Ranking golf’s four major championships.

Tommy Does Golf - The Podcast

EPISODE 6
SEASON 01
3 March 2026

tommy: Welcome to Tommy Does Golf, the podcast where three old timers give you our opinions on everything. Golf. I'm Tommy Long, joined by fellow PGA professionals, James Morgan and Paul Charman. With over a hundred years and counting in the golf industry between us, we are well into our back nines. We'll do our best to stay on topic for just like our tee shots these days.

This podcast could go anywhere. We are hoping you enjoy the banter and maybe just maybe we'll share a few pearls of wisdom along the way. Let's get into it. In this episode, we gave ourselves the almost impossible task of ranking the four majors in reverse order, and I'm pretty sure we all found it way harder than we thought it would be. Look, we love watching all of them. They're all prestigious, they're all amazing. This isn't about devaluing any of them, but to do this, we had to really get in touch with our souls.

Dig into how we actually feel about them, the emotions they draw up, the memories. That was the only way we could do it. So James, it's time to get stuck in. We'll start with you. Give us the major that you rank in fourth position, please, and tell us your reasons why


james: Now, this might be a little bit controversial. It's gonna be because most people would put this in there, one or two, probably second, but my fourth is the US open.

tommy: Okay.

james: Most people would put the PGA championship. Fourth, I put the US Open forth, not because of the history, it's got all the history of a major championship that you would want, but.

My dislike for the USGA, hopefully they're not listening. Is growing with a lot of the stupid rules they're making, with regards to the golf ball changes that they wanna do in the future and their desire to make level par a winning score. We have the best players in the world.

Why are they trying to make them look stupid? So they grow rough. That's ridiculously deep that as amateurs, even just us professionals playing in our own tournaments, we would never come across conditions like it. No one else, no other golf course is set up anywhere near, like as tough as they make it, they make the greens if they can rock hard.

So they're making the best players in the world look like idiots. It's still got, all the history, which we love, love watching it because you know you're winning a major, , but why, why change it? You know, why make a, a tennis? Okay. What we'll do is we make the court smaller. You know, I just, I just don't get it. But I mean, with the history that, so anyway, that's why it's my number four.

tommy: Okay. It is interesting that you put it as your number four. I'm pretty sure it's gonna mean that we're all gonna come up with different reverse orders, so over to you Paul.

paul: Well, on that note, I would just like to quote Jonny Miller Jonny Miller once described putting on US Open greens, like trying to put on the bonnet of a VW beetle.

And I think. That actually is perfect. Do you know what I mean?

james: And Jonny Miller, when he played, that's 40, years ago. So it's not like that's current. They're even worse.

paul: It's the same that, that is their go-to. They go to that sort of, I'm going to make this golf course unplayable.

Yeah. You know, and we've seen some golf courses that we've looked at and gone, you know, as a half decent amateur, you wouldn't get round it, you would not play it. You wouldn't be able to play it.

tommy: Okay, so does that mean that that is your

paul: No, it does not. Not at all. I was just, just a bit of tangent.

I quote literally but I'm going again, slightly controversial possibly. Here I'm going. PGA championship US PGA championship. Okay. Now, the reason I'm going for this is because, first and foremost only professionals can play in it.

They do offer 20 spots to, club pros, which I have to say I do like, I like the idea that, the guy from down the road at the local driving range if he wants to, can actually go and play in the tournament or at least try and qualify for the tournament. Yeah. Try

james: and qualify.

That's a good, he wants to go and play in it. I going and play next. You can.

paul: At least he can try and qualify for it, you know, extent understand. But there are some good things. I think it's, as you say, this is a really difficult thing. You know, some of the good things about this tournament are that the winners.

They secure five year exemption to all the majors, and the players championship five year exemption on the PGA tour and a seven year membership to the DP World Tour. Initially the format was match play, back in the late twenties. That obviously changed. An interesting fact, that I did discover about this tournament was that the, Wannamaker Trophy was actually lost for a few years.

Tommy: It’s a big trophy to lose,

paul: big trophy to lose, okay. But it was actually lost.

