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SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Just 14 months after Rory McIlroy became the sixth golfer to complete the career grand slam—winning all four major championships—Scottie Scheffler arrives at the U.S. Open with his first chance at becoming the seventh.
Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world since 2023, won the PGA Championship and Open Championship last year to complement his Masters victories in 2022 and 2024. Now he only needs to win a U.S. Open to join McIlroy and Tiger Woods as the only players to win the career grand slam this century.
Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen also completed the career grand slam.
While Scheffler said Tuesday that completing the grand slam has “never been a motivating factor for me,” he does think his quest to win all four majors can help golf grow beyond its core fanbase.
“I think it would definitely bring more eyeballs to the sport, which is always a good thing,” Scheffler said at his pre-tournament press conference. “I think golf is a great game. I think it’s something that everybody should have a chance to be introduced to.”
The final round of McIlroy’s 2025 Masters win—when he completed the grand slam—drew 12.71 million viewers on CBS, which at the time was the most-watched golf telecast on any network in seven years. McIlroy’s second consecutive Masters title this April drew an even higher final-round audience of nearly 14 million viewers.
Jordan Spieth is the only other active golfer still in his playing prime with three legs of the career grand slam. He won the Masters and U.S. Open in 2025, and the Open Championship in 2017. His best finish at the PGA Championship since then was tied for third in 2019.
Phil Mickelson, 56, won three Masters, two PGA Championships, and one Open Championship—and had six runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open.
Money Game
The start of Scheffler’s grand slam quest coincides with a key opportunity in his race with McIlroy to the top of the PGA Tour’s career earnings list.
Woods, McIlroy, and Scheffler are the only three players to surpass $100 million in career earnings—and with Woods’s competitive career all but over, today’s top two players are set to pass him as soon as this year.
- Tiger Woods: $120.99 million
- Rory McIlroy: $115.97 million
- Scottie Scheffler: $111.49 million
This week’s U.S. Open purse is yet to be announced, but last year’s champion, J.J. Spaun, won $4.3 million.
A win by Scheffler could set him up to surpass McIlroy this summer, and ultimately be the first to overtake Woods, while a McIlroy victory would put the Northern Irishman in prime position to top the list in short order.
The PGA Tour’s official money list does not include bonus payouts players receive—like Scheffler’s $25 million bonus for winning the 2024 FedEx Cup and another $18 million in bonus money last year.
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