If you are a golf fan, you probably know that the great Jack Nicklaus has the tag of Most Golf Majors Won, with a total of Eighteen. Jack played fantastic golf throughout his era and used the best equipment available at the time.

Over the last Twenty Five Plus Years, both equipment and player prize money has changed dramatically. Golf equipment has become more forgiving, and players are hitting the ball further than ever with the advantages of some of the new technology.

The golf swing and the art of getting the ball in the hole do remain the same.

So which players have been the most consistent performers in the Golf Majors over the last Twenty Five Plus Years, and who has won the most Golf Majors in that period?

The Men’s Major Golf Championships are the most prestigious events in golf, and consist of four events played yearly. 

They are the US Masters, US Open Golf Tournament, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Jack Nicklaus holds the record for most golf majors won, with a total of eighteen wins between 1962 and 1986.

Here is a list of the Top 20 performers in Golf Major Tournaments over the last Twenty Five Plus Years, taking into account wins and their best finishes.

Top 20 Performers in Majors – Last 25+ Years

20.) Bubba Watson

Wins = 2 (US Masters 2012, 2014)

Top 5 Finishes = 5

Top 10 Finishes = 5

One of the toughest events to win is the Masters Golf Tournament, and Bubba Watson has won the prestigious title on two occasions. He has not performed as well as some of his competitors in the majors, with only five top 10 finishes, all of which he finished in the top 5. 

The Green Jackets are pretty impressive, and he certainly has the game to win a third.

19.) David Duval

Wins = 1 (2001 Open Championship)

Top 5 Finishes = 5

Top 10 Finishes = 11

Most golf fans will remember David Duval as being the golfer that got to World Number one, and then almost completely disappeared in tournaments. Yes, he has had his issues, but people forget that David Duval was a fantastic golfer in his prime.

His only win came at the 2001 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in England by three strokes. David has also finished second in majors on three occasions, twice at the US Masters, and once at the US Open Golf event. He also has five top 5 finishes, and eleven top 10 finishes in the last Twenty Five Years.

18.) Zach Johnson

Wins = 2 (2007 US Masters) (2015 Open Championship)

Top 5 Finishes = 3

Top 10 Finishes = 9

Zach Johnson pops up when you least expect him to in the majors. He rose to fame by winning the 2007 US Masters and has been a consistent performer, and a popular pick in recent years. 

His most recent major win was the 2015 Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. He won it in a playoff against Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman. Zach also has nine top-ten finishes and will be a threat again in this year’s majors.

17.) Henrik Stenson

Wins = 1 (2016 Open Championship)

Top 5 Finishes = 9

Top 10 Finishes = 14

Henrik Stenson played some of the best golf seen in a major in recent years, to take out the 2016 British Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland by three strokes over Phil Mickelson. In a fantastic Sunday of golf Henrik shot a 63, and Phil a 65, to make it one of the most memorable Sundays at a Major Championship. He also became the first Swedish male to win a major.

Before this win, Henrik had the tag of one of the best players never to win a major. He also finished runner-up at the 2013 Open Championship, which was won by Phil Mickelson. Henrik has also been impressive, with nine top 5 finishes in the last Twenty Five Years.

16.) Angel Cabrera

Wins = 2 (2007 US Open) (2009 US Masters)

Top 5 Finishes = 4

Top 10 Finishes = 10

The laid-back demeanour of Angel Cabrera has arguably won him, two significant golf majors. He has held his nerve on two occasions to win both the US Open and US Masters to be one of the more popular golf major winners.

His first victory came in the 2007 US Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, where he won by one shot with a score of 5 over par on a very tough layout.

In 2009, Angel defeated Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry to take out the prestigious US Masters Title. He contended again in 2013 to force Adam Scott into a playoff for the 2013 Masters but narrowly missed it. A solid performer in the majors with ten top 10 finishes, Angel is also the only Argentine to win the US Open and the US Masters.

15.) Jason Day

Wins = 1 (2015 PGA Championship)

Top 5 Finishes = 9

Top 10 Finishes = 15

If you have watched the majors in recent years, you would have noticed a young Australian on the leaderboard regularly. Jason Day may only have one victory but has finished runner on four occasions and in the Top 5 nine times.

