Rory McIlroy’s dramatic playoff victory at the 2025 Masters cemented his place among professional golf’s immortals, making him the sixth player in history to complete the career Grand Slam by winning all four majors: the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and the British Open.
After a collective exhale from golf fans in the wake McIlroy’s triumph after 11 years of chasing the elusive green jacket, attention now turns to the next contenders poised to join this exclusive club.
Here are the players with two or more different major championships as we prepare for the 2025 PGA Championship.
Jordan Spieth
Age: 31
Major Championships: Masters (2015), U.S. Open (2015), British Open (2017)
Spieth still has prime years left, which makes him the current best bet to complete the Slam. His best finish at the PGA Championship came in 2015 at Whistling Straits, where he finished three shots back of Jason Day and finished solo runner-up. At the time, it seemed inevitable that he'd eventually win a PGA Championship, but golf is a fickle mistress.
Spieth's results at Quail Hollow are unspectacular, but the PGA Championship will head to PGA Frisco in 2027. That seems to be the best possible venue for Spieth to complete the career grand slam given his incredible record playing golf in his home state of Texas.
Phil Mickelson
Age: 54
Major Championships: Masters (2004, 2006, 2010), PGA Championship (2005, 2021), British Open (2013).
The U.S. Open remains the elusive major for Mickelson. The golf legend has had multiple opportunities to finish off the Slam but has been unable to get it done. At the 1999 U.S. Open, Mickelson was 29 with 14 PGA Tour wins but no majors. The firm and fast conditions at Pinehurst No. 2. provided a great test as Mickelson dueled with Payne Stewart. That week, he famously carried a beeper expecting the birth of his first child, but victory was not to be.
He had another great shot at the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. At 36 years old, Mickelson was in the prime of his career, having recently won the 2005 PGA Championship and 2006 Masters. He took driver off the tee with a one-shot lead, which turned out to be a big mistake. He made bogey after an errant tee shot and the rest is history.
The career Slam feels out of reach for Mickelson as he nears his 55th birthday, but if anyone can do it, he might be the guy. His win at the 2021 PGA Championship in his 50's remains one of the most remarkable and underappreciated feats in golf history.
Jon Rahm
Age: 30
Major Championships: Masters (2023), U.S. Open (2021).
With two majors, Rahm is halfway home. Still only 30 years old, the Spaniard has plenty of prime years to go after a Wanamaker trophy and a Claret Jug.
Rahm has multiple top-10 finishes at the PGA Championship (2018, 2021) and is well-suited for the potential tough test over the next five to 10 years. The British Open has plenty of variables to consider on a yearly basis, but Rahm has had plenty of success on links courses.
Xander Schauffele
Age: 31
Major Championships: PGA Championship (2024), British Open (2024).
In 2024, Xander Schauffele emphatically joined the Grand Slam chase, silencing doubts about his finishing ability with two fantastic clutch Sunday performances.
Schauffele has been excellent at the Masters throughout his career. He finished T2 in 2019, T3 in 2021 and has been in the top 10 in each of the last three seasons. He's also been a strong U.S. Open performer, as he's remarkably finished in the top 15 in all eight of his starts. His closest bid came in 2019 at Pebble Beach where he finished T3, six shots back of Gary Woodland.
Brooks Koepka
Age: 35
Major Championships: PGA Championship (2018, 2019, 2023), U.S. Open (2017, 2018).
Besides Mickelson, who is two decades older than him, Koepka has more majors than anyone in the current mix for a career Slam. He has five major championship victories; however he still needs a green jacket and a Claret Jug to join the club.
Koepka has an impressive track record at the Masters and was close on multiple occasions. Most recently, he was paired with Jon Rahm in the final round of the 2023 Masters where he struggled to go shot-for-shot with the Spaniard as Rahm eventually went on to win.
The British Open figures to be the tricky one for Koepka. He has four top-10 finishes in 10 starts in the event, but he played well at the 2019 British Open at Royal Portrush (T4). He will get another chance to win there this July.
Collin Morikawa
Age: 28
Major Championships: PGA Championship (2020), British Open (2021)
Morikawa burst onto the major championship scene with two wins in his first eight major championship starts. In doing so, he became the first player to win two different majors in his debut appearance. In the 13 major starts he's made since his win at Royal St. George's; the former California Golden Bear has finished in the top five on four separate occasions.
Given his success at both Augusta National and in U.S. Opens, Morikawa figures to be a serious contender for the career grand slam at some point in his career.
Scottie Scheffler
Age: 28
Major Championships: Masters (2022, 2024)
Although he's only won one of the four major championships, getting involved in the career Grand Slam conversation seems likely for the current World No. 1. He has top-10 finishes at each of the other three majors with his best performance coming at the 2023 PGA Championship where he finished T2.
Bryson DeChambeau
Age: 31
Major Championships: U.S. Open (2020, 2024)
DeChambeau has an uphill climb to win golf's grand slam but deserves to be mentioned with his incredble major performances over the past year-and-a-half. The LIV Golf star was once ridiculed for calling Augusta National a "par 67", but his performances at the Masters have improved over the last two seasons. At last month's Masters, DeChambeau was in the final group alongside McIlroy. He's also finished in the top five in each of the past two PGA Championships.
DeChambeau should be viewed as a threat in majors for this season and beyond.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as These Players Are Most Likely to Win the Career Grand Slam After Rory McIlroy.
