It is simple, a player’s greatness and legacy in golf are mainly judged by how many major championships they have won. Becoming a major champion is one of the greatest honors for any golfer, and because of that, for fans, every single one is appointment viewing.
The importance these tournaments hold in shaping a golfer’s legacy also leads to endless intriguing storylines every year, especially coming into the Masters after a nine month layoff from major championship golf.
With the events that transpired during the 2025 major championship season, we now have an interesting and realistic talking point going forward.
Who passes Mickelson and reaches seven majors first: Scheffler, McIlroy, or Koepka, if any?
Last year, we saw another name etched onto the short list of golf’s Grand Slam champions, the first to be added since Tiger in 2000.
Rory McIlroy was finally able to conquer his demons at the Masters and slip on the famous Green Jacket that symbolizes so much in the game of golf.
He did it in as dramatic a fashion as possible and evoked every emotion for both himself and fans that Sunday. The utter shock and disbelief I had, and still have, when he dumped his 86 yard wedge shot into the creek on the par 5 13th, leading to another double bogey on the week. If he had gone on to lose to Justin Rose in the eventual playoff, I genuinely do not know how Rory would have recovered from that moment internally.
However, we will never need to find out, because just a couple of hours after the Rae’s Creek drama, there was Scottie Scheffler in Butler Cabin slipping the Green Jacket onto Rory’s shoulders.
Scheffler, at the time, was just a two time major champion, but after Rory’s ascension into golf’s immortality, Scheffler quickly reminded people why he is increasingly being compared to Tiger Woods. As the 2025 major season unfolded and concluded, Scheffler, to the surprise of no one, rose up the major ranks, doubling his total from two to four. As one name exited, another entered as the biggest threat to achieve the rare feat of the career Grand Slam. Sorry Spieth, but it just feels out of reach right now.
When Father’s Day weekend rolls around in June, we will all be watching with anticipation as Scottie tees it up at the US Open at the iconic Shinnecock Hills with his first opportunity to complete the Grand Slam. Will he do it on his first attempt like Tiger? Will it take him over a decade like Rory? Or will he fall short, like Mickelson? Time will tell.
That brings us to the final name in this discussion, and even though he has been less than relevant in majors over the past two years, Brooks Koepka is firmly in this race. Yes, he won a major in 2023 while on LIV, but since that victory, he has lost his edge when it comes to major championship performances and the dominance he once showed.
Will his move back to the PGA Tour help him rediscover his game and reestablish himself as one of the biggest threats every major week? We will see.
He needs to figure out the putter, because the iron play is good enough to win a major right now, but the putting is not.
A side storyline here could easily become a headline on its own. Stay tuned. Can Brooks Koepka add his name to the Grand Slam discussion?
As we sit here right now…
Rory Mcilroy is at 5 Majors: One Masters (25), Two PGA’s (12,14), One US Open (11) and One Open (14)
Brooks Koepka is at 5 Majors: 0 Masters, 3 PGA’s (18,19, 23), 2 US Open’s (17,18), and 0 Open’s
Scottie Scheffler is at 4 Majors: Two Masters (22,24), 1 PGA (25), 0 US Opens and One Open (25)
So my main question and intriguing storyline as we move forward is who can get to seven majors first and pass Phil Mickelson, if any.
Why seven? Well, Jack and Tiger’s 18 and 15 majors respectively feel untouchable, but seven not only would move one of them into the top ten on the all time list for majors won, it would also have them surpass the second most accomplished modern golfer of the 1990s onward in Phil Mickelson, who has six.
Excluding Tiger, all the others who have won Seven or more Majors had them up on their shelves or display cases already collecting dust before 1987. Tiger is an anomaly in the sport, something we will never truly see again. His achievements feel untouchable, and that is what makes passing Phil so desirable.
Among golfers from the 1990s onward, with Tiger excluded, Mickelson is the benchmark that feels both beatable and realistic to pass. I imagine that would be a massive honor and achievement in golf for any of the three names I listed above. And being the first to do it always gives you a bit more bragging rights.
It will be fun to watch over the next few years to see if any of these three players are able to do it, or if a wildcard comes along and adds his name to the discussion.
Side note, please give us a showdown between some combination of these guys late on the back nine on Sunday at a major this year. Golf fans deserve it.
