Top Major Performers

There are 13 golfers who have won at least 6 career majors. The following tables compare and contrast these 13.

The top table looks at major victories; the bottom table looks at major Top 10’s. Each table is sorted by total victories/Top 10’s. Additionally, the highest finisher in each category (column) is highlighted. Jack Nicklaus leads in this category, as he has not only the most majors won but also the most of 3 of the 4 majors. This is likewise true for Top 10’s by major.

In addition to looking at total performances, winning and Top 10 percentages are included. This is because, specifically for prior eras, players had fewer opportunities to compete in all the majors. The Masters wasn’t formed until after Walter Hagen’s prime for instance. And Ben Hogan only played in the British Open once (winning).

In order to keep the percentages meaningful, only the events played before a player turned 50 count in the divisor. We want to ensure that percentages aren’t punishing a player who plays in majors as a legacy winner (The Masters and PGA allow lifetime exemptions for all past winners, the British allows winners to play until they turn 60). This means that each major a player plays at 50 or older can only help him. He can add to his numerator should he get a Top 10, or even win as was the case for then 50-year-old Phil Mickelson at the 2021 PGA.

When we look at the percentages, it better shows just how good Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan were in their primes, and how much better their major totals may have been had they played 4 majors a year like the modern crop of players do.