Top 10 golf tournaments in the world
The Open Championship, often referred to as the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world. Since its first edition in 1860 there has been an explosion in the sport and tournaments are now played on 10 different tours around the world. Bet on the 2025 Valspar Championship with our expert’s tips! The most significant of them are known as the major championships which includes the British Open, the Masters, the US Open and the PGA Championship. For the rest of every year the world’s finest golfers compete on either the PGA Tour (played mostly in the US) or the DP World Tour (originally the European Tour but now a global circuit). In addition to all of these individual events, there is the Ryder Cup. It is a dramatic, explosive match between Europe and the US that is widely considered one of the world’s great sporting highlights. The biggest golf tournaments worldwide The British Open The Masters The US Open The PGA Championship The Ryder Cup The Players Championship The Tour Championship The Memorial Tournament The Arnold Palmer Invitational The BMW PGA Championship A closer look at the biggest golf competitions Is this list in order of prestige? There are many who would argue with my ranking but I’ll go with a “yes”. The four majors are clearly the most important championships in the sport, the Ryder Cup is the finest team event, the PGA Tour has four fine tournaments and the DP World Tour’s best event deserves a mention. WGC competitions might once have featured but they have been fazed out. 1. The British Open Established in 1860 Hosted by Linksland courses in Scotland, England or Northern Ireland Held every July The oldest and, many argue, the great championship of them all, it was first played on a course of just 12 holes. It is hosted by a rota of courses which currently numbers nine. All of them are on linksland, the sand-based terrain that was once beneath the sea and on which the game was first played. The winner is known as the Champion Golfer of the Year and he lifts the famous Claret Jug. Every five years The Old Course in St Andrews, the home of golf, hosts the event. 2. The Masters Established in 1934 Hosted by Augusta National GC in Georgia Held every April Created by the great amateur star Bobby Jones and the banker Clifford Roberts after they acquired land in Augusta and co-designed a course that has become, alongside The Old Course, the most famous in the world. The Masters is known for its many traditions which include referring to fans as patrons, hosting a Champions Dinner at the start of the week, honorary starters on the first tee and awarding a green jacket to the winner. 3. The US Open Established in 1895 Hosted by leading courses in the United States of America Held every June The second oldest major is perhaps most famous for being the toughest tournament in golf. Like the British Open it is played on different classic courses every year but the conditions are always brutal. The course is guaranteed to be long, the fairways narrow, the rough deep and the greens fast. It usually ends on Father’s Day. 4. The PGA Championship Established in 1916 Hosted by leading courses in the United States of America Held every May Once played in August, the PGA Championship was very much the forgotten major but it’s move in 2019 to May has rejuvenated its fortunes. It is often argued that it has the best field of all the major because it is the only one in which each of the world’s top 100 ranked players are exempt. The winner lifts the Wanamaker Trophy. 5. The Ryder Cup Established in 1927 Hosted alternately by Europe and the US Held every other September In the mid-1970s the Ryder Cup was on its last legs because the US team had won 18 of the first 22 matches. The Great Britain & Ireland opposition became Europe in 1979 and the change has revitalised the event which is now ultra competitive and one of the greatest contests in all of sport. Eight foursomes, eight fourball and 12 singles matches are played with the winning team the first to score 14.5 points. 6. The Players Championship Established in 1974 Hosted by TPC Sawgrass in Florida Held every March Sometimes referred to as “the fifth major” this tournament is the highlight of the PGA Tour calendar outside of the four genuine majors. It has its own home at the tour’s Florida headquarters, on a stadium course that features the famous island green on the par-3 17th hole. 7. The Tour Championship Established in 1987 Hosted by East Lake GC in Georgia Held every August Relatively young in age, the Tour Championship marks the end of every PGA Tour season and is open to the 30 players who progress from the two FedExCup PlayOffs which precede it. in recent years it has featured a unique “starting strokes” which part-rewards seasonal performance. 8. The Memo
The Open Championship, often referred to as the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world. Since its first edition in 1860 there has been an explosion in the sport and tournaments are now played on 10 different tours around the world.
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The most significant of them are known as the major championships which includes the British Open, the Masters, the US Open and the PGA Championship. For the rest of every year the world’s finest golfers compete on either the PGA Tour (played mostly in the US) or the DP World Tour (originally the European Tour but now a global circuit).
In addition to all of these individual events, there is the Ryder Cup. It is a dramatic, explosive match between Europe and the US that is widely considered one of the world’s great sporting highlights.
