Grand Slam greats - The men in golf's most exclusive club
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Rory McIlroy’s victory in the 89th Masters Tournament made him the first European and just the sixth player ever to have won all four Major men’s titles.
Here, we take a look at the Major records of McIlroy and the five other men to have accomplished the feat.
Jack Nicklaus (United States)
Masters 6, U.S. Open 4, Open 3, US PGA 5 – Total 18
Nicklaus completed the first of three career Grand Slams at the age of 26 with victory in The Open at Muirfield. He was also runner-up in a Major 19 times and won his last title in the 1986 Masters at the age of 46.
Tiger Woods (United States)
Masters 5, U.S. Open 3, Open 3, US PGA 4 – Total 15
Woods completed the first of two career Grand Slams aged 24 in the 2000 Open at St Andrews on his way to achieving the ‘Tiger Slam’ of 2000 U.S. Open, Open and US PGA and the 2001 Masters.
Ben Hogan (United States)
Masters 2, U.S. Open 4, Open 1, US PGA 2 – Total 9
Hogan was 40 when he completed his slam by winning the only Open he ever played in 1953, having already won the Masters and U.S. Open. He could not play the US PGA that year due to a clash of dates with the Open.
Gary Player (South Africa)
Masters 3, U.S. Open 1, Open 3, US PGA 2 – Total 9
The first non-American to achieve the feat, South African Player completed the slam aged 29 in the 1965 U.S. Open, the only time he won the event.
Gene Sarazen (United States)
Masters 1, U.S. Open 2, Open 1, US PGA 3 – Total 7
Sarazen completed the slam aged 33 by winning the Masters in 1935, having missed the inaugural tournament the year before due to a “prior commitment” to play an exhibition match in South America.
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
Masters 1, U.S. Open 1, Open 1, US PGA 2 – Total 5
McIlroy joined the others in completing the slam at the Masters in 2025, having finished in the top ten six times in his first ten attempts without ever truly being in contention since his collapse on the back nine in the final round in 2011.
