Golfers Who Won The Masters and PGA Championship in the Same Year
How many times has a golfer won both The Masters Tournament and the PGA Championship in the same calendar year? That double-major combo has been achieved only four times.
The PGA Championship dates to 1916 and The Masters to 1934. So since 1934, it has been possible for a golfer to achieve the Masters/PGA double. But only Sam Snead, Jack Burke Jr. and Jack Nicklaus (twice) have ever done it.
Winning two of the men's professional major championships in the same calendar year is not common ... but it really isn't rare, either. It has happened more than 30 times in golf history (see Golfers Who Won Multiple Majors in the Same Year). Of all the possible two-major combinations, the combination of winning The Masters and PGA Championship in a single season is the one that has happened the fewest times.
The are the years a Masters/PGA Championship double has been done, and the golfers who did it:
- 1949, Sam Snead: The 1949 Masters title was Snead's first win in The Masters and third major championship win overall; his PGA Championship victory that year was his second in the PGA and fourth major title overall. He was one stroke off the lead in the Masters after the third round, but won by three. The 1949 PGA Championship was match play, and Snead defeated Johnny Palmer in the final.
- 1956, Jack Burke Jr.: Jackie Burke won two majors, both in 1956. In the final round of The Masters, Burke was one of only two golfers to break par. Combined with third-round leader Ken Venturi (still an amateur) shooting 80, that allowed Burke to overcome the 8-stroke deficit he faced after the third round. At the PGA Championship, still match play, Burke beat Ted Kroll in the title tilt.
- 1963, Jack Nicklaus: The 1963 Masters was Nicklaus' second win in a major, and the 1963 PGA Championship was his third. (It was his second year as a pro.) At The Masters, Nicklaus led by one after the third round and won by one over runner-up Tony Lema. At the PGA Championship (now stroke play), Nicklaus was three behind after the third round but won by two strokes over runner-up Dave Ragan.
- 1975, Jack Nicklaus: Nicklaus achieved the Masters-PGA double again in 1975, when the two victories were his 13th and 14th, respectively, in major championships. In his fifth Masters victory, Nicklaus outduelled Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller down the stretch to win by one. And at the PGA Championship, his fourth victory in that major, Nicklaus won by two strokes over runner-up Bruce Crampton.
