THE business of determining quality can be an exceptionally tricky one in golf. Take the major championships. They’re the four tournaments that define any golfer’s career and yet it’s maybe not always a foolproof measure.

We saw a fine example of this last summer when Justin Rose put up a sensational bid for glory at Royal Troon. Second at halfway and two strokes back, he dug deep in tricky third round conditions to narrow his deficit to one shot, and then carded a very fine 67 in the final round. In terms of performance he will have very little to curse when he sips a drink on New Year’s Eve and ponders his year’s work. And yet Xander Schauffele did enough to win so whatever Rose sups from when the clock strikes 12 it won’t, alas, be the claret jug – and that’s cruel because in many other years his effort would have been good enough for triumph.

Consider also Chris Dimarco who few would ever think of as one of the finest players never to have won a major championship and yet he has good reason to believe that he’s very deserving of that (admittedly unwanted) honour. Think back to the 2005 Masters when Dimarco ended the week fully seven (yes, seven) shots clear of the field. Unfortunately, so did Tiger Woods and it was he who won the play-off. Nor was it a one-off. Fifteen months later Dimarco ended the week three ahead of the Open field over 72 holes at Royal Liverpool. On this occasion Woods was again the exception, going two better than his fellow American.

Next April it will be 20 years since Dimarco’s near-miss at Augusta National but expect few to remember that crushing blow. Instead, we’ll all be celebrating the iconic moment that lit up that year’s tournament – the famous 16th hole chip-in by Tiger Woods that prompted Verne Lindquist’s magnificent commentary. “Oh my goodness,” he cried. “OH WOW!!!! In your life have you seen anything like that?!”

Great days. Here’s hoping for more of the same next April and throughout the major championship season. Let’s take a closer look at all four of them.

The Masters at Augusta National

The Masters has always had a touch of the Wizard of Oz about it. Barely believable surroundings (Augusta National), a cast of flawed individuals (the field) and a fabled route to salvation (Amen Corner). Moreover, in the depths of winter, it feels even more Oz-like because life currently feels like the black and white intro, while the first week of April is like a distant technicolour dream. Can Scottie Scheffler win a third green jacket? Can Jon Rahm win a second? Can Rory McIlroy complete the career grand slam and slip his arms inside a first?!?! The noise, as always, will rise as the flowers bloom and by the back nine on Sunday there will be roars but will they finally be for McIlroy?!

PGA Championship at Quail Hollow

If McIlroy’s major championship drought does not end in April there will surely be no better time for him to break it than in May on a course he adores. It was on this North Carolina track that he made his PGA Tour breakthrough with a sparkling final round of 62 in 2010. He’s won there three times since including twice in his last three starts. “I love this place,” he said in 2019. “I even feel like I don’t even have to play that good and I can still get it round.” Other course winners of note are Max Homa (2019), Wyndham Clark (2023) and Justin Thomas (the 2017 PGA Championship). 

US Open at Oakmont

Jim Furyk liked Oakmont. He was second there in 2007 and second again in 2016 but he was bettered on both occasions by golfers with greater length than he possessed from the tee – Angel Cabrera on the first occasion and Dustin Johnson eight years ago. Shane Lowry will have mixed memories of the course. He thrashed a brilliant third round 65 in 2016 to open up a four-shot 54-hole lead before a final round 76 saw him slip back into a share of second with Furyk. 

Open at Royal Portrush

Lowry probably can’t wait to revive memories of his golden week in 2019 when the Irish galleries charged across the dunes, cheering his every move and blow like Cheltenham festival goers chasing a winner up the hill. McIlroy will have far more measured recollections. Remember that first round? The catastrophic hoick out of bounds from the first tee and the frankly absurd four-putt at Calamity Corner (aka the par-3 16th hole). And then that dizzyingly contrasting second round? An absorbing, rollocking rollercoaster ride that came up one shot short of the right side of the cut and redemption. That Thursday is a reminder of his capacity to make a mess of things and Friday a glorious example of just how good he is. 

Each Way in the Open – Billy Horschel

It’s the case with both these tips that you might want to keep your powder dry and try to nab three figures before the off. But both are worth keeping in mind for these two majors as the season matures. First up is Horschel who finished fourth in his first major championship as a pro in 2013 and then took him another 39 starts and 11 years to land another top 10. But when one came (eighth at last year’s PGA Championship) another quickly followed (an impressive second in the Open). The American has good reason to look forward to next year’s Open, too, because Portrush, like the West Course at Wentworth, was designed by Harry Colt. 2019 Open champion Lowry is a West Course specialist and so is Horschel who won there in both 2021 and 2024.

 

Each Way in the Masters – Russell Henley

Henley is always guaranteed a good time in Masters week because he was born on the 12th April (which next year coincides with the third round). But next April he’ll be hoping for the best present of all and he’s starting to become a decent major championship performer, finishing seventh in this year’s US Open and fifth in the Open at Troon. He’s also made his last seven cuts at Augusta, was fourth in 2023 and hails from Georgia. A local man who just celebrated his birthday – if nothing else it’s got huge Jim-Nantz-Butler-Cabin-schmaltz potential. 

---

Please remember to gamble responsibly. Visit our Safer Gambling section for more information, help and advice.