It seems only yesterday when we were talking about the 'Scottie-style' cheeseburger sliders at The Masters and watching Jon Rahm overthrow Brooks Koepka for the Green Jacket - but all four of 2023's men's Majors are now done and dusted.
The men's Major schedule changed in 2019, with the PGA Championship moving from August to May and thus ensuing that we have a Major each month from April to July. It moves quick, and all of 2023's are now in the books.
We had Rahm win The Masters in April, Koepka win the PGA in May, Clark come out on top at the US Open in June and Harman lifting the Claret Jug in July.
Was it a Major season to remember? Honestly, probably not. There were some fantastic stories and memorable moments, but there were certain instances where golf's big four were a little underwhelming. Whether it was bad weather, subdued crowds, runaway victories or big names struggling, the year saw little drama in the closing stretches.
Below, we rank the four men's Majors from best to worst...
1. PGA Championship
- Course: Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, New York
- Winner: Brooks Koepka (-9)
- Runners-up: Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler (-7)
- Remembered for: Koepka's fifth Major, low club pro Michael Block and his hole-in-one, high scoring
You occasionally hear that the PGA Championship is the worst of the four men's Majors and some claim it's not even as good as the Players Championship. This certainly wasn't the case in 2023, with the testing Oak Hill Country Club delivering a brilliant four days of action and some superb entertainment.
Brooks Koepka won his third PGA Championship and fifth Major following THAT Netflix Full Swing episode where he seemed to have all-but given up on his body and golf game as injuries were taking their toll.
Koepka returned to his best at Oak Hill to edge out Viktor Hovland, who agonisingly left it in a fairway bunker on the 70th hole to make Koepka's last two holes a little bit more comfy. Until then, though, the popular Norwegian was keeping right up with the American in what was a thrilling final round.
And then there's Michael Block. The now legendary club pro made his first ever Major cut and then had the weekend of his life. Blockie played with Justin Rose on Saturday and then got a Sunday afternoon tee time with Rory McIlroy, in which he made a slam dunk hole-in-one! He then made a great up-and-down on the final hole to secure his spot in next year's championship at Valhalla.
The PGA Championship was a great watch this year and was the best men's Major of 2023.
2. US Open
- Course: Los Angeles Country Club, California
- Winner: Wyndham Clark (-10)
- Runner-up: Rory McIlroy (-9)
- Remembered for: Wyndham Clark's maiden Major win and clutch fairway wood into par 5 14th, McIlroy coming up one short, Rickie Fowler's 62 and top 5, low crowd numbers
The 2023 US Open didn't get off to the best of starts in many fans' views, with Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shooting the 123-editions-old championship's first ever 62s within 20 minutes of each other on the opening morning.
Scoring continued to be lower than expected for a US Open and a quiet atmosphere with a large corporate presence meant that the TV product wasn't great. There was a lot of excitement about LACC's debut Major but it wasn't delivering.
That all changed come Sunday, though, as we got to witness arguably the best Major Sunday of the year.
Rickie Fowler fell away early but the final few hours were gripping as Wyndham Clark attempted to fend off Rory McIlroy, who was looking for his first Major win in almost nine years. The Northern Irishman looked set for the title halfway but his hopes were dashed with a bogey on the par 5 14th. Clark birdied it after a stunning fairway wood shot into the green (shot of the year in the men's Majors? Perhaps) but he then bogeyed 15 and 16 to lead by just one.
Clark stood firm and managed to take a one stroke lead to the 72nd hole, which he kept intact after a solid par. McIlroy looked set to end his Major drought but came up agonisingly short in what was a thrilling final round and the closest finish of all the men's Majors in 2023.
3. The Masters
- Course: Augusta National, Augusta, Georgia
- Winner: Jon Rahm (-12)
- Runners-up: Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson (-8)
- Remembered for: Rahm's second Major, Mickelson runner-up, Koepka back on the Major scene, Woods withdrawing injured, weather delays, trees falling down
Jon Rahm sealed his maiden Green Jacket in April with a stunning final round display where he overturned a two stroke deficit to beat Brooks Koepka, and Phil Mickelson, by four strokes.
It certainly wasn't a Masters for the ages, with the Spaniard all-but nailed on to win with an hour left of play. Still, there were some great storylines and a Masters can never be a bad watch, can it?
Play was severely disrupted sadly due to heavy, constant rain, and we even saw a scary moment when multiple pine trees came crashing down in the wind. Tiger Woods struggled with the weather and delays and ultimately withdrew prior to Sunday's final day before having surgery on his ankle.
The bad weather meant that Saturday's third round finished early and a mammoth Sunday took place where Koepka and Rahm played 29-and-a-bit holes.
Koepka returning to Major form was a great storyline, albeit he wasn't able to get over the line. Mickelson finishing runner-up was a hugely impressive performance and the pair reminded us that LIV players were still competitive on the Major stage.
Amateur Sam Bennett was another great storyline from the week, with the Texan opening 68-68 to shoot the second-lowest 36-hole amateur score in Masters history (136) after Ken Venturi's 135 in 1956. He ended in T16th and won the Silver Cup before turning pro at the end of May.
4. The Open
- Course: Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England
- Winner: Brian Harman (-13)
- Runners-up: Tom Kim, Sepp Straka, Jon Rahm, Jason Day (-7)
- Remembered for: Brian Harman dominance, wet weekend, controversial new 17th hole, Hoylake member Matthew Jordan top 10
The Open is the oldest championship in the sport and also the best in many peoples' eyes.
This year it returned to Royal Liverpool GC, scene of McIlroy and Woods triumphs in the previous two hostings.
Sadly for organisers and fans, the weather simply didn't play ball this year. After a brilliant first two rounds, Saturday was wet and then the final day was even wetter. It rained ALL day on Sunday. The fans who stayed for the duration must be applauded as the heavens well and truly opened on the final day.
Brian Harman played the tournament of his life to win The Open, with the left-hander taking the Claret Jug by a winning margin of six strokes. Harman putted the lights out and his performance should go down as one of the most impressive in recent times.
It was a stunning display from Harman, but not one that will have been a thrilling watch for anyone barring the most hardcore golf fans as he had the tournament wrapped up with plenty of holes to play.
Jon Rahm shot a 63 on Saturday to edge closer and Matthew Jordan, the Royal Liverpool member, hit the first tee shot on Thursday morning and played a great tournament to finish top 10.
Still, the awful weekend weather and the dominant six-shot victory from Harman meant that it wasn't the best Open we'll ever see.
