Louis Oosthuizen in the final round in 2017 eagled 15 and birdied the dif- ficult 18th to snatch a share of second place. That meant he became only the seventh golfer in history to claim a runner-up finish in all four majors. The other six: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nick- laus, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson. Tiger Woods and Gary Player never had a runner-up finish in the Open Champi- onship to join the list. McIlroy, who has been second in three majors (not the PGA), has a partic- ular fondness for Quail Hollow, having 100TH AT AUGUSTA The Masters this year will be the 100th men’s major of the new Millennium. Only three majors were played in 2020, first year of the pandemic. There have been 20 multiple major champions (12 Americans), who won 61 of the 99, and 38 one-off champions. Americans won 60 of them, and the rest of the world 39. Phil Mickelson made 95 appearances, Adam Scott 94 (93 in a row) and Sergio Garcia 94 (82 consecutive). Tiger Woods played 75. Jack Nicklaus has the record of most consecutive starts, 146 from 1962 to 1998. In women’s majors, the record number of consecutive starts is 98 by Angela Stanford, a streak which ended in 2024.
Nelly Korda won her second major in 2024 at the Chevron Championship – the champion’s tradition is a watery plunge – and was a close runner-up in the Women’s Open at St Andrews. However, the 26-year-old world No 1, a 7-time winner on the LPGA Tour last year, has yet to win either the US Open or Women’s Open.
NEW VENUES FOR WOMEN’S MAJORS
won four times there on the PGA Tour, including 2024 and 2021. However, the Irishman wasn’t a factor at the 2017 PGA. Max Homa won twice there in 2019 and 2022, while Wyndham Clark triumphed in 2023, before going on to win that year’s US Open. This year’s PGA has a tough act to follow the fascinating fodder produced by Valhalla 2024, including the arrest of Scottie Scheffler and the major break- through of Xander Schauffele, who outduelled DeChambeau down the stretch. Schauffele was the Wells Fargo runner-up in 2023 and 2024.
The women’s majors generally take us to courses entirely unknown to Super- Sport viewers, and the one that stands out this year will be the Women’s PGA in June at the PGA of America’s new home in Frisco, Texas. Two courses were opened there in 2023. The LPGA will be on the Fields Ranch East Course designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wag- ner, already regarded as one of the best courses in the state. The East Course, which measures 7 200 metres, is due to host the men’s PGA in 2027 and 2034. Two other new venues for women in 2025 are the US Women’s Open go- ing to Erin Hills, the modern Wiscon- sin layout which hosted the 2017 US Open won by Brooks Koepka, and the Women’s Open to Royal Porthcawl in Wales. This is being played a month earlier, the end of July, and that’s the final major of the year. June and July are jam-packed with “majors,” seven of them if you count the US Senior Open and the Senior Open. Golf Digest ranks Erin Hills No 48 in America’s Greatest 100 Courses, and Top 10 public. The 2017 US Open was most unlike the usual championship, with a record number of players un- der par. Koepka equalled the US Open record score of 16-under, and Justin Thomas became the first player to shoot a round of 9-under with his third round 63. Royal Porthcawl is one of Britain’s
Rory McIlroy on the 18th at Quail Hollow, where he has won four PGA Tour titles.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 31
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025
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