AUGUSTA, Ga. — When Rory McIlroy closed out his own career Grand Slam — winning all four of golf’s majors — last year at the Masters, he didn’t just end a long drought of career Grand Slam winners in golf. He kickstarted what’s looking like a remarkable convergence of talent in both men’s golf and tennis.
Prior to McIlroy’s win, just 10 men had completed the career Grand Slam in golf or tennis. Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Novak Djokovic all managed the feat three times over, Rafael Nadal did it twice. Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Rod Laver, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer all delivered, as well. (Caveats apply; the tennis record dates to the start of the Open era in 1968, while golf’s time period stretches back to 1934.)
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Earlier this year, Carlos Alcaraz completed a remarkably quick ascent to the top of the career slam pinnacle, notching all four in less than four years. And over the next few months, there’s a very good chance we’ll see two more … and maybe three, if the golf gods are smiling. It’s a remarkable confluence of talent, and we’re clearly living in what we’ll call the good ol’ days a couple decades from now.
One more note: There’s one career achievement level even higher than a career grand slam … but we’ll get to that in a moment. First, let’s break down the new crop of champions.
Rory McIlroy holds the trophy at last year’s Masters, a win that completed his career Grand Slam. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The newest members
Rory McIlroy
Grand Slam markers: U.S. Open (2011), PGA Championship (2012), Open Championship (2014), Masters (2025)
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Chances needed to close out career slam: 10
Perspective: A lesson in tenacity. Augusta National bedeviled McIlroy for a decade and a half before he finally mastered it in 2025.
Carlos Alcaraz
Grand Slam markers: U.S. Open (2022), Wimbledon (2023), French Open (2024), Australian Open (2026)
Chances needed to close out career slam: 2
Perspective: Alcaraz is simply an immediately dominant figure. With seven career slams before turning 23, he’s already just one more Australian Open win from a double career slam.
With last year’s win at Wimbledon, Jannik Sinner is a French Open championships away from completing his own career Grand Slam. (Photo by Tom Jenkins/ Getty Images)
(Tom Jenkins via Getty Images)
On the brink
Jannik Sinner
Grand Slam markers: Australian Open (2024), U.S. Open (2024), Wimbledon (2025)
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Chances needed to close out career slam: None yet, first French Open chance is in May
Perspective: Like Alcaraz, Sinner came out firing; he’s won all four of his slams since 2024. And he’ll be dueling with Alcaraz for every one over the next decade.
Scottie Scheffler
Grand Slam markers: Masters (2022), PGA Championship (2025), Open Championship (2025)
Chances to close out career slam: None yet, first U.S. Open chance is in June
Perspective: Well, that was quick. In just two months, Scheffler went from “can he win anywhere but Augusta?” to “will he win everywhere on earth?” His first crack at the career Grand Slam will be at Shinnecock in June, and he’ll be the favorite to snag it.
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Jordan Spieth
Grand slam markers: Masters (2015), U.S. Open (2015), Open Championship (2017)
Chances to close out career slam: 9 and counting
Perspective: Spieth came close to wrapping up the deal in 2019 when he finished T3 at the PGA, but since then has slowly backslid. He missed the cut last year at the PGA for the first time since 2014.
Phil Mickelson
Grand slam markers: Masters (2004), PGA Championship (2005), Open Championship (2013)
Chances to close out career slam: 12 and counting
Perspective: Mickelson’s six (!) second-place finishes in the U.S. Open are a brutal slap from the golf gods. He’s missed the cut the last four U.S. Opens, and the window is just about nailed shut.
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There’s no guarantee that Scheffler or Sinner will close out their slams; history is replete with legendary names who didn’t quite get it done. Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson, for all their skills, could never quite win the PGA Championship, and Jimmy Connors couldn’t ever win the French Open.
The Golden Slam: The absolute pinnacle
Sure, a career Grand Slam is great, but you know what’s even better? Throwing an Olympic gold medal on top of that pile. Three men’s tennis players have completed a Golden Slam: Agassi, Nadal and Djokovic. Since golf was absent from the Olympics from 1904 to 2016, Nicklaus, Woods et. al. didn’t have a chance to claim one, but you know who did? Scottie Scheffler, of course, with one of the great rounds of the 21st century: a closing 62 at Paris 2024. (Keep an eye out for Xander Schauffele, too, 2020 gold medal winner and two-time major champ. If he wins the Masters next week, the U.S. Open gets even more interesting.)
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Why are we seeing all this excellence in one narrow slice of sports history? We could create some kind of hypothesis about training methods and nutrition, but those would apply to the competition, as well. The truth, honestly, defies any hardcore data analysis: McIlroy, Alcaraz, Scheffler and Sinner are simply magnificently gifted athletes who would have thrived in any era of their chosen sport, and it’s our good fortune that they’re all at the height of their powers in ours.
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