It eventually showed up in the cellar of the L Young and Company, alright, which happens to be ironic. The same factory which made the golf clubs for a certain Mr. Walter Hagen.

tommy: Wow.

paul: Who had lost the trophy and blamed it on a taxi driver. There you go. I love that. It's brilliant. Just a, a little fact for you. A couple of other facts. 42 Americans have won the tournament, since 1970 40 non-American winners. Jack Nicklaus has won it five times. Tiger Woods four Brooks Koepka three back to back 2018 and 2019. And just to throw a couple of others in there that might be of interest. VJ Singh has won it twice.

Rory McIlroy twice, Lee Trevino twice. Nick Price twice, and Gary Player twice. Now I've ranked that four. I've actually put a whole load of really good things there to like about it, but it just shows how tough this is gonna be.

tommy: Sure it does.

paul: Do you know what I mean?

tommy: Alright. Like it Alright, me. Okay. Well, Paul has actually covered a few things that I had written down. There you go. Because I also have the U-S-P-G-A championship in fourth position., Obviously it's the third oldest of the four majors. I mean, just to not educate the listeners 'cause I'm sure they know, but I educated myself to the exact dates that these tournaments started and the open championship was first played in 1860 US Open, 1895 U-S-P-G-A 1916.

And the youngest of them all is obviously the masters first played in 1934.

The qualifying thing for me obviously played its part the fact that, it's not an open as such. But one of the things that I kind of found difficult, to put it higher than forth, was when they changed the date, when they changed it from being played in August to May due to FedEx Cup and actually NFL, scheduling.

I just felt that it lost a little bit of its appeal in the sense that. It used to be the Last Chance Saloon for players to get a major over the line. You know, it felt like it had a little bit more significance because it was, the last major chance of the year,.

So for me, yeah, that is the reason, probably the sole reason that I, I actually saw that Rory McIlroy had actually made note of that fairly recently in an interview and Rory had said that he would love to see it somehow scheduled back as the last major of the year. So yeah, that was my, number four.

Very, very difficult. I thought about it quite a long time, but that was the one that fell into that position.

So James. Over to you.

james: Number three.

tommy: Number three.

james: Coming in at number three.

tommy: Coming in at number three.

james: So I've put the US PGA championship for a lot of reasons that you guys have quoted.

But I actually am happy that it's moved purely because I didn't feel it had the standing to be the last major of the year. I had that feeling that, oh, well, all the decent ones have already been played, and we'll sling an extra one on the end. And, oh, I've won the PGA championship. i'm very happy where it is because I just feel like, it doesn't have as much history. But I think they do set the golf course up really, really well. So again. We are ranking it how we feel.

I wanna look at it from a viewer's point of view. Sure. So I think they, they set the golf courses up well. Tough enough. But again, you are allowed to win one of the four majors, which is the least one that you would want to win? It would be the PGA. But for me, because the US Open or the USGA got under my skin, I'm sorry, I ranked them forth.

Not that I am, basing it on my own personal. Feelings. Oh yeah. Maybe I'm, I love the idea that PGA pros us PGA pros. Mm-hmm. Because it used to be the winner of the U-S-P-G-A Club Championship. Club Pros champ got in and one of the British guys went over and, got an exemption 'cause he won the British one, won the US one, and they said, oh no.

'cause you're not A-U-S-P-G-A member. You can't play in it.

tommy: Is that right?

james: Yeah. But I mean, the fact that, you know, the grassroots, they've got thousands of grassroots top pros. I mean, there's so much qualifying to get through.

tommy: Yeah.

james: But I just, I just love that idea. Yeah. They've still stuck to that.

tommy: Yeah, I do.

I love that tradition. They're about tradition, these majors on they, so, yeah, a hundred

paul: percent.

tommy: Alright, Paul, what's yours?

paul: Third place for me. US open.

tommy: US open.

paul: Okay. Okay. So, . I do actually love watching it.

I love watching the fact that, it's carnage. It's, it embarrassing. It makes golfers of all levels feel that they actually aren't as bad as they feel they are, which is actually wrong because the golf courses are set up in such a way, they are so difficult.

