Ranking The 10 Best Major Finishes Since 2000

This past Sunday at the U.S. Open was an instant classic.

All the ingredients were there for a memorable finish. Two star players, competing on a historic layout, went down to the wire with a major championship on the line.

Adding in the context of Bryson DeChambeau’s renaissance, Rory McIlroy’s major drought and the ongoing schism in professional golf, the entertainment value surpassed most majors in recent memory.

That got us thinking about how this past major Sunday compares to others.

This is highly subjective but I used the following criteria to identify the top 10 major finishes since 2000:

• Drama — Was it close down the stretch? Were there memorable moments on the back nine?
• Venue — Is the course memorable or historic? Were the conditions challenging and/or captivating?
• History — Did the tournament mark a significant milestone or achievement?
• Chaos — Were there multiple players with a shot to win? Did an unforgettable train wreck happen?
• Atmosphere — How passionate were the fans?
• Aftermath — Were there controversial and/or memorable events in the aftermath of the tournament?

In the event of a Monday finish or a playoff that extended into Monday, I factored in the entire finish of the tournament.

I chose 2000 to mark the best major Sundays so far in the 21st century. It’s an arbitrary cutoff date and one that admittedly misses the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, which is one of the all-time greatest finishes to a tournament.

But there has to be a cutoff somewhere so we’ll go with the turn of the century.

Without further delay, here are the top 10 major finishes since 2000.

10. 2011 Masters (Charl Schwartzel)

• Drama: 8.5
• Venue: 9
• History: 4.5
• Chaos: 9.5
• Atmosphere: 9
• Aftermath: 4
• TOTAL SCORE: 44.5

I couldn’t find a major Sunday that ranked higher in chaos than the 2011 Masters. There were eight different players who had at least a share of the lead on Sunday. McIlroy started the day four strokes clear of the field and still had a one-stroke lead by the turn but he imploded on the back nine and would finish 10 strokes behind eventual champion Charl Schwartzel.

There is way too much that happened in this final round to fully capture it but Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Luke Donald and Angel Cabrera all had legitimate chances to win. Schwartzel, who chipped in for birdie at the first hole and holed out for eagle on the third, closed with four birdies to clip Day and Scott by two strokes.

The main drawback of this major Sunday is that Schwartzel is a mostly forgotten winner and the drama subsided over the last few holes. But, boy, did it really rock for a few hours that afternoon.

9. 2014 PGA Championship (Rory McIlroy)

• Drama: 9.5
• Venue: 4
• History: 8
• Chaos: 8
• Atmosphere: 7.5
• Aftermath: 8
• TOTAL SCORE: 45

I think the 2014 PGA deserves credit for the entire Sunday being dramatic. Even though it lacked a playoff or a critical 72nd hole shot, it was must-watch TV all the way through.

McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler spent the afternoon trading punches as all three touched the lead for extended periods. With six holes remaining, they were all at 15-under. Fowler faltered on No. 14 and Mickelson bogeyed No. 16, leaving the door open for McIlroy to take a late two-stroke lead after a birdie at No. 17.

That left a chaotic and strange final hole in near-darkness. In order for everyone to finish, McIlroy hit his tee shot immediately after Mickelson and Fowler, one group ahead, had just walked off the tee. It led to a very odd 72nd hole but a closing par from McIlroy was enough to beat Mickelson by one shot and Fowler by two.

8. 2015 U.S. Open (Jordan Spieth)

• Drama: 9
• Venue: 5
• History: 8
• Chaos: 8.5
• Atmosphere: 7
• Aftermath: 8
• TOTAL SCORE: 45.5

This was a wild and wacky ride to the finish line. Dustin Johnson held a two-stroke advantage by the turn but then bogeyed three of his next four holes to fall two strokes back of Jordan Spieth and Branden Grace. Spieth made a long birdie putt on the 16th while Grace hit his tee shot out of bounds, effectively ending his chances. A Spieth double bogey on the 17th would put him in a tie with Johnson who would make birdie one group behind him at 17, suddenly erasing a three-shot margin. Spieth then birdied the 72nd hole and waited for Johnson who three-putted from short range to give Spieth the trophy. 

I also think, in a strange way, the bizarre nature of this U.S. Open added to the intrigue. It was held at Chambers Bay, which felt like contesting the tournament on Mars. The greens (which have since been replaced) were like waffle boards and the fan experience was abysmal. This was also Fox’s first year broadcasting the tournament and it didn’t go particularly well.

Add in Spieth and Johnson being factors during their respective peaks, a stunning miscue on the 72nd hole and tons of chaos on the final nine—and I think this rises to being in the top 10.

