What is the Career Grand Slam in golf?

The Career Grand Slam in golf means winning all four major championships over the course of a career (in any order): The Masters Tournament, the US Open, The Open Championship (British Open), and the PGA Championship. It is considered one of the most prestigious achievements in professional golf.

Who has completed the Career Grand Slam in golf?

Six players have completed the Career Grand Slam: Gene Sarazen (completed 1935), Ben Hogan (1953), Gary Player (1965), Jack Nicklaus (1966), Tiger Woods (2000), and Rory McIlroy (2025). McIlroy is the most recent, completing it at the 2025 Masters after 11 years of chasing the elusive green jacket.

When did Rory McIlroy complete the Career Grand Slam?

Rory McIlroy completed the Career Grand Slam at the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National. It was his first Masters title, completing his collection of all four major championships after winning the US Open (2011), PGA Championship (2012, 2014), and Open Championship (2014). The wait was 11 years between his first major and his Career Grand Slam completion.

What is the difference between the Career Grand Slam and the Calendar Grand Slam?

The Career Grand Slam means winning all four majors at any point over a career (in different years). The Calendar Grand Slam means winning all four majors in a single calendar year — something no golfer has ever achieved. The closest was Bobby Jones in 1930 (who won what was then considered the Grand Slam) and Tiger Woods' 'Tiger Slam' of 2000-2001 where he held all four simultaneously though not in one calendar year.

Who is closest to completing the Career Grand Slam among active players?

Jordan Spieth is the closest active player to completing the Career Grand Slam, needing only the PGA Championship. He has won the Masters (2015), US Open (2015), and Open Championship (2017). His best PGA Championship finish was runner-up in 2015 and 2022.

Q&A → Career Grand Slam

Career Grand Slam in Golf — Who Has Won All 4 Majors?

Quick Answer: The Career Grand Slam requires winning all four major championships — The Masters, US Open, The Open Championship, and PGA Championship. Only 6 players in history have achieved it. The most recent is Rory McIlroy, who completed it at the 2025 Masters.

What Is the Career Grand Slam?

The Career Grand Slam in professional golf refers to winning all four major championships at least once over the course of a career — in any order and any year. The four majors are:

The Masters Tournament — held annually at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia
US Open — the US national championship, held at rotating venues
The Open Championship — the oldest major, held at links courses in the UK (often called the "British Open")
PGA Championship — organized by the PGA of America, held at rotating US venues

Unlike the Calendar Grand Slam (all four in one year), the Career Grand Slam simply requires winning each event at least once, regardless of timeframe. Still, only 6 players in the history of professional golf have achieved it — a testament to the extraordinary difficulty of winning even one major, let alone all four.

All 6 Career Grand Slam Champions

Player	Masters	US Open	The Open	PGA	Completed
Gene Sarazen	✅ 1935	✅ 1922, 1932	✅ 1932	✅ 1922, 1923, 1933	1935
Ben Hogan	✅ 1951, 1953	✅ 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953	✅ 1953	✅ 1946, 1948	1953
Gary Player	✅ 1961, 1974, 1978	✅ 1965	✅ 1959, 1968, 1974	✅ 1962, 1972	1965
Jack Nicklaus	✅ 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986	✅ 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980	✅ 1966, 1970, 1978	✅ 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980	1966
Tiger Woods	✅ 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019	✅ 2000, 2002, 2008	✅ 2000, 2005, 2006	✅ 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007	2000 (The Open)
Rory McIlroy 🆕	✅ 2025	✅ 2011	✅ 2014	✅ 2012, 2014	2025 (Masters)

Rory McIlroy's 2025 Masters: The End of a 11-Year Quest

Rory McIlroy's completion of the Career Grand Slam at the 2025 Masters was one of golf's most anticipated and emotionally charged moments in decades. After winning the US Open in 2011 at just 22 years old, he quickly added the PGA Championship (2012) and The Open Championship (2014), seemingly on course for a quick Grand Slam. But The Masters — Augusta National — proved elusive.

Near-misses accumulated. He led after 36 holes at Augusta in 2011 before shooting 80. He was runner-up in 2022. Multiple other contending finishes came and went. For 11 years, the green jacket was the one thing Rory couldn't claim — until 2025, when he finally put on the green jacket and completed his Career Grand Slam journey.

His completion ceremony, sliding on the green jacket at Butler Cabin, was one of the most celebrated moments in golf's recent memory.

Active Players Chasing the Career Grand Slam

Player	Masters	US Open	The Open	PGA Champ.	Missing
Jordan Spieth ⭐ Closest	✅ 2015	✅ 2015	✅ 2017	❌	PGA only
Brooks Koepka	❌	✅ 2017, 2018	❌	✅ 2018, 2019, 2023	Masters + Open
Jon Rahm	✅ 2023	✅ 2021	❌	❌	Open + PGA
Collin Morikawa	❌	❌	✅ 2021	✅ 2020	Masters + US Open
Xander Schauffele	❌	❌	✅ 2024	✅ 2024	Masters + US Open
Scottie Scheffler	❌	❌	❌	❌	All 4

The Calendar Grand Slam vs Career Grand Slam

The Career Grand Slam is different from the Calendar Grand Slam (winning all four in a single season). The Calendar Grand Slam has never been achieved in the modern era. The closest came in:

1930: Bobby Jones won what was then considered golf's Grand Slam — the US Open, US Amateur, British Open, and British Amateur — all in one year. This "Impregnable Quadrilateral" is the historical precedent, but pre-dated The Masters and PGA Championship era.
2000: Tiger Woods won the US Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship in 2000, then added the Masters in April 2001. He held all four simultaneously — the "Tiger Slam" — but not in one calendar year.
2015: Jordan Spieth won the Masters and US Open, then finished T4 at The Open and runner-up at the PGA Championship. Perhaps the closest anyone has come in the modern era to a true Calendar Grand Slam attempt.

How Difficult Is the Career Grand Slam?

To appreciate the difficulty, consider that thousands of professional golfers have competed at the highest levels across golf's history, and only 6 have ever completed the Career Grand Slam. Even elite players like Arnold Palmer (7 majors), Lee Trevino (6), and Nick Faldo (6) never won all four.

Arnold Palmer — 7 majors, but never won the US Open or PGA Championship (won PGA in 1962... wait, actually Palmer won the Masters 4 times and US Open once. He never won the PGA Championship — his one missing major.)
Lee Trevino — 6 majors, never won The Masters
Nick Faldo — 6 majors, never won the US Open or PGA Championship
Tom Watson — 8 majors, never won the PGA Championship
Phil Mickelson — 6 majors, never won the US Open

The Career Grand Slam is genuinely one of the hardest achievements in all of professional sport.

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