The rough is so thick. The golf courses are just brutal. Brutal is a word that comes up many times in interviews. Brutal. Scores are high. You see players hitting shots that are just, ridiculous, but. I think when you are at the top of your game, imagination plays a huge part and the US Open does obviously, give you the opportunity to hopefully use some of that imagination and possibly win just a couple of stats here. Since the 1960s, there's been. Five wins from South Africans. Just thought I'd mention that. Had to come here at some point because all of my South African fans will like to hear that. You know, I haven't forgotten about them. That's 10 minutes before


tommy: Come on. Other stats? Got anything else?

paul: A couple of others. Obviously our own Michael Campbell.

james: Okay.

paul: The oldest player to make the cut. Sam Sneed, he was 61 years old.

Wow. Which means gentlemen, that there is hope for us.

tommy: Yeah. Well,

not a lot, but anyway.

Paul: Not a lot. Not a lot of hope. Well,

james: I've got five weeks

tommy: get down that range


paul: this year to start practicing hard. Most runner up finishes, Phil Mickelson.

tommy: Mm-hmm. ,

paul: Six times. Yeah, I just think.

And well, that was the one that was missing for the career land. It was one, it was the one.

tommy: Alright, well leave me a couple stats,

paul: So look, I've just left, you know, you put it out there. It, it's a difficult thing, but there's my choice.

tommy: Okay, well now my third place, are you sure you weren't looking over my shoulder when I was actually doing This is homework.

Okay. My third place is also the US Open and I really struggled with this one. I'm actually gonna read what I wrote down. I love the fact that the US open is tough. I also love watching it for that very reason. The brutal conditions, the thick, rough, the firm greens. It's a proper test of golf. I also love the fact that it's an open event.

They have the qualifying in the same format as the open championship 18 hole pre-qualifying, and then 36 hole final qualifying. It's a real grind just to get there.

But yeah, I think it's a brilliant, brilliant tournament.

It is amazing. I mean, I had to put something in third place. I don't wanna, like I said, devalue any of these tournaments. The only stat that I was quite interested in that you missed out there, Paul, is that four players have won four US opens. Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus.

So Tiger Woods 15 stroke victory at Pebble Beach in 2000 is the largest margin of victory. Not only in the US open, but in any major champ major. Yeah, so pretty phenomenal. I love watching it. But yeah, it's, its third for me. Yeah, it's, its third. So obviously difficult decision. James, back to you.

Number two.

james: Number two for me, the runner up. Runner up is the masters.

tommy: Okay.

james: Youngest tournament. But I think as a viewer, I feel the familiarity we have knowing the golf course, we all feel like we know every single hole in the golf course, and especially that back nine. I think it's the magic that goes with the tournament.

tommy: Mm-hmm.

james: It's the imagination that the players need to get round there. Again, you've got greens that are like grease lightning on slopes, but you see the best players when they play a stunning shot, they get rewarded, which sometimes I think in the US open, they don't get the reward that they should have got.

Whereas in the Masters, you get that reward if you hit a bad one or overspend it, underspend it. That's when it is, treacherous. And that's why amateurs would struggle so much around the US Masters. The tradition of the green jacket. Love that.

tommy: Yes.

james: And the, past champion handing it to the new champion.

Yes. So those are the things I love about it. But it just can't be number one.

tommy: Okay.

james: Which I will come across. No,

tommy: it's good. Go

james: Those are my reasons for it being number two.

tommy: Fantastic Paul

paul: Here we go.

tommy: here we go.

paul: Here we go. I'm going for the open.

tommy: Okay.

paul: As my number two.

tommy: Yeah.


james: wash your mouth out

paul: I, the reason for this is, is purely because, and I will explain that in a minute, when we actually talk about our number one spots.

tommy: Yes,

paul: absolutely. to actually pick one tournament between the open and the masters. Is extremely difficult. It really is difficult. You know, the Claret Jug, oldest tournament in the world, we know that, the winner is the champion golfer of the year. I think one thing about the open is that for me, there are so many iconic moments that I will never forget the Severiano Ballesteros fist pump. Um. A chip that doesn't get to the top of the green rolls back down, then suddenly a chip that actually goes in the playoffs. Jean Vanderveld in the brook, it's a shame I've put it in second place. If I could do a joint, I would've probably done joint.