7. 2000 PGA Championship (Tiger Woods)

• Drama: 9.5
• Venue: 4
• History: 8.5
• Chaos: 7
• Atmosphere: 8
• Aftermath: 9
• TOTAL SCORE: 46

This is a bit of a Rorschach test depending on how you want to look at it. I could see a lot of people ranking this among their top three.

The Tiger-Bob May duel deserves to be here because it’s the most memorable David versus Goliath moment golf has had in the past 30 years. May was a complete unknown and he had Tiger—who was at the absolute height of his powers—trapped multiple times. It was May who led 12 of the 18 holes on that Sunday. He didn’t give Tiger any gifts the whole day but Tiger found a path through and won in a playoff.

Sorry for yet another drive-by on Valhalla, but I’m knocking this finish a few points for being held on one of the worst major venues in this era. And given that it was strictly a two-horse race, the chaos factor wasn’t as high as it could have been.

6. 2022 Open Championship (Cameron Smith)

• Drama: 8
• Venue: 9.5
• History: 8
• Chaos: 6
• Atmosphere: 9
• Aftermath: 8
• TOTAL SCORE: 48.5

There is no major venue better than St Andrews and there is nothing better than a close contest coming down the stretch of an Open Championship on the historic links.

McIlroy held a comfortable three-stroke lead by the turn but found himself stuck in neutral on a day where red numbers were abundant. That’s when Cameron Smith made five consecutive birdies to start the inward nine, suddenly claiming a one-stroke lead with four holes to play. Smith converted a remarkable up-and-down on the famous par-4 17th before clinching the victory with a birdie at the last.

It was a slow-bleed kind of drama as McIlroy just couldn’t get going. He didn’t make a single bogey the entire round but his two birdies and 16 pars left him two strokes short.

The tournament being at St Andrews for the 150th edition of the Open certainly helps bump it into the top 10 for me.

5. 2006 U.S. Open (Geoff Ogilvy)

• Drama: 9
• Venue: 6.5
• History: 8
• Chaos: 9
• Atmosphere: 8
• Aftermath: 8.5
• TOTAL SCORE: 49

You know you’ve reached maximum carnage when four players collapse down the stretch, throwing away their shot at the title.

Geoff Ogilvy won the tournament at 5-over, but the ’06 U.S. Open is better remembered for who didn’t win. Mickelson famously double-bogeyed the final hole to lose by one stroke—all while going for three consecutive majors and the capture of an ultimately elusive U.S. Open title. Meanwhile, Colin Montgomerie also made double at the last to lose by one, Jim Furyk made bogey at the last to lose by one and Padraig Harrington bogeyed his last three holes to lose by two.

This was, of course, back in the glory days when the U.S. Open made everyone cry.

4. 2024 U.S. Open (Bryson DeChambeau)

• Drama: 9
• Venue: 9
• History: 7.5
• Chaos: 7
• Atmosphere: 8.5
• Aftermath: 8.5
• TOTAL SCORE: 49.5

I’m trying to avoid recency bias here but the 2024 U.S. Open should be remembered for years to come.

There was nothing missing from this finish. We saw one of the most painful collapses from McIlroy, a clutch 72nd-hole shot by DeChambeau, a near-perfect golf course, unbelievable fan support and controversy with McIlroy leaving abruptly without talking to media. His two short misses will go down with other short missed putts to claim majors. I hope this game story from our Alan Shipnuck will be a resource for those looking back on the tournament.

If it’s light in any area, it might be the history component. DeChambeau did join an elite class of golfers to win a U.S. Amateur and multiple U.S. Opens (Woods, Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus are the others) but it doesn’t quite rise to some of the last three selections on my board. Maybe that will change over time as we look back on the tournament.

3. 2004 Masters (Phil Mickelson)

• Drama: 9
• Venue: 9
• History: 9
• Chaos: 6.5
• Atmosphere: 8.5
• Aftermath: 9
• TOTAL SCORE: 51

The ’04 Masters is remembered for Mickelson’s winning birdie putt that finally snapped his major drought but there was a lot more to that tournament than a single moment.

Mickelson started the day with a two-stroke lead but faltered early, going out in 2-over 38. Meanwhile, Ernie Els made an eagle on the par-5 8th—and he wouldn’t relinquish it until Mickelson’s putt on the 18th. Els made another eagle on the 13th and a birdie on the 15th to maintain a one-stroke advantage as Mickelson came to his final three holes. A birdie on the 16th tied Els and the final dagger on 18 gave us a major memory we will never forget.