His only major win was in the 2015 PGA Championship, at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. He played fantastic golf to win on 20 under par, three shots ahead of Jordan Spieth. He also finished one shot behind in the PGA Championship in 2016 and will be a sure contender in the next majors.

14.) Justin Rose

Wins = 1 (2013 US Open)

Top 5 Finishes = 10

Top 10 Finishes = 16

Justin Rose made a name for himself by finishing fourth at the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale as a 17-year-old. He broke through for his first major win at the 2013 US Open, at Merion Golf Club, with a score of 1 over par, and a two-shot victory.

He was the first Englishmen to win a major since Nick Faldo in 1996. Justin also finished tied for second with Phil Mickelson in the 2015 US Masters. He also finished runner-up in the 2017 US Masters and has had ten top 5 finishes.

13.) Dustin Johnson

Wins = 1 (2016 US Open)

Top 5 Finishes = 9

Top 10 Finishes = 17

Dustin Johnson has been a solid contributor in the majors in recent years. With a total of seventeen top 10 finishes, he finally broke through for his first major win at the 2016 US Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, with a finishing score of 4 under par.

Dustin has also finished second on two occasions, at the 2011 Open Championship, and the famous 2015 US Open Championship. In 2015 he had an eagle putt on the last hole at Chambers Bay to win the Championship. He rolled the putt three feet past and missed the birdie putt to tie for a playoff finishing one stroke back.

12.) Adam Scott

Wins = 1 (2013 US Masters)

Top 5 Finishes = 9

Top 10 Finishes = 19

Adam Scott won the 2013 US Masters in a playoff against Argentine Angel Cabrera. They both finished on nine under par, and Adam won his first major on the second playoff hole. The win was a significant victory for Adam. He became the first Australian to win the US Masters.

Adam has also finished second on two occasions and has nine top 5 finishes. In the 2012 Open Championship, he had a four-shot lead going into the final round. He kept that lead until the fourteenth hole, but proceeded to bogey the last four holes, and finish one stroke behind the winner Ernie Els.

11.) Sergio Garcia

Wins = 1 (2017 US Masters)

Top 5 Finishes = 13

Top 10 Finishes = 23

If anybody deserved to win a Golf Major after years of consistency it had to be Sergio Garcia. Sergio finally broke through for his first major victory at the 2017 US Masters in which he won in a playoff against Justin Rose. They both finished on 9 Under Par and Garcia won the tournament on the very first playoff hole.

Before that win, Sergio Garcia had been considered one of the best players never to win a major. He has been very consistent with a total of 23 Top 10 finishes, which includes being runner-up four times.

10.) Jim Furyk

Wins = 1 (2003 US Open)

Top 5 Finishes = 16

Top 10 Finishes = 23

Jim Furyk has copped a lot of criticism over the years for having an unconventional golf swing. He’s consistent golf scores generally do all the talking, and this is a guy who shot a 58 in a PGA Tour event in 2016, which is the lowest score in PGA Tour History.

His only major win came in the 2003 US Open, at Olympia Fields Country Club where he won by three shots on a score of 8 under par. Jim also has four runner-up finishes, the most recent being at the 2016 US Open, where he finished three shots back from the winner Dustin Johnson. He also has an incredible 16 Top 5 finishes in the previous Twenty Five Plus Years.

9.) Retief Goosen

Wins = 2 (US Open 2001,2004)

Top 5 Finishes = 8

Top 10 Finishes = 16

Retief Goosen has been one of the more consistent Golf Major Champions over the last 25 plus years.. He has won the US Open on two occasions. The first being the 2001 US Open at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He finished tied on 4 under Par with Mark Brooks to force an 18 Hole Monday playoff, which he won by two shots on even par.

His second win came at the 2004 US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, in Shinnecock Hills, New York. He took a two-shot lead going into the final round and managed to hold it, to win his second major. Retief has also finished second at the US Masters twice and has had a solid eight Top 5 finishes.

8.) Jordan Spieth

Wins = 3 (2015 US Masters) (2015 US Open) (The Open Championship 2017)

Top 5 Finishes = 9

Top 10 Finishes = 10

At such a young age Jordan Spieth already has three major victories, and three runner-up finishes under his belt. His first major win came at the 2015 US Masters where he equalled the tournament record with a score of 18 under par and a four-shot victory. He won the very next major at the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington. A score of 5 under par was good enough for a one-shot victory. His third major victory came at the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club with a score of 12 under par.

