Players who have won the career Grand Slam in men’s golf

Players who have won the career Grand Slam in men’s golf

It’s the most exclusive club in men’s golf, owners of the career Grand Slam.

Only five players have accomplished the feat in the professional game: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

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Winning the modern Slam includes capturing the four majors: the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship.

With a victory Sunday at Augusta National, Rory McIlroy would add his name to the list. The Northern Irishman won the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA and 2014 Open.

Bobby Jones is also credited for capturing his version of the career Slam, which included the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, British Amateur and British Open. In fact, he won them all in 1930 for the both the season and career Grand Slams — or the “impregnable quadrilateral,” as writer O.B. Keeler dubbed it at the time.

The idea of a professional Grand Slam didn’t fully form until Arnold Palmer won the Masters and U.S. Open in 1960. On his way to The Open, then the third major of the season, he coined the phrase with good friend and writer Bob Drum. Palmer didn’t win The Open that year but did capture it twice in his career. He did not, however, ever win the PGA Championship.

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Here’s a look at when the men who did win all four, captured each major for the first time:

Gene Sarazen

1922 U.S. Open

1922 PGA Championship

1932 Open

1935 Masters

Ben Hogan

1946 PGA Champoinship

1948 U.S. Open

1951 Masters

1953 Open

Gary Player

1959 Open

1961 Masters

1962 PGA Championship

1965 U.S. Open

Jack Nicklaus

1962 U.S. Open

1963 Masters

1963 PGA Championship

1966 Open

Tiger Woods

1997 Masters

1999 PGA Championship

2000 U.S. Open

2000 Open

Woods, as part of his historic run at the turn of the century, also won what was dubbed the “Tiger Slam,” when he won the 2000 U.S. Open, 2000 Open, 2000 PGA and 2001 Masters — four in a row, over two seasons.

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