You are watching golf with a friend who knows it well, and they say something like "this is a major, it actually matters." You nod along, but inside you are lost. Which tournaments are the big ones? Why do some count more than others? What is this Grand Slam everyone mentions?

Here is the short answer, right up front. Golf has four major tournaments: The Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and The Open Championship. These four are the biggest, most important events of the year. Win one and a player is set for life. Everything else is a regular tour event.

This is raw golf. Below is the comprehensive guide to the four majors, the qualification rules, historic prestige, and 20-year winner tables so you can track who has dominated the modern era.

What Makes a Tournament a "Major"?

Players compete almost every week, but only four tournaments a year are majors. It comes down to three things: history, prestige, and the field. The majors are the oldest and most respected events, they carry the most pressure and money, and they bring together the best players in the world all at once. Careers get measured by how many majors a player has won, not how many regular events.

There are exactly four, and they have been the recognized majors of modern golf for decades. Let us go through them in the order they are played each year.

1. The Masters Tournament

Played in April. The Masters is the only major played at the exact same course every single year: Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. It is arguably the most famous and exclusive tournament in the world.

The winner gets the famous Green Jacket. It’s a tradition unlike any other, with pristine fairways, flowering azaleas, and rules that restrict everything from what commentators can say to where fans (called "patrons") can walk.

Who gets in? The Masters has the smallest field of the majors (around 90 players). It is an invitational. Winners of the Masters get a lifetime invitation, and the rest of the field is made up of past major winners, recent PGA Tour winners, and the top 50 in the world ranking.

Masters Winners (2006–2026)

Year Champion
2026Rory McIlroy
2025Rory McIlroy
2024Scottie Scheffler
2023Jon Rahm
2022Scottie Scheffler
2021Hideki Matsuyama
2020Dustin Johnson
2019Tiger Woods
2018Patrick Reed
2017Sergio Garcia
2016Danny Willett
2015Jordan Spieth
2014Bubba Watson
2013Adam Scott
2012Bubba Watson
2011Charl Schwartzel
2010Phil Mickelson
2009Ángel Cabrera
2008Trevor Immelman
2007Zach Johnson
2006Phil Mickelson

2. The PGA Championship

Played in May. The PGA Championship moves around the United States to different elite courses. It is run by the PGA of America, the organization for club professionals (the men and women who teach golf and run local courses), rather than the PGA Tour (the professional playing circuit).

The winner gets the massive Wanamaker Trophy. The tournament is famous for regularly boasting the strongest field in golf based on world rankings, as it invites almost the entire top 100.

Who gets in? The top 15 from last year's PGA Championship, recent major winners, Ryder Cup players, and 20 club professionals who qualify through a special tournament. The rest are filled from the PGA Tour money list and world rankings.

PGA Championship Winners (2006–2026)

Year Champion
2026Aaron Rai
2025Scottie Scheffler
2024Xander Schauffele
2023Brooks Koepka
2022Justin Thomas
2021Phil Mickelson
2020Collin Morikawa
2019Brooks Koepka
2018Brooks Koepka
2017Justin Thomas
2016Jimmy Walker
2015Jason Day
2014Rory McIlroy
2013Jason Dufner
2012Rory McIlroy
2011Keegan Bradley
2010Martin Kaymer
2009Y.E. Yang
2008Padraig Harrington
2007Tiger Woods
2006Tiger Woods

3. The U.S. Open

Played in June. Run by the United States Golf Association (USGA), the U.S. Open is famously known as the toughest test in golf. The USGA intentionally sets up courses to be brutal: narrow fairways, thick rough, and lightning-fast greens.

The goal is to test every aspect of a player's physical and mental game. Winning scores are often around even par.

Who gets in? The U.S. Open is "open." While top players get automatic exemptions based on world ranking and past wins, nearly half the field is made up of players (both pro and amateur) who survive local and final qualifying tournaments. In theory, a scratch golfer off the street could win it.

U.S. Open Winners (2006–2026)

Year Champion
2026Wyndham Clark
2025J.J. Spaun
2024Bryson DeChambeau
2023Wyndham Clark
2022Matt Fitzpatrick
2021Jon Rahm
2020Bryson DeChambeau
2019Gary Woodland
2018Brooks Koepka
2017Brooks Koepka
2016Dustin Johnson
2015Jordan Spieth
2014Martin Kaymer
2013Justin Rose
2012Webb Simpson
2011Rory McIlroy
2010Graeme McDowell
2009Lucas Glover
2008Tiger Woods
2007Ángel Cabrera
2006Geoff Ogilvy

4. The Open Championship

Played in July. Also called the British Open in the U.S., this is the oldest golf tournament in the world, dating back to 1860. It is always played on a links course in the UK—courses built on the sandy, windy land between the sea and arable farmland.

The Open is golf in its purest form. Players battle high winds, deep pot bunkers, and sideways rain. Creativity and controlling the flight of the ball matter more here than anywhere else. The winner is named the "Champion Golfer of the Year" and receives the legendary Claret Jug.

Who gets in? Like the U.S. Open, it has open qualifying along with automatic exemptions for the top 50 players in the world and winners of major global tours.

The Open Championship Winners (2006–2026)

Year Champion
2026Ryan Fox
2025Scottie Scheffler
2024Xander Schauffele
2023Brian Harman
2022Cameron Smith
2021Collin Morikawa
2020Tournament Cancelled (COVID-19)
2019Shane Lowry
2018Francesco Molinari
2017Jordan Spieth
2016Henrik Stenson
2015Zach Johnson
2014Rory McIlroy
2013Phil Mickelson
2012Ernie Els
2011Darren Clarke
2010Louis Oosthuizen
2009Stewart Cink
2008Padraig Harrington
2007Padraig Harrington
2006Tiger Woods
Majors Golf Majors Masters PGA Championship U.S. Open The Open