Jordan will again be a threat at the majors in the future. He has finished runner up or won the US Masters on three occasions and has the short game to always be a threat in the biggest events.

7.) Padraig Harrington

Wins = 3 (The Open Championship 2007, 2008) (2008 PGA Championship)

Top 5 Finishes = 10

Top 10 Finishes = 15

Padraig Harrington has been consistent in the majors in the last Twenty Five Years, with ten top 5 finishes, but more importantly, he has won three times.

With three major wins in two years, his first major win came at the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links, in Scotland. He finished in a tie at seven-under Par with Sergio Garcia and proceeded to win in a playoff to become the first Irishman to win the British Open in 60 years.

His second major win came at the 2008 Open Championship the following year, at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. In severe conditions, he managed to score three over par which was good enough for a four-stroke victory. Being on a hot streak, a few weeks later Padraig became the winner of the 2008 PGA Championship, at Oakland Hills Country Club, in Michigan. With a final score of 3 under Par, Padraig added a third major to his impressive list.

6.) Vijay Singh

Wins = 3 (PGA Championship 1998, 2004) (2000 US Masters)

Top 5 Finishes = 9

Top 10 Finishes = 23

Vijay Singh has always been a consistent performer in the majors. He has eighteen top 10 finishes, and seven top-five finishes in the last Twenty Five plus Years. To go with that, he has also won a major on three occasions.

His first was the 1998 PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club in Redmond, Washington. It was a two-stroke victory, in which he finished on nine under par.

In 2004 he won the same event again when it was played at Whistling Straits, in Wisconsin. He finished in a three-way tie on eight under par but managed to win the playoff against Chris DiMarco, and Justin Leonard.

His most prestigious win was the 2000 US Masters, in which he won with a three-shot lead on ten under par.

5.) Brooks Koepka

Wins = 4 (US Open 2017, 2018) (PGA Championship 2018, 2019)

Top 5 Finishes = 10

Top 10 Finishes =12

Brooks Koepka has been the top performer with the most Golf Major wins in recent years, with 4 Wins and ten Top 5 Finishes. His first win came at the 2017 US Open at Erin Hils, Golf Club in Wisconsin, in which he finished four shots clear on 16 Under par.

He then defended his title the following year at Shinnecock Hills, New York with a one-shot victory on a tight playing Golf Course.

Koepka has also won the PGA Championship on two occasions with his first win coming at the Bellerive Country Club in Missouri with a two-shot victory ahead of Tiger Woods. He then defended his title in 2019 at the Black Course in Bethpage State Park, Farmingdale New York with a one-shot victory.

Koepka has surprised many in recent years with his four wins, but it has been his consistency and nerve in majors that make him one of the better performers on the big stage.

4.) Rory Mcilroy

Wins = 4 (2011 US Open) (PGA Championship 2012, 2014) (The Open Championship 2014)

Top 5 Finishes = 12

Top 10 Finishes = 20

With four major wins already, a young Rory Mcilroy has been an excellent performer in the majors in recent years. 

In 2011 he led from start to finish for an eight-shot victory at the 2011 US Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. He finished the tournament on 16 under par, which is a US Open record.

His second win came at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina, where he took out the 2012 PGA Championship. Once again he won easily on a finishing score of 13 under par, eight shots clear of second place.

2014 was an excellent year for Rory when he managed to win two majors in a row. It started with a win at the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Merseyside, England. He managed to hold off Rickie Fowler, and Sergio Garcia for a two-shot victory on 17 under par. A few weeks later he took out the 2014 PGA Championship, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, with a one-shot lead and a score of 16 under par. Rory has had twelve top 5 finishes in the majors and will be a fancied favourite to win more tournaments in the future.

3.) Ernie Els

Wins = 4 (1994 and 1997 US Open) (The Open Championship 2002, 2012)

Top 5 Finishes = 23

Top 10 Finishes = 35

Ernie Els has been one of the most solid contributors in the majors in the last Twenty One Years. With 23 top 5 finishes, including six-runner ups, Ernie Els has been one of the prominent performers in Golf Majors.