tommy: Yeah. or you'd have done brackets. 'cause you love the

brackets.

paul: I love brackets. I love a brackets. Okay. Just going down the whole road of. Memories and, no one can forget, 2009 Tom Watson, 59 years old, needed a par down the last, made a bogey, eventually lost in a playoff to Stewart Cink. He did. I mean, you know, I think even Stewart Cink felt guilty.

tommy: Stewart Cink actually said even he wanted Tom Watson to win the playoff.

paul: Yeah, yeah.

tommy: So, you know, it would've been his sixth open championship. Amazing.

paul: There are, and, and that's one story.

tommy: Yeah. the history

paul: The Seve fist pump, you know, iconic picture. It's, you know, it's an amazing tournament.

tommy: So you've got it at number two.

paul: Number two, put at number two. I put it at number two. Number

james: Number one must be amazing. Now let's go to Tommy.

tommy: So my one. I'm actually not gonna look at James when I announce this one. I can't. But, this was the hardest decision for me.

I've also gone with the Open championship.

james: I feel like a girlfriend.

tommy: No, it's terrible. It is terrible.

james: You don't look at me in the eye and tell me,

tommy: no, I can't, James, because the thing is, I know that i'll be crucified for this by so many of my friends, but I'm gonna try and explain.

james: Cool.

tommy: Um, obviously the open Championship is the oldest championship out there first played in 1860 at Prestwick in Scotland. The fact that it has qualifying, I love that. I entered qualifying three times, 2000, three, four, and five. I got through pre-qualifying twice, 2003.

I shot a 67 at Wilderness Kent to get through to finals. And the funny thing about that day, I actually had a lesson that morning. With someone pretty close to me right now. I was hitting it sideways Yeah. And I don't really know what he said to me. Maybe it was some voodoo shit, but he told me something and I went out and I,

paul: I said, play the draw mate.

tommy: Play the draw

paul: you were worried.

tommy: Yeah.

Paul : You were worried but you played the draw.

Tommy : So I went out anyway, got through, I made it through to final qualifying at Littlestone to try and qualify. Oh. And I remember, that was 2003. The open was gonna be at Royal St. George's. I failed miserably. there were only five spots available and there was a hundred of us picking it up in that particular final qualifier.

paul: The funny thing is, I resigned from that job to actually come and be your coach. I don't, you dunno that do you

tommy: didn't know that. I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry.

paul: What's 10% of? nothing

tommy: Yeah. Not a lot. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but the thing I want to say is, , the first round of qualifying, I shot mid seventies, which meant I had to like break 60 to get one of those spots.

Interestingly enough. Jeff Maggert played behind me that year in final qualifying, which shows the respect that those players have to come and actually qualify for the open if they're not exempt. And Jeff Maggart that year had the fourth round lead teeing off in Augusta.

2004, tried again at Royal Ashdown, lost in the playoff and then redeemed myself a little bit the following year. Shot 68 Royal Ashdown. Went up to St. Andrews for final qualifying for 2005. Missed out again at Lundin Links, but had a great time. And my tour roommate, Fezza, he actually made it up as well. So Mark Fairhall, if you're listening, hope you're well fella. It is an amazing tournament. But I think the personal side of things made me put it number two. Yeah. And again, like Paul said, I’ll explain, it'll come out in the wash. Explain why. Yeah, it'll come out in the wash.

So that's my number two, and I almost feel ashamed that I've done that. But James, you're number one. Then by processes of elimination, I know exactly what it's gonna be, but tell us what it is and why

james: it is. Of course, the open good. It's not the British Open. No, no.

tommy: I would never refer to it as that, but it is The open.


james: And anyone that refers to it as the British, we

tommy: wecorrect them, don't we?

james: They are corrected.

tommy: Yeah.

james: Now I nearly qualified for it, so I got through regional qualifying in a playoff.

tommy: Yep.

james: And that's when I had the yips and I had a 30 footer on the last, which my mate told me I had to hold to get into a playoff.

