There are 4 men’s major golf championships on the PGA Tour calendar. Commonly referred to as the majors, these are the Masters Tournament, the US PGA Championship, the US Open, and The Open Championship.
📜 History
Established in 1860, The Open Championship is the oldest of the 4, and generally regarded as golf’s most prestigious tournament. As the sport grew in popularity worldwide, particularly in the United States, the hunger for elite golf competitions also grew. In 1895, the first-ever US Open was staged at Newport Golf Club in Newport, Long Island. The early 20th century saw the consecutive inauguration of the PGA Championship and the Masters Tournament.
Today, winning one of these 4 major championships remains the highest aspiration of any professional golfer. And for the golf enthusiasts, experiencing the atmosphere of a major championship is a no less worthy aspiration. One thing is certain, if you are watching a golf major, you are watching the best that golf has to offer.
💯 Men's Majors Format & Scoring
All 4 of the men’s majors are played in the stroke play format over 4 rounds, with 18 holes to be played each day by a large field of players that is cut down after the first 2 days. Players tee off in a staggered order; after the first round scores are set, the order of play begins with the player with the highest number of strokes and ends with the player with the lowest. The winner is the player with the lowest number of strokes across all rounds.
Each major is organised by a different governing body; Augusta National Golf Club (The Masters), PGA of America (PGA Championship), United States Golf Association (US Open), and The R&A (The Open).
