- Jack Nicklaus holds the all-time record with 18 major championship victories.
- Byron Nelson won 11 consecutive times on the PGA Tour in 1945.
- Tiger Woods’ runaway victory at the 2000 U.S. Open will go unmatched.
Like every other sport, golf has records that will stand the test of time.
And while Tiger Woods tried to single-handedly rewrite the PGA Tour record book throughout his illustrious career, there are some feats that even he couldn’t accomplish.
Some of these marks have stood for decades, and it wouldn’t surprise me if these seven golf records were never broken.
What Golf Records Will Never Be Broken?
1. Jack Nicklaus’ 18 Major Championships
It’s always difficult to compare eras in sports, but there’s no denying “the Golden Bear” his status as one of the greatest golfers ever.
Nicklaus won a record 18 major championships across three decades, producing a level of sustained excellence that is proving difficult, even for Tiger Woods (15), to match.
Given Woods’ recent injury woes, Nicklaus believes his record will likely stand awhile longer. I tend to agree.
2. Byron Nelson’s 11 Consecutive PGA Tour Wins
If PGA Tour betting was a thing in 1945, picking a winner would’ve been easy.
Nelson established multiple records that year, including the most wins in a season (18) and the most consecutive victories (11).
Neither mark is likely to be touched anytime soon, but the latter seems especially impossible given the depth of talent on Tour today.
3. Largest Margin of Victory at a Major: 15 — Tiger Woods
Only six major championships in history have produced a double-digit margin of victory. Four occurred in the 19th century, and the other two belong to Tiger Woods.
Woods’ first major championship victory at the 1997 Masters, which he won by 12, fell one shy of Old Tom Morris’ 13-stroke victory at the 1862 Open Championship.
However, Woods would take down the 138-year-old record with a 15-shot victory at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
4. Wins Before Second Career Missed Cut as a Pro: 43 — Tiger Woods
This record honestly feels made up, but it’s not.
It also puts into perspective how dominant Woods was right away after turning pro in August 1996. He won twice that fall and four more times the following season before missing his first cut.
Starting in 1998, he embarked on a streak of 142 made cuts, finally missing the weekend at the 2005 Byron Nelson. That record isn’t likely to disappear anytime soon, but a player like Xander Schauffele (currently on 59) could rival it as the Tour schedules more small-field events.
No one is ever touching the win record.
5. Most PGA Tour Wins: 82 — Tiger Woods & Sam Snead
Speaking of wins, Tiger and Sam Snead currently share the record for most PGA Tour victories with 82.
The current active leader on the PGA Tour is Rory McIlroy, who claimed his 28th career victory at the Players Championship in March.
The only way this record gets rewritten is if Woods pens another comeback story and passes Snead to stand alone.
6. Oldest Major Championship Winner: 50 — Phil Mickelson
Broadcaster Jim Nantz perfectly punctuated the historical significance of Mickelson’s 2021 PGA Championship victory with the line: “Phil defeats Father Time.”
At 50 years, 11 months, and 7 days, the sweet-swinging lefty overcame 200-1 golf betting odds to pull off one of the most impressive achievements in the sport, holding off Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen to collect his sixth major championship — the first ever won by a 50-year-old.
Mickelson was two and a half years clear of Julius Boros, who had held the record after claiming the 1968 PGA Championship at 48.
7. Most Weeks as No. 1 Player in the World: 683 — Tiger Woods
Woods spent over 13 years at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking during his career, including multiple spells of 200-plus consecutive weeks at No. 1.
To put that in perspective, current World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has been there for 95 consecutive weeks and is approaching 130 in total.
