All-Time Runner-Up Finishes in Majors

Jack Nicklaus's 19 runner-up finishes are as much a testament to his greatness as his 18 victories. To finish second that many times, a golfer must be in contention at virtually every major he enters for decades. Here are the players with the most second-place finishes in major championship history:

• Jack Nicklaus – 19 runner-up finishes
• Arnold Palmer – 10 runner-up finishes
• Greg Norman – 8 runner-up finishes
• Tom Watson – 7 runner-up finishes
• Phil Mickelson – 6 runner-up finishes (including 6 at the US Open alone)
• Sam Snead – 6 runner-up finishes
• Ben Hogan – 6 runner-up finishes
• J.H. Taylor – 6 runner-up finishes

Nicklaus: The Ultimate Contender

Jack Nicklaus's combined record of 18 wins and 19 runner-up finishes — 37 top-two results in majors — is a number so staggering it's almost impossible to comprehend. Many of his runner-up finishes came in dramatic fashion: losing playoffs, falling short by a single stroke, or being edged out by a rival's heroic final round. His 19 second-place finishes span from the early 1960s through the mid-1980s, covering more than two decades of elite contention. The sheer volume of his near-misses suggests that had a few putts dropped differently, Nicklaus might have won 25 or more majors.

Greg Norman: Golf's Most Heartbreaking Runner-Up

While Nicklaus holds the numerical record, no golfer is more associated with major championship heartbreak than Greg Norman. The Great White Shark's eight runner-up finishes include some of the most painful losses in golf history. The 1986 PGA Championship saw Bob Tway hole out from a bunker to deny Norman. At the 1987 Masters, Larry Mize chipped in from 45 yards for a playoff victory. And most infamously, Norman's six-shot final-round collapse at the 1996 Masters — where he shot 78 to lose to Nick Faldo by five — remains one of sport's most agonizing moments. Norman won just two majors despite being the world's best player for much of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Phil Mickelson and the US Open Curse

Phil Mickelson's relationship with the US Open is one of golf's great unrequited love stories. Lefty finished second at the US Open a record six times — in 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2013 — without ever winning the one major he needed for a career Grand Slam. His most painful near-miss came in 2006 at Winged Foot, where he needed only a par on the 72nd hole to win but made a double bogey after driving into a hospitality tent. That collapse haunted Mickelson for years and became a defining moment in his career, though he eventually completed a remarkable legacy with six major titles including his surprising 2021 PGA Championship victory at age 50.

Tom Watson at Turnberry, 2009

Tom Watson's runner-up finishes include one of the most emotional moments in major championship history. At the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry, the 59-year-old Watson stood on the 72nd tee needing only a par to become the oldest major championship winner in history. His approach shot bounced over the green, and a bogey sent him into a playoff with Stewart Cink, who won comfortably. Watson's near-miss captivated the golf world and served as a bittersweet reminder of what might have been.

The Psychology of Second Place

Runner-up finishes in majors carry a unique psychological weight. Unlike a missed cut or a mediocre finish, second place means a golfer did almost everything right — but not quite enough. For some, like Nicklaus, the sting of second place was offset by plenty of victories. For others, like Norman, the accumulation of near-misses defined a career in ways that felt unfair given the enormous talent involved. Arnold Palmer's 10 runner-up finishes came alongside seven major wins, creating a legacy of both triumph and tantalizing what-ifs.