2026 Major Season Recap: Who Rose Above and Who Fell Flat?

Alright, so the 2026 major championship season is officially in the books. Ryan Fox, can you believe it? Rolled in a putt at Royal Birkdale like he’d been doing it his whole damn life to snag The Open. Just like that, the whole sprint is over. Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai, Wyndham Clark, and now Fox – those are the names that walked away with the big ones this year. But let’s be real, it wasn’t just about the trophies. There were some serious winners and some, well, let’s just say less-than-victorious performances out there. Time to break down who nailed it and who choked.

Rory’s Augusta Redemption: Back-to-Back Green Jackets? Hell Yes.

Everyone was buzzing about Rory McIlroy heading into Augusta. Could he finally shake that monkey off his back? Apparently, he decided to get rid of it and then some. He absolutely roared out to a massive six-shot lead. Then, naturally, he blew it all in a few holes on Saturday. Classic. But he rallied, like a true pro, and snagged his second straight green jacket. Fourth player ever to do that. Jack, Tiger, Faldo, and now Rory. That’s some serious company. He’s now tied with Phil, Faldo, and Trevino with six majors. Not bad for a guy who people were starting to write off.

After winning the Masters in ’25, the questions were all about how he’d handle the glow of another win. This time? Way smoother. He played less, but he was right there at the PGA. Could’ve taken that one too if his driver hadn’t gone rogue. Then he sent shockwaves at Shinnecock for the U.S. Open, tied for second at one point, before fading in the final stretch. But after a decade of major drought, back-to-back Masters? He’s got a real shot at eight, nine, maybe even ten majors if he stays healthy. That’s a story for the ages, folks.

Scottie Scheffler: The Reigning King of “Almost”

Okay, so World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Coming off a year where he won two majors, what happens in 2026? Zip. Nada. Zilch. Not one of the big four. A brutal Friday at the Masters saw him finish one shot behind Rory. His shot at the career Grand Slam at Shinnecock? Came up short. Birkdale? His putter went colder than a New York January. He looked like he was set to win at Aronimink after two rounds, hitting the ball better than anyone, understanding those diabolical greens. Then, poof. Gone. He just faded over the weekend in Philly. Now he’s gotta wait nine damn months for another shot at major number five.

Seriously, the guy gave himself legit chances to win THREE of the four majors. And he walked away with nothing. It was either a bad round, a shaky part of his game, or some other dude just playing lights out. He said after The Open, “I felt like I was doing the right things… gave myself a lot of looks… wasn’t my week.” And at the U.S. Open: “Felt like I hit a lot of good putts… just wasn’t able to kind of hole those… little things here and there.” Yeah, Scottie. Little things. For most guys, a 2-T14-T4-T4 record in majors would be a damn dream season. But for the undisputed best player in the world? It’s a binary lens: win or lose. And this year, it was a whole lot of losing.

Wyndham Clark: Proving He’s Not a One-Hit Wonder

Wyndham Clark. Already a major champ from ’23, but you wouldn’t have known it. Last year, the talk wasn’t about his U.S. Open win at LACC. It was about some ugly incidents. He was playing bad golf. Even LACC was chalked up as a fluke, a lightning-in-a-bottle week where Rory choked. But one major is different from two, right? And winning wire-to-wire at Shinnecock? That makes those two wins look a hell of a lot shinier. He got a great draw, jumped out to a huge lead, and then spent the weekend holding off Sam Burns and Scheffler. Oh, and he did it while silencing a Long Island crowd that was apparently giving him hell. Now he’s a two-time U.S. Open champ. That ties him with Rahm, Bryson, Xander, Morikawa, and JT. History’s full of guys who win one major and disappear. Winning a second? That puts you in a whole different league, whether you like it or not.

Bryson DeChambeau: A Major Season to Forget

Bryson DeChambeau. Two years of being in contention at majors, and what happens in 2026? Mostly, he was at home watching. He bailed on the 18th hole on Friday at Augusta. Never had a shot at Aronimink. Let the wheel go on Friday at Shinnecock and missed his first three cuts. Then, at The Open, he actually got into contention, only to get hit with a two-shot penalty for, get this, unintentionally improving his swing during his second round. He even threatened to quit the damn tournament before deciding to stick around. Limped to a T14 finish. And all this while he was freezing out the media after every round except the first at the Masters? With LIV Golf’s future looking shaky and his own uncertain heading into ’27, this wasn’t exactly a campaign that screamed confidence. His YouTube views might keep climbing, but a year like this at the majors isn’t doing much for his legacy.

Sam Burns: The Next Big Thing?

