Is Brooks Koepka the Weakest 4-Time Major Champion?
Let’s just get this out of the way right here at the start. There’s no such thing as a bad four-time major champion. And despite how the headline might come off, this piece is in no way intended as a knock on Brooks Koepka.
Truth be told, Koepka is essentially already a lock for the World Golf Hall of Fame — assuming his jump to LIV Golf isn’t held against him, that is. For one, his four major championship wins put him ahead of several golfers who have already been inducted. And only 10 players have spent more weeks atop the world rankings, although the OWGR didn’t start until 1986.
So, again, this isn’t a knock on Brooks Koepka. But if you really sit down and look at the others who’ve won at least four major championships — at least the more modern players — Koepka’s overall resume simply doesn’t match up.
I’ll concede that Koepka is far superior to the likes of Tom Morris (both of them) or really any of the guys who only won The Open Championship in the 1800s. But beyond them? Yeah, not so much.
Is Brooks Koepka the worst four-time major champion?
Let’s look at the facts here. Yes, Brooks Koepka has the four major championship victories, winning the U.S. Open in 2017 and 2018 and the PGA Championship in 2018 and 2019.
But during his run on the PGA Tour, he only recorded four other victories. He won the 2015 Phoenix Open, the 2018 CJ Cup, the 2019 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, and then the Phoenix Open again in 2021. Koepka also won the 2014 Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour, twice won the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Japan, and took four titles on the Challenge Tour in the early days of his pro career. And, of course, you’ve got his two victories for LIV Golf.
Now look at how his resume fares against every other player who’s won at least four majors.
| Player | Major Wins | PGA Tour Wins | Total Pro Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Nicklaus | 18 | 73 | 117 |
| Tiger Woods | 15 | 82 | 110 |
| Walter Hagen | 11 | 45 | 58 |
| Ben Hogan | 9 | 64 | 71 |
| Gary Player | 9 | 24 | 159 |
| Tom Watson | 8 | 39 | 70 |
| Harry Vardon | 7 | n/a | 49 |
| Bobby Jones | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| Gene Sarazen | 7 | 38 | 48 |
| Sam Snead | 7 | 82 | 142 |
| Arnold Palmer | 7 | 62 | 95 |
| Lee Trevino | 6 | 29 | 92 |
| Nick Faldo | 6 | 9 | 43 |
| Phil Mickelson | 6 | 45 | 57 |
| James Braid | 5 | n/a | 19 |
| John Henry Taylor | 5 | n/a | 19 |
| Byron Nelson | 5 | 52 | 64 |
| Peter Thomson | 5 | 6 | 98 |
| Seve Ballesteros | 5 | 9 | 90 |
| Tom Morris Sr. | 4 | n/a | n/a |
| Tom Morris Jr. | 4 | n/a | n/a |
| Willie Park Sr. | 4 | n/a | n/a |
| Willie Anderson | 4 | n/a | 9 |
| Jim Barnes | 4 | 22 | 29 |
| Bobby Locke | 4 | 15 | 94 |
| Raymond Floyd | 4 | 22 | 63 |
| Ernie Els | 4 | 19 | 75 |
| Rory McIlroy | 4 | 23 | 36 |
| Brooks Koepka | 4 | 8 | 17 |
Doesn’t quite stack up, does it? Now, I’m aware he’s in his early 30s and can still tack on more victories. But, come on, if they’re not majors, is anyone genuinely going to care about LIV Golf wins? Or view them as strong victories?
Again, I’ll concede those old-school Scotsman who won The Open back when it was essentially the only big tournament in the world. But looking up and down this list, who else you got?
And, please, don’t any of you LIV Golf enthusiasts/PGA Tour haters come at me with Rory in the comments. Because deep down, you know who’s been the better player overall. The only guy I can maybe concede is Peter Thomson. But that’s a big maybe.
I could see some of you coming with Nick Faldo because he only has nine PGA Tour wins. But let’s not forget that he — and several others on this list — played on the European Tour when it was a lot stronger than it is today.
So let’s hear it. Hit me up in the comments section and argue that of every golfer who’s won at least four majors, Brooks Koepka isn’t the weakest.
