf
LIV Golf, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, launched in 2022 with guaranteed contracts for top players. Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, and Jon Rahm are among the headliners.
LIV uses a 54-hole format (3 rounds instead of 4), shotgun starts, team competition alongside individual play, and no cuts. Events last 3 days instead of 4. Prize purses are $20-$25 million per event with guaranteed payouts.
The PGA Tour responded with increased purses and the Player Impact Program (PIP), rewarding players who generate the most media attention. A merger framework between the PGA Tour and LIV's backers was announced in 2023 but remains unresolved as of 2025.
LIV Golf players can still compete in major championships (The Open, PGA, US Open accept players who qualify regardless of tour affiliation). The Masters invites past champions and top-ranked players.