I knocked it six feet past and I was putting like Bernhard Langer, you know, we used to hold it. Yes. Halfway down the shaft and clamp it when you could clamp it.

tommy: Yes.

james: Walked up to my six footer, one-handed with the thing, stuck on my arm and flicked it in the hole. Went in the clubhouse, getting in my car and my mate comes to me, oh, I've got it wrong.

You're in a playoff now. So i got me gear back out again, and I think it was, I can't remember exactly it was a short path. Four. Drove it on the green, three putted, got to the next hole, hit it, the five foot, missed it. And then there was two of us going to the last hole. There was eight for two spots.

There's one spot left over. And I hit it a sprinkler front, left hand corner, and it ricochets over the green just keeps going. So now I've got a, a log that's about two foot foot, three foot round in front of me and nowhere to get the green. So I had to do a Happy Gilmore. So I had to aim at the path. And then from there I was gonna try and bounce it into the two bunkers that were greenside, and then try and up and down it.

It hit the path. There's 150 people watching the playoff. It goes up through the two bunkers and rolls down to 18 inches from the hole. They are going mental. The other guy, he is, hit it. The 30 feet rolls up to four feet, holds it. I step over the 18 inch and missed it. Never touched the hole.

That's when I had the Ys. Anyway, then get a phone call on the Saturday morning. Your 17th alternate, you're in far more qualifying at Littlestone

tommy: No way.

James: At Littlestone.

tommy: Is that right?

james: Yep.

tommy: Great track.

james: Yep. For the St. George's Open in 93. It been 'cause I came over here in 94.

paul: Yeah.

james: So anyway, um, rock up and I shoot 68.

First round. Get the old interview. Doing really, really well. Yeah. I'm line third, eight spots and last round got a touch of the heebie-jeebies three jab 10. And then I missed every green on the back nine except the 16th, which I hit a one iron off the deck from two hundred and thirty eight, one iron off the tee the whole way round.

tommy: Wow.

james: When we come to do the caddying thing in another podcast, I'll tell you a caddy story about littlestone. Remind me 'cause it's funny ass, but, Greenside for two and I needed a par to get in.

tommy: No.

james: Didn't have lo wages in those days and instead of laying up and pitching up 'cause it was tight behind the bunker when cross agreed with the bunker, came outta that bunker.

Trying to get it too close. Cross agreed Chipped up and one putted missed out by one. So

paul: to get your spot in the open

james: to get my spot in the open. So it was a, oh

paul: wow.

james: It was a two hour drive there and my caddy went. White on the way home. 'cause I've got home in about an hour and 15 minutes. I was so wild.

But anyway, so for me that's, and

paul: that's why you and you still love it.

james: I still love it. Which says a lot about, 'cause the thing was though, when we were living in the uk, you'd always go and try and qualify. You could try and qualify for it.

paul: Yeah,

james: you could. And then you, and then you hear all these stories.I mean, a good mate of mine, Neil Burke,

paul: I remember

james: he a holed a three wood on a par five for a two. And then birdied the next hole, which was the hardest hole in the golf course. Qualified for the British open by one shot.

paul: Yeah, I remember that.

James: I mean, it's, those are the sorts of things you dream of.

paul: Yeah, sure.

james: Um, so that for me, it, the history that goes with it. But for me, it's the only one I've nearly qualified for. Mm. So that has to be number one.

paul: yeah.

james: Yeah. I just love it. Touch it, love

paul: We all love it. Can touch it. You can feel, you feel as though you can touch it. You know what I mean?

james: A hundred percent. You can just close your eyes and see. Se on the 18th grade. Yeah. Okay. With the masters you can close your eyes. You can see Phil Mickelson jumping in the Air. Tiger winning his last one, Rory MCIlroy on his knees. And Hideki Matsuyama with his caddy Bowing, all that sort of stuff.

So I do get that side of things. But the open championship is a real,

tommy: that's special. It's special. It

james: started Justin Rose. Look at Justin Rose as an amateur. Absolutely. A hundred percent.

tommy: I, I remember hundred percent when, when I was up there with Fezza and when we were trying to go through final qualifying in 2005.