The biggest golf tournaments worldwide
- The British Open
- The Masters
- The US Open
- The PGA Championship
- The Ryder Cup
- The Players Championship
- The Tour Championship
- The Memorial Tournament
- The Arnold Palmer Invitational
- The BMW PGA Championship
A closer look at the biggest golf competitions
Is this list in order of prestige? There are many who would argue with my ranking but I’ll go with a “yes”. The four majors are clearly the most important championships in the sport, the Ryder Cup is the finest team event, the PGA Tour has four fine tournaments and the DP World Tour’s best event deserves a mention. WGC competitions might once have featured but they have been fazed out.
1. The British Open
- Established in 1860
- Hosted by Linksland courses in Scotland, England or Northern Ireland
- Held every July
The oldest and, many argue, the great championship of them all, it was first played on a course of just 12 holes. It is hosted by a rota of courses which currently numbers nine. All of them are on linksland, the sand-based terrain that was once beneath the sea and on which the game was first played. The winner is known as the Champion Golfer of the Year and he lifts the famous Claret Jug. Every five years The Old Course in St Andrews, the home of golf, hosts the event.
2. The Masters
- Established in 1934
- Hosted by Augusta National GC in Georgia
- Held every April
Created by the great amateur star Bobby Jones and the banker Clifford Roberts after they acquired land in Augusta and co-designed a course that has become, alongside The Old Course, the most famous in the world. The Masters is known for its many traditions which include referring to fans as patrons, hosting a Champions Dinner at the start of the week, honorary starters on the first tee and awarding a green jacket to the winner.
3. The US Open
- Established in 1895
- Hosted by leading courses in the United States of America
- Held every June
The second oldest major is perhaps most famous for being the toughest tournament in golf. Like the British Open it is played on different classic courses every year but the conditions are always brutal. The course is guaranteed to be long, the fairways narrow, the rough deep and the greens fast. It usually ends on Father’s Day.
4. The PGA Championship
- Established in 1916
- Hosted by leading courses in the United States of America
- Held every May
Once played in August, the PGA Championship was very much the forgotten major but it’s move in 2019 to May has rejuvenated its fortunes. It is often argued that it has the best field of all the major because it is the only one in which each of the world’s top 100 ranked players are exempt. The winner lifts the Wanamaker Trophy.
5. The Ryder Cup
- Established in 1927
- Hosted alternately by Europe and the US
- Held every other September
In the mid-1970s the Ryder Cup was on its last legs because the US team had won 18 of the first 22 matches. The Great Britain & Ireland opposition became Europe in 1979 and the change has revitalised the event which is now ultra competitive and one of the greatest contests in all of sport. Eight foursomes, eight fourball and 12 singles matches are played with the winning team the first to score 14.5 points.
6. The Players Championship
- Established in 1974
- Hosted by TPC Sawgrass in Florida
- Held every March
Sometimes referred to as “the fifth major” this tournament is the highlight of the PGA Tour calendar outside of the four genuine majors. It has its own home at the tour’s Florida headquarters, on a stadium course that features the famous island green on the par-3 17th hole.
7. The Tour Championship
- Established in 1987
- Hosted by East Lake GC in Georgia
- Held every August
Relatively young in age, the Tour Championship marks the end of every PGA Tour season and is open to the 30 players who progress from the two FedExCup PlayOffs which precede it. in recent years it has featured a unique “starting strokes” which part-rewards seasonal performance.
8. The Memorial Tournament
- Established in 1976
- Hosted by Muirfield Village GC
- Held every June
In 1974 Jack Nicklaus opened Muirfield Village, better known as “the course that Jack built”. Two years later he created the Memorial Tournament for it to host and he was never stopped tweaking both of them. The great man watches every final round from a seat behind the 18th green.
9. The Arnold Palmer Invitational
- Established in 1979
- Hosted by Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Florida
- Held every March
The legendary Arnold Palmer bought Bay Hill in 1972 and in 1979 he emulated his old friend Nicklaus by initiating his own invitational event which is famous for its “major-like” conditions. Ever since 2017 the winner has been awarded a red cardigan in honour of Palmer who died the year before.
10. The BMW PGA Championship
- Established in 1955
- Hosted by the Wentworth Club
- Held every September
Known as the DP World Tour’s “flagship event” the BMW PGA Championship has had a home at the tour’s Wentworth HQ since 1984. Both the tournament and the course are forever associated with the European golfing renaissance of the 1980s. It always attracts an elite field.
What are the four major championships?
Initially, the British Open, the US Open, the British Amateur Championship, and its US equivalent made up the four major championships. But as the sport became more professional the latter two events became less important and were replaced in prestige by the Masters and the PGA Championship. Amateurs mostly ceased to be elite golfers after the Second World War.
If a player wins all four of the majors he is said to have completed the Grand Slam and to do so in the same year is golf’s Holy Grail. Tiger Woods completed a Tiger Slam in 2000/2001 when he held all four titles at the same time. Phil Mickelson has famously finished second in the US Open six times – had he won one he, too, would have completed the career grand slam.
