Ranking Golf's 13 Majors: Why This Year's Championship Season Isn't Over Yet

The Majors Season That Keeps on Giving

There's a narrative that's taken hold in recent years—that golf's major season is a fleeting thing, a sprint from Augusta's azaleas in April to the final putt at the Open Championship in July. Four tournaments, four months, done. But walk with me for a moment, because I want to show you why that story misses so much of what makes championship golf truly magnificent.

This year, we have 13 major championships. Yes, thirteen. And one of them—the U.S. Amateur at Merion—is still to come. If you're not counting the Augusta National Women's Amateur, the Senior Opens, and the KPMG Women's PGA among the events that make your pulse quicken, you're missing some of the most electric golf of the year.

The Tingly Excellence of 2026

What makes a great major? Not the fame of the venue, though that helps. Not even the stature of the champion, though that certainly matters. It's something harder to define—that tingly excellence, as one writer perfectly described it. It's the feeling you get when everything aligns: course, conditions, storyline, drama.

Nelly Korda at Riviera: A Masterpiece

I've walked Riviera more times than I can count, and there's something about that place that makes great golf feel inevitable. When Nelly Korda won the U.S. Women's Open there on June 7th, it wasn't just a victory—it was history meeting history. The course that has hosted everyone from Hogan to Tiger welcomed a champion of our era, and the result was pure magic. The way the Pacific light filtered through the eucalyptus trees as she made her final putt? That's why we watch.

Aaron Rai's Humble Triumph at Aronimink

The PGA Championship on May 17th gave us something different—a reminder that golf's greatest stories aren't always written by its most famous names. While the Rory-Scheffler-Cam narrative dominated the pre-tournament chatter, it was Aaron Rai who lifted the Wanamaker Trophy. If you've ever spent time around Rai, you know humility radiates from him like warmth from a fire. Watching the most modest man in professional golf claim a major was, frankly, a welcome correction to our celebrity-obsessed golf culture.

English Dusk Drama at Royal Lytham

And then there was August 2nd at Royal Lytham. The AIG Women's Open delivered what links golf does best—chaos, heartbreak, and ultimately, triumph. Shiho Kuwaki was the last woman standing after an unlikely two-hole playoff against a totally dissimilar opponent. As the English dusk settled over the Lancashire coast, we were reminded how brutally difficult it is to close out a major championship. That's the beauty of this game—you can do everything right and still have to prove it one more time.

Why the Full Calendar Matters

In even-numbered years like this one, we're blessed with 13 majors. Next year, with the Ryder Cup in Ireland, we'll have 14. This isn't semantics—it's recognition that championship golf exists across generations and genders, and each of these events carries the weight that separates majors from everything else.

The Senior Opens, both PGA and British, give us legends in their autumn years playing courses that demand precision over power. The KPMG Women's PGA and Chevron Championships showcase the best women's golf on the planet. And the Augusta National Women's Amateur? One of the best days of the golfing year, full stop.

Merion Awaits

Now we turn to the U.S. Amateur at Merion, wrapping up on August 16th. This storied Philadelphia venue has produced some of golf's most iconic moments, and amateur championship golf has a rawness to it that professional events sometimes lack. These are players on the cusp, fighting for dreams they've barely allowed themselves to articulate. The emotion is palpable.

Could the Amateur claim the crown of best major of the year? It's possible. But it's going to have to beat out some extraordinary company.

The Takeaway

Championship golf didn't end in July—it's still being written. Whether you're drawn to the history of Riviera, the humility of Aaron Rai, or the drama of links golf at dusk, this year's major season has offered something for every golf soul. And with Merion still to come, the best might yet be ahead of us.