Winning back-to-back major championships is one of the toughest feats in golf. Since 2000, only five men have done it—and nobody has managed the trick since 2015. Rory McIlroy has a golden chance to change that at the 2026 PGA Championship. After successfully defending his Masters title last month, the Northern Irishman will step onto the tee at Aronimink as a heavy favorite. If he lifts the Wanamaker Trophy again, he'll become the first player in over a decade to claim consecutive majors.
McIlroy knows the feeling well. Back in 2014, he captured the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, then followed it up with his second PGA Championship victory at Valhalla just weeks later. That electric summer put him in elite company—a club that includes some of the greatest names in the modern game.
Jordan Spieth was the last to achieve the feat, storming through 2015 with a record-breaking Masters win and then grinding out the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay after Dustin Johnson's infamous three-putt on the 18th green. A few years earlier, Padraig Harrington paved the way for McIlroy, winning the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale in 2008 before claiming the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.
And then there's Tiger Woods. The Big Cat appears on this list multiple times. His legendary 2000-01 run saw him win four straight major championships—the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA—a feat that may never be repeated. He did it again in 2002, winning the Masters and U.S. Open, and once more in 2006, taking the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool before capturing the PGA at Medinah.
Phil Mickelson also made the list, securing back-to-back majors by winning the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol and then slipping into his second green jacket at the 2006 Masters.
For golf fans, consecutive major wins represent the ultimate test of consistency under pressure. As McIlroy prepares for his shot at history, we're reminded just how rare—and special—that achievement truly is.
