Who Has Won the Most Majors in Golf?

Quick Answer

Jack Nicklaus holds the record for the most major championships in men's golf with 18 victories. This includes 6 Masters, 5 PGA Championships, 4 U.S. Opens, and 3 Open Championships.

Jack Nicklaus, known as "The Golden Bear," holds the all-time record for most major championships in men's professional golf with 18 major titles.

Nicklaus won his majors across all four tournaments:

  • Masters Tournament: 6 wins (1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986)
  • PGA Championship: 5 wins (1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980)
  • U.S. Open: 4 wins (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980)
  • The Open Championship: 3 wins (1966, 1970, 1978)

His dominance spanned from 1962 to 1986, with his final major victory coming at age 46 at the 1986 Masters—one of the most celebrated moments in golf history.

How Close is Tiger Woods?

Tiger Woods is second on the all-time list with 15 major championships. He remains active and needs 3 more major victories to tie Nicklaus's record.

Complete Top 5:

  1. Jack Nicklaus: 18 majors
  2. Tiger Woods: 15 majors
  3. Walter Hagen: 11 majors
  4. Ben Hogan: 9 majors
  5. Gary Player: 9 majors