Before the 2025 U.S. Open, Sam Burns had one career top-10 in a major. Just a solid PGA Tour guy, pretty much invisible when it came to the big four. Then he was the 54-hole leader at Oakmont. Didn’t get it done, but something clicked. He played in the final group on Saturday at the Masters, finished T7. Then, at Shinnecock, he missed a putt by a hair to tie Clark and finished runner-up. Led The Open through 54 holes, but lost it on the front nine and just couldn’t make enough putts down the stretch to catch Fox, ending up third. That’s four top-10s in his last six majors. He hasn’t won yet, but everything points to Sam Burns breaking through soon. Ryan Fox even said, “His day is coming.” We’ll see.

Jon Rahm: Stuck in Major Limbo

After finishing T46 at The Open, Jon Rahm has now played 11 majors since his big move to LIV Golf. His results? T45-CUT-T7-T14-T8-T7-T34-T2-CUT-T46. Out of those four top-10s, only two – the 2025 and 2026 PGA Championships – saw him genuinely contend on the weekend. He made a furious charge at Scheffler at Quail Hollow, only to falter on the last three holes. Then he watched Aaron Rai storm past him at Aronimink for the Wanamaker Trophy. Rahm is still dominating LIV, no question. He’s still a top-five player in the world by any metric. But his major performance? It’s been below his elite standard for three years now. This major season? Another lost year. He’s still stuck on two career majors.

Aaron Rai & Ryan Fox: The Underdog Stories

Aaron Rai. Nobody saw him coming at Aronimink. He survived a chaotic Sunday, and when the dust settled, he was the last man standing. A career-defining win, and his peers were gushing about his work ethic and character. Rory even said, “You won’t find one person on property who won’t be happy for him.”

Then, two months later, 39-year-old Ryan Fox. Known for his quick pace and easy-going vibe. He went on a blistering weekend run at Royal Birkdale to win The Open. A good-guy champion, took up the game in high school, ground his way up through the tours. He was content with his path. Now? Everything’s different after Sunday. He said, “When I turned pro, I think the goal was just to get on a major tour… I don’t know what to think now… To be sitting in front of you guys now as the Champion Golfer of the Year is a bit crazy. It’s surreal.”

The 2020s have been dominated by the big names – Rory, Scottie, Bryson, Rahm, JT, Collin, Xander. But 2026 was a reminder that the underdog can still etch their names in history. You can find more about the current state of professional golf and major championships on the PGA Tour website .

Jordan Spieth & Tommy Fleetwood: Still Waiting for Major Glory

Jordan Spieth. Sitting next to the Aronimink clubhouse, he told me it was his best chance to win a major since the 2017 Open. He finished T18. Non-factor at the U.S. Open. Bombed out at Birkdale. It’s now nine years since his last major win. He keeps saying he’s close, that his game is the best it’s been since he hoisted the Claret Jug. But all we’re left with are memories of the old Jordan Spieth and hope that 2027 brings something different. It’s getting sad, man.

And Tommy Fleetwood. His quest to get off the “Best Players Not To Win A Major” list? Unsuccessful in 2026. He had a shot at his home Open over the weekend, but three straight bogeys on Sunday killed it. He got a dream ending at Royal Birkdale, just not the one he wanted. Maybe next year. Maybe.

The “Almost There” Club and Future Invites

While everyone’s playing for history, there’s another goal on Sunday for those not always in the major mix. At the Masters, the top 12 get invites back next year. Max Homa’s T9 and Jake Knapp’s T11 mean they’re heading back to Augusta in 2027. J.T. Poston (T4), Keith Mitchell (T4), Sam Stevens (T7), and Joaquin Niemann (T7) all earned their way to the 2027 U.S. Open with top 10s at Shinnecock. Lucas Herbert (T6) and Casey Jarvis (T6) have 2027 Open Championship tickets punched thanks to top 10s at Birkdale. It’s a nice consolation prize, I guess.

Justin Rose & Adam Scott: The Enduring Quest

Last year, we saw Justin Rose and Adam Scott fall short in their attempts to break out of the “one-major club.” Rose lost to McIlroy in a playoff at the Masters, and a tough Sunday doomed Scott at the U.S. Open. There was hope that 2026 would bring more chances, maybe even success. Rose had another shot at Augusta. Led with eight holes to go. Stumbled. McIlroy took his second straight green jacket. Rose then went T10-T11-CUT in the final three majors. Scott? He wasn’t really in the mix at any of the four. He played his 100th consecutive major at the U.S. Open, but that milestone was about it. Left him with conflicting emotions, trying to win one more before the sun sets. He said after a backdoor T9 at The Open, “I’d love to win one more.” We’ll have to wait nine months to see if that happens. It’s a long damn time.