GOLF’s Grand Slam is the sport’s most coveted achievement, with only six players in history ever achieving it.
made history last year when he finally accomplished the feat at the Masters.
Rory McIlroy after winning the career grand slam at Augusta National Credit: Reuters
Tiger Woods achieved the grand slam at the home of golf, St Andrews Credit: Getty
There are a number of legendary players who have won three of the four major titles, including , who is just missing the from his collection.
World No1 has the opportunity to join the exclusive club this week as Shinnecock Hills hosts the US Open – the World No1 has already won the other three major honours.
If the American can win this week at one of golf’s most notoriously difficult venues, he will join the sport’s biggest legends in it’s most exclusive club.
breaks down exactly what the career Grand Slam is, and which players have achieved it.
What is the golf career Grand Slam?
The career grand slam is achieved when a golfer wins all four of the major championships throughout their career.
These events are the , The Open, the US Open and the PGA Championship.
Each is designed to test a professional golfer’s ability, with the US Open designed to be the toughest, least forgiving courses that are meant to test endurance and accuracy.
is the only major to be played outside of America, with each course across the UK a ‘links’ course, meaning they are golf courses on the coast which brings in the elements of nature and weather.
The PGA Championship is played across various high-level courses across the US, reserved solely for professionals, including a dedicated field of club professionals.
The Masters is the only one with a permanent home at Augusta National, known for its tradition and toughness.
Who has won the career grand slam?
Gene Sarazen
The American first won the 1922 US Open at Skokie Country Club in Illinois, before winning the in the same year at Oakmont, Pennsylvania.
He had to wait 10 years before he won the third leg at The Open in 1932 though, which was held at Prince’s Golf Club in Sandwich on the south east coast of England.
Three years later, Sarazen accomplished the grand slam at Augusta, where he won a play-off against Craig Wood to claim the second Masters tournament.
It was also in this tournament where he hit ‘the shot heard around the world’ on the 15th hole to score a double-eagle – the only one to be hit on that hole to this day.
That shot was commemorated by a stone bridge named ‘The Sarazen Bridge’.
Sarazen went on to win seven total major championships, including two more PGA titles and one more US Open.
Ben Hogan
Texas-born Hogan won the 1946 PGA Championship at the Portland Golf Club, Oregon to kickstart his major success.
The Hawk followed it up with a US Open in 1948 at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
He then achieved the 1951 Masters before winning The Open in 1953 at Carnoustie, Scotland to complete the slam.
In total, Hogan won nine majors and was just one Open Championship away from winning the slam twice.
Gary Player
South Africa’s Gary Player became the first international player to complete the career slam, starting off at the 1959 Open Championship.
Player won the 1961 Masters and 1962 PGA Championship before accomplishing the feat at the 1965 US Open.
He went on to win nine titles in total, with three Masters and three Open Championships across a span of 19 years.
Jack Nicklaus
Nicklaus has won 18 majors across his illustrious career, becoming the first player to win the slam more than once.
In total, The Golden Bear technically won the grand slam three times.
Across his career, he won six Masters titles, five PGA Championships, four US Opens and three Open Championships.
Nobody in the history of the sport has won more major titles than Nicklaus.
Jack Nicklaus at the 1986 Masters, the final major of his career Credit: Getty
Tiger Woods
The American joined Nicklaus as the only two golfers to complete the accomplishment three times.
Tiger has won five Masters, four PGA Championships, as well as three US Open and Open titles.
He won 14 of these between 1997 and 2008, before not winning his 15th until 2019 following multiple operations and a large amount of time out of the sport.
Woods is also the only the only golfer in history to hold all four major titles simultaneously, in a feat that became known as the “Tiger Slam”.
Tiger Woods won the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach Credit: Getty
Rory McIlroy
The Northern Irishman created history by becoming the first European to accomplish the career grand slam.
McIlroy claimed three of the four majors at a very young age, winning the 2011 US Open, 2012 PGA Championship and 2014 Open – he was 25 when he won the Open.
However, after falling apart on the final round of the Masters in 2011, Rory could not get over the line to complete the feat for a decade.
Finally, at the 2025 Masters, he defeated in a play-off to clinch his green jacket and with it, the career grand slam.
McIlroy has now won twice at Augusta National after beating out Cameron Young earlier this year, becoming just the fourth person to ever win back-to-back titles at the Masters after Nicklaus, Woods and .
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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