We actually stayed into St. Andrew's, had some BB that would be five grand a night. Now, probably you wouldn't even be able to book it, it was, a little annex in this beautiful house. Yes. And we strolled out. And we actually walked onto the 18th hole about eight o'clock in the evening and walked up to the clubhouse. Towards the 18th green and the hairs on the back of our neck, were standing up, I mean, you literally did get chills. So the open is special.

james: Anyway, anyway, now, now what we're gonna hear is you two is somehow justifying the US Masters to being number one.

tommy: Paul,

james: open the doors. Go for it.

paul: Well, I try to qualify for the Masters.

james: You had to win the open to qualify for it first.

paul: Oh, look, I'm gonna try and do this some kind of justice. So my reason why, obviously the masters is my number one choice is, simply. The familiarity of the tournament, the fact that it's the only major that's played, on the same golf course.

I feel as though I know every tee. I feel as though I know where every second and third shot is played from. I know the Canva on the greens. I know where the first day pin is gonna be. The second day pin. Third day pin, and I know where the fourth day pins are gonna be. You feel when the masters arrives , there's no surprises.

You know what's coming, you know what to expect. Apart from anything else out of. Any of the golf courses that the [00:23:00] open has ever been on. You've probably played many open courses. Many, I know you've played many open courses in your time. I would give anything to go and play Augusta National, but

james: you know why that is?You can't, 'cause you're not allowed

paul: because you're not allowed. You're not allowed. That's

j the only reason.

paul: But, the fact that you're not allowed to have something or you can't get it, makes you want it even more. A couple of stats, again, we all know about Jack Nicklaus and his relationship with the Masters. Go

james: ahead. I was gonna remind us

paul: six masters, the oldest player to win at the age of 46 in 1986. I mean, who can forget that, you know, with that great big mallet. Part of the, you sure.

The iconic picture on so side, the iconic picture,

james: MacGregor.

paul: He also, he also had four runner up spots in the masters. You know, you've gotta remember that the first non-American to win, funnily enough, was a South Africa.

tommy: Oh, here we go.

paul: Sorry. Just thought No, good. I love it. Who was that? South Africa. Do we know

tommy: Gary Player?

Paul: There we go. Player. Of course it was. And then the second, the second player. non-American.

james: Seve.


paul: 1980 Severiano Ballesteros

But the reason why I have actually placed this tournament at number one is because I actually now know.

What azaleas are, what magnolias are blooming dogwoods and yellow Jasmine, had it not been for the masters, I would have no idea what these were.

James: Your life would've been an empty void without knowing that.

Tommy: It sounds a bit sexist this, but a lot of guys wanna watch the masters. but if their wives have a particular love for gardens and flowers and what have you, they can say, Hey look, enjoy the show.

paul: Yeah.

tommy: You know, there will be rhododendrons and all sorts going on.

james: Gardeners world

tommy: here. Yeah, I mean, look, I, I, I love it. I love it for watching the Rhododendrons and it's immaculate.

James : Okay, so your number one is the Masters as well?

Tommy: Yeah, mine is the masters as well. And I'll try and justify why, I put the Masters as number one. Uh, difficult one. I love the masters. It's amazing. And like you boys have covered it is the only major played on the same golf course each year. I've not been there. Paul, have you been there? James? No, no. So that'll be a podcast. We'll try and get a couple of tickets each, and we'll go there and we'll do a podcast following our first, , foray to the Masters. From 1980 to 2000, we had 11 European winners. So, the reason for me, my personal connection to it is everything.

And the reason why I had to put it as number one, but in the UK, the final round was always late Sunday night.

James:Yes.

tommy: And as a young boy, the only time I was allowed to stay up really late was with my dad on Master Sunday. And sometimes it would tip over into the early hours of Monday morning. And I just bonded with my dad.

I remember watching it and just being glued to the Masters and really it was the reason why I took up golf was because of that time with my dad. So even though. The open, and I should be saying the open all day long for the history, the qualifying, our own attempts to try and get in it. James.

paul: Yep.

tommy: But for me, the masters just has to be, because I spent that time with my dad. So yeah, it's been a really good pod.

james: Anyone listening? Let us all know what your 1, 2, 3, and four are

tommy: like James said, let us know and we will check in with you next time. Fantastic.

Thanks boys.
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