Rory McIlroy won the Masters on Sunday, April 13, to become the sixth man to complete what golfers consider a career Grand Slam — winning the Masters, the US Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. His triumph at the Augusta National Golf Course was a particularly sweet one, considering how this major had eluded him for years.
Spectators watched with bated breath during the final round as McIlroy made birdie on the first playoff hole — securing a decisive victory over runner-up Justin Rose. The crowd erupted in cheers, with some even shedding tears later while watching him put on the coveted green jacket.
On the heels of Rory McIlroy’s historic win at the Masters, we look at the six legendary golfers who have been able to accomplish Grand Slams.
Golfers who have achieved Grand Slams
Gene Sarazen
A seven-time major champion, Sarazen completed what is now considered the career Grand Slam with a victory at the Masters in 1935 — the second edition of the tournament.
The American also won the US Open in 1922 and 1932, the PGA Championship in 1922, 1923 and 1933 and The Open Championship in 1932. In the 1935 Masters he holed “The Shot Heard Round the World” from the fairway at 15 for an albatross and went on to beat Craig Wood in a playoff.
Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan. (Image: Ben Hogan Foundation)
Hogan completed the career Grand Slam with a victory at The Open Championship at Carnoustie in 1953 — the American’s only appearance in the British Open and the last of his nine major titles.
Hogan also won the Masters in 1951 and 1953, the US Open in 1948, 1950, 1951 and 1953, and the PGA Championship in 1946 and 1948.
Gary Player
South Africa’s Player completed the career Grand Slam with a 1965 US Open victory at Bellerive Country Club, beating Kel Nagle in an 18-hole playoff to become the first overseas champion since 1927.
Player also won the Masters in 1961, 1974 and 1978, The Open Championship in 1959, 1968 and 1974 and the PGA Championship in 1962 and 1972.
Jack Nicklaus
Nicklaus, owner of a record 18 major titles, completed the career Grand Slam with a victory at The Open Championship at Muirfield Golf Links in 1966, when he beat Doug Sanders and David Thomas by one stroke.
It was the first of the American’s three victories at the British Open, which he also won in 1970 and 1978. He won six Masters titles, in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975 and 1986. He won the US Open in 1962, 1967, 1972 and 1980 and the PGA Championship in 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975 and 1980.
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods achieved the career Grand Slam at his first opportunity, winning The Open Championship at St. Andrews in 2000 by an astonishing eight strokes, with a 19-under par total.
The victory was part of the golf icon‘s “Tiger Slam” when he won the 2000 US Open, 2000 British Open, 2000 PGA Championship and 2001 Masters to hold all four major titles at once.
Woods’s tally of 15 major titles are the Masters in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2019, the US Open in 2000, 2002 and 2008, The Open Championship in 2000, 2005 and 2006, and the PGA Championship in 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007.
Rory McIlroy
The newest addition to the list of golfers with career Grand Slams, Rory McIlroy ended an 11-year major title drought with a victory in the 2025 Masters on Sunday, recovering from an agonising bogey at the 72nd hole to beat Justin Rose with a birdie at the first playoff hole.
It was the Northern Ireland star‘s 11th attempt to complete his major collection at Augusta National — where he had narrowly missed claiming his first major back in 2011.
McIlroy rebounded from that disappointment to win the US Open in 2011, then won the PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Nicklaus and Woods as the only players to win four major titles by age 25.
This story was published via AFP News
(Main and featured image: Harry How/ Getty Images North America/ Getty Images via AFP)
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