Keep in mind that Mickelson and Els were, aside from Woods, the two most accomplished players of this era. They combined for 10 majors between them. Were there any other majors from the past 20 years that had two Hall of Fame players of this caliber battle all day, until the final moment? I don’t think so.

2. 2019 Masters (Tiger Woods)

• Drama: 9
• Venue: 8
• History: 10
• Chaos: 8.5
• Atmosphere: 7
• Aftermath: 9
• TOTAL SCORE: 51.5

The only real drawback to this historic finish—and it’s a big one in my eyes—is that it took place on Sunday morning stretching into the early afternoon. Tee times had to be moved up because of impending thunderstorms. That took the slightest of edges off of the atmosphere and the moment. There is nothing like Augusta in the evening.

Other than that, what didn’t this tournament have? It’s easily among the top five most famous golf tournaments of all-time. Woods won his 15th, and likely final, major. There was significant chaos on the back nine as Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau and Ian Poulter went in the water on the 12th hole. There were multiple indelible moments, like Tiger’s tournament-clinching tee shot into No. 16.

The history of the win carries a lot of weight here and so does the scene in the few minutes after Tiger won. The broadcast of the final round has more than 10 million views on YouTube.

1. 2008 U.S. Open (Tiger Woods)

• Drama: 9.5
• Venue: 6
• History: 10
• Chaos: 8.5
• Atmosphere: 9
• Aftermath: 9.5
• TOTAL SCORE: 52.5

The 2008 U.S. Open is the best finish to a golf tournament I’ve seen.

All of the layers were there. For one, you had Woods trying to win a major with a broken leg. Just getting through the tournament was no guarantee. For another, you had Rocco Mediate trying to be the Cinderella spoiler. He wasn’t quite the “David” figure that May was at the 2000 PGA—Mediate had six PGA Tour wins—but he wasn’t supposed to beat Tiger. And many forget that Lee Westwood, trying to find that elusive major, led this event with nine holes remaining in regulation.

This tournament had intense drama down the stretch on Sunday, culminating in Woods making a dramatic birdie on the 72nd hole to force an 18-hole Monday playoff. During the playoff, Woods took a three-stroke lead with eight holes to play—but Mediate flipped the momentum and led by one with three holes left. Woods had to birdie the final hole to force a sudden death playoff, which he won on the first extra hole. It’s still the last time the U.S. Open has seen a playoff.

It’s a legendary finish. Other than the fact it wasn’t played on a historic venue, every other factor is about as good as it gets for major championship golf. Even the tournament being in sun-soaked San Diego added to the memories.

Honorable Mention

Didn’t see the major finish you were hoping to make the list? Here are 20 others that have arguments for being in the top 10.

• 2001 Masters — Woods went into the back nine just one stroke clear of David Duval and Phil Mickelson, marking one of the only majors where he went head-to-head with the best players of his time. Woods and Duval were tied at 15-under heading into the 16th hole and Mickelson was just one back. Duval and Mickelson made bogey at No. 16, however, and there was no more drama left. It’s one of Tiger’s least-remembered major wins despite going up against Mickelson and Duval.

• 2001 U.S. Open — It was a bizarre finish to regulation in this one as Retief Goosen missed a two-foot par putt on the 72nd hole that would have earned him the win. Stewart Cink also missed a bunny that would have put him in a playoff with Goosen and Mark Brooks. The Monday playoff was a snooze as Goosen easily defeated Brooks.

• 2002 Open Championship — Els made a late double-bogey to squander his lead, setting up a four-man playoff featuring Thomas Levet, Stuart Appleby and Steve Elkington. Els eventually wrestled back victory after an exciting playoff. This one had drama, chaos and a great venue (Muirfield) but some of the characters involved were lacking.

• 2005 Masters — Maybe a controversial opinion but the rewatch doesn’t hit quite as much as I thought it would. While he was pushed, Tiger was in control against Chris DiMarco the entire time until two closing bogeys put them in a playoff—it was the only time all day they were tied. The chip-in on 16 is legendary but the outcome was virtually never in doubt.

• 2007 Open Championship — This was a tremendous three-man battle between Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Andrés Romero. Romero kicked it away with a double at the 17th and Harrington nearly lost it with a double of his own at the 18th. The four-hole aggregate playoff between Harrington and Garcia was pretty much over after a two-stroke swing on the first hole.

• 2009 Masters — This one had Kenny Perry’s name written all over it until two misplayed chips on the final two holes. Angel Cabrera beat Perry and Chad Campbell in a two-hole playoff.

