In professional golf, the measure of a player's greatness is most commonly linked with how many majors they win in their career. For male professional golfers specifically, there are four majors the best players in the world seek to win as many times as possible to cement their place in golf lore: The Masters, US Open, British Open Championship and the PGA Championship.
Conceivably, being the golfer with the most career major championship titles makes that golfer the best ever. The golfer with the most career major championship titles is Jack Nicklaus, with 18 majors as defined above. Nicklaus would tell you he's won 20 majors, including his US Amateur titles.
Tiger Woods is second on the all-time list of major winners with 15, last winning at the 2019 Masters Tournament. Woods won three-conseuctive US Amateur titles before turning pro in 1996.
Nicklaus and Woods set an incredible bar for major championship wins, with only one other player boasting at least 10 major wins: Walter Hagen.
Ben Hogan and Gary Player each won nine.
There are six golfers who have ever completed the career Grand Slam, and they've all won at least six majors.
Golfers with most career major championship wins
- 1. Jack Nicklaus -- 18
- 2. Tiger Woods -- 15
- 3. Walter Hagen -- 11
- T4. Ben Hogan -- 9
- T4. Gary Player -- 9
- 6. Tom Watson -- 8
- T7. Gene Sarazen -- 7
- T7. Arnold Palmer -- 7
- T7. Sam Snead -- 7
- T7. Bobby Jones -- 7
- T7. Harry Vardon -- 7
- T12. Lee Trevino -- 6
- T12. Nick Faldo -- 6
- T12. Phil Mickelson -- 6
- T12. Rory McIlroy -- 6
