A Grand Slam in golf means winning all 4 major championships: the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and The Open Championship (British Open).
Only 5 players have won all 4 majors in their careers: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. None of them won all 4 in the same calendar year.
The 4 major championships
| Major | When | Where | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | April | Augusta National, Georgia (same course every year) | 1934 |
| PGA Championship | May | Rotates among US courses | 1916 |
| U.S. Open | June | Rotates among US courses | 1895 |
| The Open Championship | July | Rotates among links courses in UK | 1860 |
Career Grand Slam winners
| Player | Completed | Total majors |
|---|---|---|
| Gene Sarazen | 1935 (won Masters) | 7 |
| Ben Hogan | 1953 (won The Open) | 9 |
| Gary Player | 1965 (won U.S. Open) | 9 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 1966 (won The Open) | 18 |
| Tiger Woods | 2000 (won The Open) | 15 |
Nicklaus holds the record with 18 major victories. Tiger Woods is second with 15.
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Calendar year Grand Slam
Winning all 4 in the same year has never been done. Bobby Jones won what was then considered a Grand Slam in 1930, but the 4 events were different: the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, The Open Championship, and The Amateur Championship. The Masters didn't exist yet.
Tiger Woods came closest to a calendar-year slam. He won the U.S. Open, The Open, and PGA Championship in 2000, then the Masters in 2001. He held all 4 trophies at the same time but not in the same calendar year. This is called the "Tiger Slam."
The Tiger Slam
Between June 2000 and April 2001, Woods won:
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- 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (won by 15 strokes, largest margin in major history)
- 2000 The Open at St Andrews (won by 8 strokes)
- 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla (won in a playoff)
- 2001 Masters at Augusta National (won by 2 strokes)
Whether this counts as a Grand Slam depends on who you ask. The golf establishment generally considers only a calendar-year sweep to be a true Grand Slam.
Players with 3 of 4 majors
Several players have won 3 of the 4 majors without completing the set:
- Sam Snead: never won the U.S. Open (82 PGA Tour wins, 7 majors)
- Tom Watson: never won the PGA Championship (8 majors)
- Lee Trevino: never won the Masters (6 majors)
- Phil Mickelson: never won the U.S. Open (6 majors, including 3 Masters)
For more on golf scoring, see our scoring terms guide and birdie guide.
