From Rory to Phil and Bernhard to Tiger, Ranking the Active Players With the Most Majors
Bernhard Langer is one major victory away from tying Tiger Woods.
You read that right.
The Ranking likes to compare apples and machetes so here it is: Langer won the Masters twice and his victory Sunday at the U.S. Senior Open was his 12th senior golf major title. So do the math: Two apples plus 12 machetes equals … 14 major titles. Your man Woods won 15 majors, all of the apple variety.
It would be silly to equate senior golf major titles with traditional majors but, hey, if we’re going to be in a position to witness more industrial-strength golf history, we’re going to have to be creative. In case you haven’t noticed, Woods has played all of 21 rounds of golf over the last three years and Phil Mickelson, his longtime challenger, is 53 and may or may not have another big moment in him.
Woods and Mickelson spoiled us for ordinary times. Their Golden Age of golf enabled us to watch Woods chase the unassailable records of Sam Snead (82 wins) and Jack Nicklaus (18 majors—26 if you include his machetes) and to watch Mickelson chase Woods, a futile endeavor.
So without The Ranking’s creative math, you’re looking at a world where only a couple of players have won as many as three majors. You’re miles away from seeing another “Chasing Jack” episode. Sure, that’s normal but coming off the Woods-Mickelson days, it’s a comedown. It’s the equivalent of binge-watching Game of Thrones and then having to settle for WWE wrestling, no offense to all those muscled-up, flying-dropkick impresarios.
So back to creative math: Among active golfers, who’s where on a list that combines major titles for the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions? Thanks for asking …
10. Rory McIlroy: 4 majors
The curse of great talent is written across the career of McIlroy. There are few fellow pros who wouldn’t take his skills or his career in a heartbeat and yet, since he’d already won four major titles by 2014 at the age of 25, he seemed destined to be Europe’s answer to Tiger Woods.
Nine years later, he still has “only” four majors. McIlroy is the first to say he is disappointed in his results but he keeps coming close, such as at last year’s British Open at St. Andrews where Cameron Smith out-putted him and at last month’s U.S. Open in Los Angeles where Wyndham Clark out-wedged him.
Outlook: The Ranking refuses to believe Rory won’t win another batch of majors.
9. Vijay Singh: 4 majors
A guy who came from the tiny island of Fiji and became the world’s No. 1 golfer, taking that ranking away from Tiger Woods in his prime, ought to be the Cinderella story of all time. It might have been if Singh had trusted the media a little bit more. Still, he’s had a superb career with 34 PGA Tour wins and three majors—two PGAs, one Masters. The fact that he battled the putter throughout his career to achieve what he did, much like Langer, says a lot about his determination. Singh added the Constellation Senior Championship in 2018 on the senior circuit for a fourth title.
Outlook: He’s 60, it’s been five years since he won anything on PGA Tour Champions—it doesn’t look promising.
8. Ernie Els: 4 majors
He broke quickly early in his career, winning a U.S. Open at Oakmont in 1994 and then another at Congressional in 1997. He added Open Championships in 2002 and 2012 and had his share of heartbreaking close calls, notably at the Masters. Surprisingly, he hasn’t won a senior major yet even though he ranks highly in most statistical ball-striking categories. However, he ranks 62nd in overall putting average, which might be the tell-tale number holding him back.
Outlook: Can still win a major, absolutely.
7. Brooks Koepka: 5 majors.
A certain Hall of Famer already, Koepka specializes in majors. Five of his Tour victories are majors—three PGAs, two U.S. Opens. He was runner-up at this year’s Masters, said he knew what he did wrong and would fix it and apparently did because he won the next major, the PGA at tough Oak Hill. He loves to slam the door on his pursuer in major championships. As closers go, he is Dennis Eckersley in his prime. Koepka’s goal is double figures in major wins.
Outlook: Now that he’s healthy again, bet him.
6. Steve Stricker: 6 majors.
The pride of Wisconsin never won a major on the regular tour but has become a dominant force on PGA Tour Champions. He won the Regions Tradition three times, the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship, Senior U.S. Open and this year’s Senior PGA. He battled it out with Langer and Jerry Kelly last weekend at the U.S. Senior Open at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wis. Stricker isn’t the type to crow about this but he’s kind of senior golf’s top gun, at least until someone dethrones him.
Outlook: Who’s going to stop him besides that pesky senior-citizen Langer?
Remember this from 2021?
David Yeazell/USA TODAY Sports
5. Phil Mickelson: 6 majors.
His resume features three Masters, two PGA’s, one Open Championship and zero U.S. Opens. He might have added a fourth Masters last April if Jon Rahm had faltered in the final round but settled for a startling runner-up finish. Mickelson’s game is always surprising, not always in a good way, but he seems dedicated and focused. Never mind that he’s 53, he can still figure out his game.
Outlook: He’s a longshot to sneak in one more major but you know how Phil loves a longshot ... or so we’re told.
4. Inbee Park: 7 majors.
Park may be the most surprising name on The Ranking’s board even though she’s always been remarkable, starting with being the youngest U.S. Women’s Open champion at 19. She was only the fourth LPGA player to rack up three major titles in a single season, which she did in 2013 with the Kraft Nabisco, U.S. Women’s Open and Wegman’s LPGA. Park, 35, had been hinting about retirement and has stepped away from golf to become a mother but who knows if she’ll stay away for good?
Outlook: She’s going to enjoy that baby.
3. Annika Sorenstam, 11 majors.
All right, The Ranking admits that Annika is not actually an active player. She’s 52, mostly retired, although she teed it up twice last year just for fun. But The Ranking needed her to fill out a top-10 list so pass the asterisk. She won three U.S. Opens and three LPGA Championships over a 10-year span and eventually piled up 72 wins. She is definitely the G.O.A.T. of modern women’s golf.
Outlook: Sorenstam has nothing to prove and no reason to try to win another major. She’s built her pedestal already.
Bernhard Langer became a major champion again last week in Wisconsin.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY Network
2. Bernhard Langer, 14 majors.
That U.S. Senior Open in Wisconsin moved Langer past Hale Irwin on the all-time senior win list, to 46. As majors go, it’s Langer 12, Irwin 7. (Gary Player has 9 after the Senior British Opens were accorded major status after the fact.) Who thought Langer would still be winning at 65 and he just won a major a month before his 66th birthday? He is also the only player with the modern Senior Career Slam—Regions Tradition, U.S. Open, Open Championship, Senior PGA and Senior Players.
Outlook: The Ranking expects Langer to keep it going and pass Woods, maybe even catch Nicklaus. What, we’re going to go against senior golf’s Energizer Bunny?
1. Tiger Woods, 15 majors.
We’re not fooling anyone with the notion that Woods is an active player on this list. But he’s Tiger, so close enough is good enough. We last saw him limp off after two rounds of the Masters, where he barely made the cut. That would be a lousy way to go out but the reality is, it’s always possible he has played his last major. Or maybe he’ll buy a bionic ankle and pull another miracle out of his Sunday red shirt. The Ranking doesn’t have enough inside information on Tiger’s condition to hazard a guess.
Outlook: Somewhere between Doubtful and Impossible but since we’ve already seen him do The Impossible, let’s stick with Doubtful.