Back-to-Back Major Championship Wins
Consecutive major wins — the rarest streaks in professional golf
Winning back-to-back major championships is one of the rarest feats in golf. No golfer has ever won a calendar-year Grand Slam (all four majors in one season). Tiger Woods came closest with four consecutive majors across 2000–2001 (the "Tiger Slam"). Ben Hogan's 1953 season — three majors, no opportunity for a fourth — stands as the greatest single-season major performance. This page tracks every notable streak of consecutive major wins in history.
Key distinction: "Back-to-back" can mean two consecutive majors in one season, or two consecutive majors played (spanning seasons). Both are tracked below.
The Tiger Slam: 4 Consecutive Majors (2000–2001)
The most dominant major streak in history — Tiger Woods winning four consecutive majors across two seasons.
| # | Major | Year | Score | Margin | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | U.S. Open | 2000 | 272 (-12) | 15 strokes | Pebble Beach GL |
| 2 | The Open Championship | 2000 | 269 (-19) | 8 strokes | St Andrews (Old Course) |
| 3 | PGA Championship | 2000 | 270 (-18) | 3 strokes | Valhalla Golf Club |
| 4 | The Masters | 2001 | 272 (-16) | 2 strokes | Augusta National |
Not a calendar-year Grand Slam — spanned two seasons (2000 and 2001). Woods held all four trophies simultaneously, which is unprecedented.
Ben Hogan's 1953 Season: 3 Consecutive Majors
The closest anyone has come to a professional calendar-year Grand Slam. Hogan won three of the four majors — the fourth was impossible to enter due to schedule conflicts.
| Major | Year | Score | Margin | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | 1953 | 274 (-14) | 5 strokes | Augusta National |
| U.S. Open | 1953 | 283 (+3) | 6 strokes | Oakmont CC |
| The Open Championship | 1953 | 282 (-2) | 4 strokes | Carnoustie GC |
| PGA Championship | 1953 | Did not play | — | Schedule conflict* |
* The 1953 PGA Championship overlapped with The Open Championship. Hogan entered The Open for the first time and won. He never played the PGA Championship that year — making a calendar-year Grand Slam structurally impossible that season.
Back-to-Back Majors in the Same Season
Every instance of a player winning two or more consecutive majors within a single calendar year (modern era: post-1934).
| Player | Year | 1st Major | 2nd Major | 3rd Major | Grand Slam Attempt? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Hogan | 1953 | Masters | U.S. Open | The Open | Yes — impossible to attempt PGA |
| Tiger Woods | 2000 | U.S. Open | The Open | PGA Champ. | Yes — Masters won in 2001 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 1972 | Masters | U.S. Open | — | Yes — missed at The Open (T2) |
| Arnold Palmer | 1960 | Masters | U.S. Open | — | Yes — missed at The Open (T2) |
| Jordan Spieth | 2015 | Masters | U.S. Open | — | Yes — missed at The Open (T4) |
| Jack Nicklaus | 1963 | Masters | PGA Champ. | — | No — different majors |
| Tiger Woods | 2005 | Masters | The Open | — | No — non-consecutive |
| Tiger Woods | 2006 | The Open | PGA Champ. | — | No — different majors |
| Tiger Woods | 2007 | PGA Champ. | — | — | No |
| Brooks Koepka | 2018 | U.S. Open | PGA Champ. | — | No — different majors |
Back-to-Back Wins at the Same Major
Defending champions who successfully defended their title the following year.
| Player | Major | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiger Woods | Masters | 2001–2002 | Back-to-back as part of Tiger Slam run |
| Jack Nicklaus | Masters | 1965–1966 | First back-to-back Masters |
| Nick Faldo | Masters | 1989–1990 | Faldo dominant at Augusta in this era |
| Scottie Scheffler | Masters | 2024–2025* | Scheffler won 2024; McIlroy won 2025 |
| Brooks Koepka | U.S. Open | 2017–2018 | Also won PGA in 2018 & 2019 |
| Brooks Koepka | PGA Championship | 2018–2019 | First to go back-to-back at PGA since Nicklaus |
| Tiger Woods | The Open | 2005–2006 | Third Open title on repeat |
| Tom Watson | The Open | 1982–1983 | Watson dominant at The Open 1975–1983 |
| Jack Nicklaus | U.S. Open | 1967 (not back-to-back) | Won 1962, 1967 — not consecutive |
| Bubba Watson | Masters | 2012, 2014 | Not consecutive years (2013: Adam Scott) |
* Scheffler did not win back-to-back; McIlroy won 2025 Masters.
The Calendar-Year Grand Slam: Golf's Holy Grail
Winning all four major championships in a single calendar year — the Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and PGA Championship — has never been done in the professional era. The closest attempts:
| Player | Year | Majors Won | Where Bid Ended | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Hogan | 1953 | Masters, U.S. Open, The Open | PGA Championship (scheduling conflict) | Did not play |
| Tiger Woods | 2000 | U.S. Open, The Open, PGA Champ. | Masters — won in 2001 instead | 5th (2000 Masters) |
| Jack Nicklaus | 1972 | Masters, U.S. Open | The Open Championship | T2 (2 back of Lee Trevino) |
| Arnold Palmer | 1960 | Masters, U.S. Open | The Open Championship | T2 (lost to Kel Nagle) |
| Jordan Spieth | 2015 | Masters, U.S. Open | The Open Championship | T4 (Zach Johnson won) |
Bobby Jones completed the "Grand Slam" in 1930, winning the U.S. Amateur, British Amateur, U.S. Open, and British Open — but this was the amateur version of the Grand Slam, before The Masters existed (first played 1934). No professional has ever matched this achievement in the four-major modern era.
Back-to-Back Majors: Frequently Asked Questions
Has anyone ever won a calendar-year Grand Slam?
No professional golfer has ever won all four majors in a single calendar year. Ben Hogan won three in 1953 (Masters, U.S. Open, The Open) but couldn't play the PGA due to scheduling conflicts. Tiger Woods came closest with the Tiger Slam (2000–2001), winning four consecutive majors but across two seasons.
What is the Tiger Slam?
The "Tiger Slam" refers to Tiger Woods winning four consecutive major championships: the 2000 U.S. Open (by 15 strokes), 2000 Open Championship (by 8 strokes), 2000 PGA Championship (by 3 strokes), and 2001 Masters (by 2 strokes). He held all four trophies simultaneously — a feat never before achieved.
Who won back-to-back Masters titles?
Three players have defended the Masters title: Jack Nicklaus (1965–66), Nick Faldo (1989–90), and Tiger Woods (2001–02). Woods' back-to-back is particularly notable as it was the completion of the Tiger Slam and the start of a new one.
Who won the most majors in a single season?
Ben Hogan (1953) and Tiger Woods (2000) are tied with three major wins in a single calendar year. Both could have potentially won all four in the year they achieved three. Several players — including Nicklaus and Woods — won two majors in the same season multiple times.
Who won back-to-back U.S. Opens?
Brooks Koepka won back-to-back U.S. Opens in 2017 and 2018 — the first player to do so since Curtis Strange in 1988–1989. Koepka also won the PGA Championship in 2018 and 2019, making him the first player in PGA Championship history to win back-to-back.
How close was Arnold Palmer to the Grand Slam in 1960?
Arnold Palmer won the 1960 Masters and U.S. Open, then traveled to Scotland for The Open Championship in what would have been a Grand Slam attempt (had he won The Open and PGA). He finished T2 at The Open, losing to Kel Nagle by a single stroke. It was his closest chance at the calendar-year Grand Slam.