Rory McIlroy’s esteemed golfing career has but one blemish on it. The 35-year-old has never won the Masters. He’s participated in the event 17 times including 2025, but a green jacket has remained illusive. He’s had numerous chances, including 2011 when he went into the final day with a four-stroke lead only to collapse with an 80 in the final round. However, there’s something different in the air this year.
Augusta National has not seemed as daunting to the Irishman this time around. He heads into the tournament’s final round two strokes up on second-place Bryson DeChambeau and four strokes up on third-place Corey Conners. Of course, anything can happen, but it’s starting to look like McIlroy’s quest for that coveted fourth leg of his career Grand Slam is starting to come together.
Here’s every golfer in history with a Grand Slam on their resume.
What is a Grand Slam?
In golf, a Grand Slam is when a player wins all four major tournaments over the course of their careers. These tournaments happen once a year and consist of:
- The Masters
- PGA Championship
- Open Championship (AKA British Open)
- U.S. Open
So long as a golfer wins each of these tournaments at least once in their careers, they will have achieved a Grand Slam.
Rory McIlroy has won each of the last three on that list. He won the 2011 U.S. Open, the 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships, and the 2014 British Open. Despite 16 appearances and 13 cuts made prior to 2025 at the Masters though, McIlroy has never won at Augusta.
How many golfers have career Grand Slams?
Only five.
- Gene Sarazen: 1922 U.S. Open, 1922 PGA Championship, 1932 Open Championship, 1935 Masters
- Ben Hogan: 1946 PGA Championship, 1948 U.S. Open, 1951 Masters (1951), 1953 Open Championship
- Gary Player: 1959 Open Championship, 1961 Masters, 1962 PGA Championship, 1965 U.S. Open
- Jack Nicklaus: 1962 U.S. Open, 1963 Masters, 1963 PGA Championship, 1966 Open Championship
- Tiger Woods: 1997 Masters, 1999 PGA Championship, 2000 U.S. Open, 2000 Open Championship
Bobby Jones is another golfer who has completed a Grand Slam, but he did so in the pre-Masters era (prior to 1934). At that time, both the U.S. and British Amateur tournaments were considered majors, alongside the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. Jones even went as far as to win each of these tournaments in one calendar year (1930), and he remains the only golfer in history to achieve a Grand Slam in a single year.
There have been 12 other golfers to complete three of the four legs necessary to complete the Grand Slam including Arnold Palmer, Lee Trivino, Tony Watson, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, and of course Rory McIlroy, among others.