• 2011 PGA Championship — If this tournament had more interesting characters, it might have made the list. Jason Dufner blew a four-stroke lead with three holes to play and then never had a shot in the playoff, losing to Keegan Bradley.

• 2012 Masters — Another tightly bunched Masters which was defined by Bubba Watson making four consecutive back-nine birdies to catch Louis Oosthuizen. We all know what happened in the playoff when Watson miraculously hooked a gap wedge around a tree and made par to capture his first green jacket. The 2011 tournament just had a few more top players involved.

• 2012 Open Championship — I think this is a classic case of a decent tournament that just featured an epic collapse at the end. Adam Scott bogeyed his last four holes to kick away a title Els had no business winning—until he did.

• 2013 Masters — For the third year in a row, the Masters had a memorable finish. Scott, Cabrera and Jason Day went in and out of the lead all afternoon until Day made three consecutive birdies on 13, 14 and 15. He gave away his shot at a green jacket with bogeys on the next two holes. Scott and Cabrera both made birdie at the last to tie at 9-under, setting up a two-hole playoff where Scott famously made a 15-foot birdie putt to win his first and only major.

• 2015 Open Championship — In a rare Monday finish for the Open Championship, Spieth came one stroke shy of a playoff that would have given him a shot at his third major of the season. Zach Johnson won in a playoff over Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman.

• 2016 U.S. Open — The record books will show that Dustin Johnson won this U.S. Open by three strokes but it felt much closer than that due to the USGA’s mishandling of assessing Johnson a penalty stroke early in the round. It was unknown whether Johnson had incurred a one-stroke penalty on the fifth hole when his ball moved slightly after address. On the 12th tee, he was told there might be a penalty. He battled through that adversity, fighting past Shane Lowry, Jim Furyk and Scott Piercy on his way to his first major victory.

• 2016 Open Championship — In the two-horse race of all two-horse races, Henrik Stenson pulled away from Mickelson late on the back nine at Royal Troon to win his first and only major. Stenson finished three strokes ahead of Mickelson but 14 strokes ahead of third-place finisher J.B. Holmes. You could argue it should be in the top 10 but I didn’t feel it reached the same heights as the other two-man battles featured on the list.

• 2017 Open Championship — A two-horse race that went back and forth all day, Spieth pulled away from Matt Kuchar with a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie stretch on the back nine. Before that, he managed perhaps the most memorable bogey save in recent memory after driving it into oblivion on the par-4 13th.

• 2018 PGA Championship — When I first thought about this story, I initially thought the 2018 PGA would make the list. Upon further review, I think the memory is better than the reality. Tiger made an incredible run on that Sunday but Koepka never the lost the lead. He felt in control the whole way through. Also, Bellerive is a flat-out bad golf course.

• 2021 PGA Championship — Am I crazy for not including this one in the top 10? Yes, Mickelson becoming the oldest player to win a major is bonkers. The first seven holes on that Sunday were fantastic and chaotic as he traded blows and miscues with Koepka. But the tournament was pretty much over with eight holes to play. If we are talking about major moments, it definitely makes the list. Major finishes? I don’t think it rises to that level.

• 2021 U.S. Open — A congested leaderboard featuring Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Mackenzie Hughes, Oosthuizen, Koepka, McIlroy and DeChambeau eventually loosened on the back nine as Rahm and Oosthuizen battled for the title. Rahm made dramatic birdie putts on his final two holes and Oosthuizen was doomed by a fatal tee shot on the 71st hole.

• 2022 PGA Championship — It felt like this major belonged to Mito Pereira as he clung to a narrow lead the entire day. Needing a par at the last to win, Pereira lost his drive right and made a double-bogey, missing out on a playoff by one shot. Justin Thomas, who rallied from eight strokes back, defeated Will Zalatoris in extra holes.

• 2022 U.S. Open — Zalatoris had a two-shot lead over Matthew Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler with seven holes to play but the next four holes proved critical as Fitzpatrick made two birdies and Zalatoris made two bogeys. Three closing pars for Fitzpatrick were enough to hold off Zalatoris and Scheffler by one stroke.

• 2024 PGA Championship — Red numbers were flying at Valhalla as Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland all came to the 72nd hole with excellent looks at winning the title. Schauffele, who had nursed a slim lead throughout the day, made birdie at the last to clip DeChambeau by one stroke.

Are there any majors I missed? Disagree with some of my selections?

Let me know below in the comments.

Top Photo Caption: Rory McIlroy misses a short par putt on the 72nd hole of last week’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst. (GETTY IMAGES/Ross Kinnaird)