The four major golf tournaments in men’s golf are the Masters, US Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship. Women’s golf has four majors, and senior men’s golf has five. The tournaments considered majors can change based on popularity. Each major has its own qualification requirements and rules for playoffs. The Masters is played at Augusta National Golf Club and has the fewest golfers. The US Open is the hardest major and is conducted by the USGA. The Open Championship is the oldest major and is run by the R&A. The PGA Championship is conducted by the PGA of America. The Grand Slam is winning all four majors in the same year. Women’s golf has four majors, and senior men’s golf has five.
When many people refer to the four major golf tournaments, they are referring to the four most prestigious annual events in men’s golf. Also called “majors,” they are the Masters, the United States Open Championship, the Open Championship – or British Open – and the PGA Championship. There are also four majors in women’s golf and five in senior men’s golf. From time to time, the tournaments considered majors for each group may change as different events become more or less prestigious.
Which tournaments are considered majors are determined by popular opinion rather than any official governing body. Each major has its own qualification requirements, and for many golfers, simply qualifying for a major is a significant accomplishment. The money that can be won by professional golfers in each of the four majors is also more than in most other tournaments. Each major consists of four 18-hole rounds and has specific rules for a playoff if there is a tie for lead after the fourth round.
Masters
The only men’s major held on the same golf course each year is the Masters, which is played in early April at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Established in 1934, the Masters is known for its picturesque setting and the green jacket presented to the winner. The Masters also features the fewest golfers of any major; invitations are usually sent to fewer than 100 golfers based on certain qualifications, such as recent winners of certain tournaments and golfers who ranked in the top 50 in the world for the previous year. All previous Masters winners receive lifetime invitations, though most eventually stop participating after they are no longer able to compete at a certain level.
US Open
The United States Open Championship, or US Open, was established in 1895 and is conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA) each June. The field of 156 golfers consists of both those who receive exemptions to play under certain criteria, similar to Masters qualifications, and those who earn their places by competing in special local and sectional qualifying tournaments. Any amateur or professional golfer who meets the USGA’s requirements can attempt to qualify for the US Open by participating in qualifying tournaments. The US Open is not held on the same golf course every year and has been held on various courses across the United States. This tournament is typically considered the hardest of the majors, if not all golf tournaments because the courses are set by the USGA to be extremely difficult.
Open Championship
Established in 1860, the Open Championship is the oldest of golf’s major tournaments and is especially known for its great tradition. It is run by the R&A, named after the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, and is considered one of golf’s governing bodies. Held in July, this tournament usually takes place on one of nine courses in Scotland and England. Like the US Open, the British Open’s field of 156 golfers includes both those who receive exemptions under certain criteria and those who have earned places through special qualifying tournaments. The British Open courses are ‘tee-in’ courses, meaning they tend to be close to the coast and have few trees, but are often quite challenging due to factors such as high winds, deep sand bunkers and very tall, thick grass except in the main playing areas.
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is conducted by the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, which is the organization for golf instructors and other golf officials in the United States This tournament is held in August at a course in the United States The field of 156 golfers includes 20 pros instructors – or “club professionals” – and 136 others qualified according to various criteria. It’s the only tournament that doesn’t reserve a certain number of playing spots for amateur golfers; an amateur would probably have to win one of the other majors to qualify.
History
The Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship have been considered the four majors since about 1960. Before the Masters was established in 1934, the British Amateur and US Amateur were considered majors, along with the US Open and British Open. By the late 1950s, the Masters and the PGA Championship had replaced the two amateur events as the majors.
Grande Slam
The term “grand slam” in golf is used to refer to the feat of a golfer who wins all four majors in the same year. The only golfer to have won a Grand Slam is American Bob Jones, who won the US Open, British Open, US Amateur and British Amateur in 1930. The feat has never been accomplished with the current composition of majors. American Tiger Woods won four consecutive majors from 2000 to 2001; after finishing fifth at the 2000 Masters, he went on to win the 2000 US Open, 2000 British Open, 2000 PGA Championship and 2001 Masters. Some people have called this the “Tiger Slam.”
Major female
Most women’s professional golf tournaments consist of three rounds of 18 holes each, but the women’s majors are four rounds each. The four women’s tournaments considered majors are the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), the US Women’s Open, and the Women’s British Open. In 2001, the Women’s British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as the major. Other tournaments that were once considered women’s majors include the Women’s Western Open and the Titleholders Classic.
Elder male elder
Male golfers 50 and older are eligible to participate in the senior men’s tournaments. Most senior men’s tournaments consist of three 18-hole rounds, but as the majors are all four rounds. There are five senior men’s majors: the Senior PGA Championship; The tradition; the Senior Players Championship; the US Senior Open; and the Senior Open Championship, or Senior British Open.
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