For every major championship winner, there is someone who came in second place.
The guy who played well, but for whatever reason — luck, yips, poor choices, wind, Tiger Woods, and everything in between — just not that well.
Oddly enough, some of the winningest golfers on the PGA Tour also happen to be the ones who hold the most second-place finishes. In essence, it’s an “expect the unexpected” outcome often associated with golf’s biggest stages.
Here are the golfers who have signed the most second-place scorecards throughout major championship history.
Jack Nicklaus – 19
If there were ever a perfect example of golf being an unpredictable test, especially in majors, it’s this: Jack Nicklaus leads the PGA Tour with 18 major wins. He also leads the PGA Tour with the most second-place finishes (19). Seven of those came at the British Open, while The Golden Bear picked up four runner-up finishes at each of the other three majors. One of those came at the 1960 US Open when he was an amateur.
Phil Mickelson – 11
Phil Mickelson has been the face of second-place finishes—mainly due to the fact that Jack gets a pass because people typically look at his major wins. Phil does have five majors to his credit, but the 11 runner-up efforts, including the historic collapse at Winged Foot during the 2006 US Open leave us wondering what could have been.
Arnold Palmer – 10
Arnold Palmer, oddly enough, held the second-place spot for second-place finishes for quite some time, until Phil Mickelson overthrew him. The golf legend signed nine runner-up scorecards at majors during his career, two more than his seven victories.
Tom Watson – 8
Tom Watson has eight second-place finishes, the most epic coming back at the 2009 British Open. The then-59-year-old Watson missed an eight-footer on the final hole to secure what would have been a record for the oldest player ever to win a major—not to mention, one with a hip replacement. Alas, the golf gods favored Stewart Cink in a 4-hole playoff that day, leaving Watson with runner-up memory No. 8.
Sam Snead – 8
“Slammin’ Sammy” had seven major titles during an impressive career that ended with 82 PGA Tour wins. But the golfing icon also had his share of runner-ups at the majors, with eight. Half of those came at the U.S. Open, the one major he never won.
Greg Norman – 8
Like Mickelson, Greg Norman’s runner-up finishes are nearly as notable as his success. His unfortunate final-round woes began back in the 1980s, and the “Shark” became synonymous with major championship collapses after he failed to protect a six-shot lead at the 1996 Masters.
J.H. Taylor – 7
John Henry Taylor was a special force in golf—from playing to golf course design to writing books, and even establishing the first British PGA. He won The Open Championship five times. He also taught the golf world that even the best could sometimes finish second. Taylor finished runner-up at the British Open six times and one time at the U.S. Open.
Tiger Woods – 6
Tiger Woods has 15 major titles under his belt, while he’s finished second six times. All six runner-up finishes have come on this side of The Pond, with two each at the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and Masters, and at the hands of the likes of Rich Been and Y.E. Yang.
Ernie Els – 6
Els has four major championships, most recently earning a win at the 2012 British Open when he overcame a six-shot deficit at 54 holes. But “The Big Easy” has six runner-up finishes on his majors resume, too, three of them occurring during the British Open.
Ben Hogan – 6
With a swing that has long been the imagery of exceptional ball-striking, Ben Hogan ended his legendary career with nine majors, which tied him fourth all-time with Gary Player. He also had six second-place finishes, four of those occurring during a stretch from 1954-56 at the Masters and U.S. Open.
Byron Nelson – 6
Another iconic name during the same era as Hogan was Byron Nelson. The Texas man had five major titles during his career (that ended when he was only 34), and six runner-ups. Three of his second-place finishes occurred at the PGA Championship.
Harry Vardon – 6
Harry Vardon racked up seven major championships around the turn of the century, including a 1903 British Open victory over his brother, Tom. He also had six runner-up finishes at the majors, four of them occurring at his best tourney — the Open Championship.
Gary Player – 6
Gary Player has 163 professional golf wins, with nine of those coming during the majors. His six runner-up nods, like Tiger Woods, were split equally between the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and Masters.