He won his first major way back in 1994, and since then has added three more major titles to his resume. In the 1997 US Open, at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, Ernie won by one stroke with a score of 4 under par.

Ernie won his first Open Championship in 2002, at Muirfield Golf Links in Scotland. He finished in a four-way tie at six-under par, with two Aussies, and a Frenchman. Ernie managed to hold his nerve and win his first Open Championship.

His second Open Championship win came ten years later, at Royal Lytham & St Anne’s Golf Club in England. He started the day six strokes back, but some results went his way, and his final round 68 was enough for a one-shot victory.

Ernie has finished runner-up on six occasions in majors, including twice at the US Masters in 2000 and 2004. The US Masters is the prestigious award he would hope to add to an already fantastic career.

2.) Phil Mickelson

Wins = 5 (US Masters 2004, 2006, 2010) (2005 PGA Championship) (2013 Open Championship)

Top 5 Finishes = 27

Top 10 Finishes = 38

Phil Mickelson had nine top-five finishes before he finally won his first major in 2004. Since then he has added four more majors to his list and has been one of those most consistent performers in major golf history.

At the US Masters in 2004, Phil drained an 18ft putt on the 18th hole to defeat Ernie Els by one shot on nine under par. He also won the 2006 US Masters, with a final score of 7 under par. Four years later Phil one his third US Masters title in 2010 by three shots on 16 under par.

Phil’s two other significant victories were the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, and the very famous 2013 Open Championship where he came from five shots back to shoot a final round 66, and win by three strokes.

Phil has had a fantastic twenty-seven top 5 finishes in the last Twenty Five plus years, including eleven runner-ups. Six of those runner-up finishes have come at the US Open, an event Phil has been wanting to win for some time now. 

1.) Tiger Woods

Wins = 15 (US Masters 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019) (PGA Championship 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007) (US Open 2000, 2002, 2008) (The Open Championship 2000, 2005, 2006)

Top 5 Finishes = 33

Top 10 Finishes = 41 

Tiger Woods broke through for his first major win in almost eleven years when he won the 2019 US Masters. He proved a lot of people wrong and showed that he simply is not done with yet.

Tiger Woods has a record that speaks for itself. There is no question that Tiger Woods has been the most successful golfer in majors over the last Twenty One Years.

With an amazing fifteen wins, he has also finished in the Top 5 on 33 occasions and had seven runner-up finishes. He has made the cut in a major on 39 consecutive times, which equates to almost ten years.

One of his most prestigious wins was his first major win in the US Masters in 1997. He struggled on the first day shooting four over par on the front 9. Tiger came back on the next nine with a 30 off the stick, to shoot two under par, and storm back into contention. He then managed to keep the form going and win the event by a record twelve strokes on 18 under par.

Tiger also won 2001, 2002 and 2005 US Masters events. The 2001 US Masters win made Tiger the first-ever professional golfer to hold all four golf majors titles at one time, although it was not in a calendar year.

In the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, Tiger finished on 12 under par, which was an incredible 15 shots ahead of second place. This still remains the record winning margin in Major Championship History. He also won the 2002 US Open, and his last major win before 2019 was at the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines in California. He defeated Rocco Mediate in an 18 hole playoff by one stroke in sudden death.

Tiger has also had great success in The Open Championship, winning in 2000, 2005 and 2006, and also the PGA Championship in 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007.

His record when going into the final round of a major with either the lead or a share of the lead is a quite remarkable 14 wins out of 15. He is considered one of the greatest closers in Major Golf History.

Several major winners were left out of the twenty including David Toms, Mark O’Meara, David Toms, Davis Love, Mike Weir, Martin Kaymer, Justin Leonard, Louis Oosthuizen and Darren Clarke. This is because they have not performed as consistently in the majors as some of the golfers in the top twenty.

It is also worth mentioning Englishmen Lee Westwood, who has 19 top 10 finishes, and three runner-up finishes and is considered the best current-day player never to win a major.

If you feel I have left out a few players or disagree with the order leave your comments below.

Check out our best performers in the Grand Slams over the last 20 years and the recap of the best players to come out of the 1984 NBA Draft.