Major Golf Tournaments Explained

There’s a tangible buzz in the air when a major golf tournament is on the horizon. Trending topics light up social media. News feeds begin to highlight the event, the course, and all of the players in the field.  And of course, the ever so popular topic of ‘will Tiger win and beat Jack’ always resurfaces in weeks leading right up to these events.

Regardless of all the media buzz that comes with these increasingly popular golf events, have you ever really stopped to think about how the majors came about, why they’re so important to the golf community, and the storied history behind each tournament?

We’re here to help break it down for you, and explain why these events take over the world’s stage for four exciting weeks every year.

What are the Major Golf Tournaments?

There are four major golf tournaments played on the PGA TOUR every season, and they represent the most prestigious events in the game. Here are the four majors presented in order of their playing date each year.

• The Masters – The Masters is typically played in the second week of April and is hosted by invitation only at the renowned Augusta National Golf Club. The tournament was established in 1934 and the winner of this tournament receives the coveted Green Jacket, a huge purse, as well as some serious TOUR exemptions. No matter what else a player has done in his career, if you’re a Masters winner, you’re considered to have accomplished one of the greatest feats in all of golf. Viewed by millions of fans every year, the Masters Tournament is widely considered to be one of most prestigious and anticipated events in all of professional sports (here is a quick look 10 fun facts about the Masters and at our 10 favorite Masters moments).
• The U.S. Open – Hosted by the USGA, this major is held in the third week of June and is played at different location in the U.S each year. Unlike the invite-only Masters, a spot in the U.S. Open is accessible to any professional (or amateur) with an up-to-date men’s USGA Handicap Index at 1.4 or below. However, players do need to be either fully exempt or compete successfully in the qualifying round leading up to the event in order to earn a spot at the Open. The U.S. Open first took place in 1895 at Newport Country Club in Newport, RI, and was originally played as a one day 36-hole competition.  How’s that for a full day’s work?
• The Open Championship – Hosted by the R&A (The Royal and Ancient Golf Club), The Open Championship is played every year during the 3^rd week of July on a links-style course at one of nine different locations in the United Kingdom. Established in 1860, this famous major event began awarding its winners the Challenge Belt, which Young Tom Morris won quite often. Soon after, the belt became Medals and then eventually evolved to the famous Claret Jug.
• The PGA Championship – The PGA Championship is the final major of the season and is hosted each year by the PGA of America. The event is played in the third or fourth week of August (right before the FedExCup Playoffs begin) and is held at various locations around the United States. The PGA Championship’s history dates back to 1916 when it was originally a match-play event (from 1916-1957) until evolving into a stroke play event in 1958. Tiger Woods and Bob May hold the tournament current record for finishing at 18 under par.

What’s the Significance?

Similar to the grand stages of the Ryder Cup, President’s Cup and the WGC events, the major golf tournaments offer the golf world a “super bowl” type atmosphere four times per year featuring both past winners and exciting new challengers. A major win, although the dollar prize is less than the Players Championship and most WGC events, will certainly give any player’s career a significant boost. Aside from earning a five year TOUR exemption, winning a major event often comes with huge sponsorship deals, additional Hall of Fame considerations, and plenty of other accolades that set a winner apart from the average TOUR player. Becoming a “major champion” is a common goal of just about every TOUR player, and the reason they practice with so much focus leading up to one of the four major golf tournaments.

History

Originally, professional golf only consisted of two British majors (The Open Championship and the Amateur Championship) and two U.S. Majors (The U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur). Shortly after these initial tournaments gained success, the Masters and the PGA Championship stepped in to create today’s coveted list of four. Before the Masters was founded, Bobby Jones successfully completed the first Grand Slam of Golf, meaning that he won all the majors in that calendar year. Tiger Woods has come close to matching that feat, consecutively winning four majors in a row, with the final win being the Masters in the next calendar year. It was a conversation between Arnold Palmer and golf writer Bob Drum in the early 1960’s that led to the concept of the modern day Grand Slam of Golf.

It can truly be said that some of the greatest moments in golf’s history have occurred at major events throughout the years. With that said, what are some of your favorite major event memories? Share them with us in your comments below.

(Cover Photo Credit & Top Photo Credit)