Colin Montgomerie – 5
Colin Montgomerie holds the distinction as the “PGA Tour pro with the most second-place finishes at the majors without ever winning one.” His last chance to erase that label came during the same 2006 U.S. Open that saw Phil Mickelson falter at the end. Monty caught a 7-iron heavy from the middle of the 72nd fairway and made double bogey to tie with Mickelson and Jim Furyk, while Geoff Ogilvy raised the trophy.
Craig Wood – 5
Craig Wood was the original “Runner-Up Renegade.” He lost all four majors in extra-hole playoffs (the first to do so), and actually didn’t overcome the second-place streak until later in his career when he picked up wins at the 1941 Masters and U.S. Open.
Raymond Floyd – 5
Raymond Floyd was one major win short—the British Open—from earning a career grand slam. But his best finish was a runner-up showing in 1978. Along with three second-place finishes at the Masters and one at the PGA Championship, Floyd ended his career with five “So close!” storylines.
Ben Crenshaw – 5
Ben Crenshaw won two Masters tournaments in 1984 and 1995, and came close two other times in 1976 and 1983. The 19-time PGA Tour winner added another three runner-ups during his career, twice at the British Open and once at the 1979 PGA Championship when he lost in a playoff to David Graham.
Tom Weiskopf – 5
Thomas Weiskopf won the British Open in 1973, which would be his only major title. The big man from Massillon, Ohio finished second four times at the Masters, including 1975, while also adding another runner-up showing at the PGA Championship.
Dustin Johnson – 4
Dustin Johnson had two runner-up postings at the majors in 2019—at the Masters and PGA Championship—which puts him with seven other golfers who have finished second at least once at each major. His most notable career hiccup came during the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay, where he 3-putted from 12 feet on the 18th to hand the title to Jordan Spieth.
Johnny Miller -4
Quality hair and superior choices in golfing attire—Johnny Miller was practically the logo of PGA Tour golf during the 1970s. Miller won two majors that decade—the U.S. Open and the British Open—but also came up short three times, most notably when Jack Nicklaus pipped him at the 1975 Masters. He added another runner-up posting, his fourth and final, at the 1981 Masters.
Payne Stewart – 4
Payne Stewart picked up three major wins—two U.S. Opens and one PGA Championship—during a career that was tragically cut short. Stewart came close to major championship glory another four times, with runner-up finishes split between the U.S. Open and the British Open.
Billy Casper – 4
During a stretch from 1950-1970, few golfers were as dominant as Billy Casper. He won three majors during that time, which were part of his 51 career wins on the PGA Tour. But the PGA Championship proved to be his nemesis, as the man known as “Buffalo Bill” came in second three times. His fourth runner-up showing at a major was in 1969, at the Masters.
Tom Kite – 4
Tom Kite got off the “all-time runner-up” list in 1992, when he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Up to that point, Kite had finished second four times at the majors, including three at the Masters. His first runner-up scorecard was turned in at the 1978 British Open.
Gene Sarazen – 4
Gene Sarazen was the first golfers to earn a Career Grand Slam, winning each major at least once. He finished his career with seven major wins, but he also had four runner-ups: two U.S. Opens and one each at the British Open and PGA Championship.
Lanny Wadkins – 4
One of the top golfers on the PGA Tour during the 1980s and early ’90s, Lanny Wadkins is another golfer who’s tied with four runner-up finishes at the majors. Lanny had one major win—which came at the 1977 PGA Championship—but missed championship accolades three times at the Masters and once at the U.S. Open.
Louis Oosthuizen – 4
Louis Oosthuizen put together one of the best four-round scores ever at St. Andrews back in 2010, taking the British Open title and earning his first Claret Jug. He knows what it’s like to come up short, though, the South African posting four runner-up finishes at the majors during his career. He lost the 2012 Masters and 2015 British Open in playoffs, and also posted second-best honors at the 2015 U.S. Open and the 2017 PGA Championship.
Sergio Garcia – 4
Another golfer who seemed destined to forever become synonymous with second-place finishes at major championships, Sergio Garcia ended the winning drought with a solid performance at the 2017 Masters. Before that, the Spaniard missed out on winning a major four times, coming in second at the British Open twice, including losing a 4-hole playoff to Padraig Harrington in 2007, and the PGA Championship twice.
