The Grand Slam of Golf
Definition
The Grand Slam of golf is not an official term. A player can be considered to hold the grand slam if they either hold the title for all four of the major championships (the Masters, US Open, The Open Championship and PGA Championships) simultaneously, or more strictly they have won all four major championships in a single calendar year.
Early Attempts
The fourth major, the Masters, was only founded in 1934, so a modern day Grand Slam was not possible before that date. An equivalent achievement was in 1930 by Bobby Jones, winning the four major golfing events held at that time: the U.S. and British Opens, and the U.S. and British Amateurs.
Even for many years after the Masters tournament was founded, the Grand Slam was still not practically achievable as the PGA Championship and the British Open were held close together in time but miles away across the Atlantic, at a time when such travel was slow.
In 1953 Ben Hogan became the only player to win The Masters, and the US and British Opens in the same calendar year. He could not compete in the PGA Championship due lack of time to get to the tournament.
playing at St AndrewsConsecutive Grand Slam
No one has completed the strict Grand Slam of holding all four title in one year. The closest has been Tiger Woods, who held all four of the modern major championships simultaneously - the 2000 U.S. and British Opens, the 2000 PGA Championship, and the 2001 Masters. This can be considered a Consecutive Grand Slam or as some have called it, after the only player to achieve it, a Tiger Slam.
Career Grand Slam
A Career Grand Slam refers to a player who has won each of the four Majors at least once during their career. Only five golfers have achieved this: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. Nicklaus and Woods each have three Career Grand Slams, having won each major at least three times.
Related Pages
- Profiles of the legends of golf
- About each of the majors: Masters, US Open, The Open Championship and PGA Championships
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