Golf's Majors: From Hagen and Hogan to a Bear and a Tiger, Inside the Game's Most Unforgettable Performances

In the game of golf, four tournaments stand alone: The Masters. The U.S. Open. The British Open. The PGA Championship. They boast histories that stretch back a century or more. Winning a major is the capstone of a golfer’s career, a guarantee that they will be remembered by history. Gary Player has won nine, a figure that ranks him fourth all time. Player has been at the heart of the golf world for more than six decades—his first major victory was in 1959—and is uniquely positioned to write the definitive history of golf’s greatest tournaments.

Over the course of four thrilling sections, one for each of the majors, Player takes readers inside the minds of the game’s greatest competitors at the most dramatic moments. There are pulse-pounding finishes: Phil Mickelson roaring back from five shots down to win the 2013 British Open; Jack Nicklaus’s stunning comeback to take the 1986 Masters at age 46; Player’s own thrilling victory in a playoff at the 1965 U.S. Open to complete the Career Grand Slam. There is great glory: Johnny Miller dropping a Sunday 63 to win the 1973 U.S. Open; Tiger Woods’s thunderous coronation at the 1997 Masters. And there is heartbreak, as well: Roberto De Vincenzo signing the wrong scorecard in 1968; Jean van de Velde’s meltdown in 1999 at Carnoustie.

Throughout, Player shares his insider wisdom on what makes each tournament unique. While the Masters returns to Augusta National each spring, the other three majors cycle between a variety of courses that reward different styles of play. He reveals his personal opinions on the craziest finishes, the toughest courses, the most challenging holes to play, and whom he believes to be the greatest golfer of them all.