There are only four times a season when all the best golfers in the world compete at the same tournaments: the majors.
After the emergence of LIV Golf, a league competing with the PGA Tour, the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship are the four tournaments each season where nearly all the top players are on the same course at the same time.
Each major championship is different in its own way and tests players’ skills differently, and when it comes down to who the greatest golfers are, it comes down to how many majors they’ve won.
Here’s my ranking of the four majors based on an array of different categories, like overall atmosphere, course(s), field, difficulty, etc.
4. The PGA Championship
Each year the majors roll around, the PGA Championship doesn’t get a lot of love on social media.
The setup of the golf course typically doesn’t test players differently than a normal PGA Tour event. Low scores aren’t uncommon, like Xander Schauffele’s 2024 win at 21 under par, and sometimes, the golf course is a little bland. When Schauffele won the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, there wasn’t much punishment for poor shots, and it didn’t test the players at the level expected of majors.
This year’s PGA Championship was a step up from others in recent memory, with Englishman Aaron Rai winning with a final score of 9 under par at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, which presented the players with a challenge.
The PGA Championship is run by the PGA of America (a completely different organization from the PGA Tour), which is an organization that represents golf club professionals across the world. Each year, the PGA Championship invites 20 PGA of America club professionals to play the tournament. I think having unknown players in major fields can be a good thing, but it gets to a point where non-professional golfers can dilute the field a little bit.
It can be hard to be heavily invested in the PGA Championship when the three other majors feel so elevated, which is why the PGA Championship sits at the bottom of this list.
3. The Masters Tournament
This might be a controversial take, but I have my reasons.
There’s no doubt that the Masters receives the most hype of any major tournament; however, the competition and test of skill can get skewed.
The Masters is the only major that doesn’t rotate the course it’s played on each year. Its home is Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The course is tricky. Some players can never figure it out; it seems to haunt them. But it leaves little room for out-of-the-blue winners. Jack Nicklaus won the Masters six times; Tiger Woods won it five times. Rory McIlroy struggled at Augusta for years, but once he won it in 2025, he repeated his victory in 2026. The list of winners can get repetitive at times.
Augusta National is also highly selective with who receives an invitation to its tournament. Past champions are exempt for life, which is why 66-year-old Fred Couples got to play in the 2026 tournament alongside 18-year-old amateur Mason Howell.
The Masters is the most charming major. Augusta National is one of the most pristine courses in the world. Fans have memories with each hole because it’s played on the same course each season. And it’s the first major of the year, which always seems like a breath of fresh air after months away from the major championships.
The Masters is many levels above the PGA Championship, but compared to the other two majors, the competition just isn’t as strong.
2. The U.S. Open
For me, what sets the U.S. Open and the Open Championship apart from the Masters is the difficulty. The United States Golf Association, which owns the U.S. Open, almost always sets up the golf course to challenge players. And they typically pick some of the most difficult courses in the United States. Last year, J.J. Spaun won at Oakmont Country Club with a score of just 1 under par for the four-round tournament.
After watching players commonly shoot low scores week to week on the PGA Tour, it’s refreshing to see higher scores winning golf tournaments; it’s entertaining to watch some of the best golfers in the world struggle on the top courses.
The USGA has exemptions for who can enter the U.S. Open field, but those who aren’t exempt have to go through the rigorous U.S. Open qualifying.
1. The Open Championship
I think the Open Championship, depending on the year, is the hardest test in professional golf.
Especially when most of the PGA Tour events are played in the United States, it’s refreshing to watch the professionals play overseas, where professional golf first started. The weather is always variable, which makes it more difficult for players. And the courses in the Open Championship’s venues present a different style of golf that’s not as common in the United States.
Like the U.S. Open, there are exemptions into the Open Championship, but players who don’t automatically qualify have to go through the stages of the Open Qualifying Series to get a spot in the final major of the year.
Since the Open Championship is the final major of the season, it also leaves a lasting impression on the major season; the winner holds the title of Champion Golfer of the Year.
