The 2025 golf major season unfurled as a testament to every kind of greatness. Rory McIlroy, dogged by over a decade of heartbreak, finally slipped into the Green Jacket at Augusta, exorcising demons 14 years in the making. At Pinehurst, J.J. Spaun put on a US Open clinic, transforming quiet confidence into a star-making, razor-sharp victory. Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile, rubber-stamped his status as the finest golfer on the planet as he swept both the PGA and Open Championships to re-establish his place at golf’s summit.
Even though the major season has now drawn to a close, there is still plenty to look forward to throughout the rest of the year. The headliner is without question the Ryder Cup, a tournament that online golf betting sites are already salivating at the prospect of.
The Europe vs USA showdown has already been priced up by online golf betting sites, and they make the Americans a 4/5 favorite to retain their crown, with the Europeans out at 6/4.
And yet, for all the spectacle of surging youth in recent times, the modern era of men’s golf has delivered plenty of moments where wily veterans roll back the years and upset the odds. Let’s take a look at the oldest players to claim a major title since the turn of the millennium, and the performance they put on to steal the show one last time.
Phil Mickelson – 50 years, 11 months
When Phil Mickelson teed it up on the wind-lashed Ocean Course to contest the 2021 PGA Championship, the numbers offered little hope: zero majors in eight years, a world ranking outside the top 100, and, at 50 years, 11 months, an age that in golf often marks admiring retirements, not new chapters. But nobody scripted what happened next.
Mickelson attacked Kiawah’s brutal stretches with absolute conviction. He averaged 305.3 yards off the tee, outdriving younger stars like Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen. His scrambling—saving par on 73% of missed greens—was among the best in the field. Under relentless pressure on Sunday, Mickelson nearly lost the lead on the front nine, only to respond with two brilliant birdies at 10 and 16, the latter capped by the unforgettable image of swarming fans cresting the fairway.
The final tally: Mickelson closed with a 73 for a two-shot victory, claiming a sixth major and smashing Julius Boros’s all-time age record by more than two years. This was no nostalgia trip, but a masterclass from an all-time great.
Tiger Woods – 43 years, 3 months
One Sunday in April 2019, Augusta didn’t just tremble—it thundered, as Tiger Woods delivered what might be the ultimate resurrection in sports. After a decade of public pain—four back surgeries, personal struggles, and 11 years since his last major—Woods, at 43 years, 3 months, didn’t just compete; he conquered at the Masters.
The post-tournament breakdown revealed Woods’ tactical edge: a driving accuracy of 71.4%, and, perhaps more crucially, a calm that infected his play as younger leaders faltered. On Sunday’s back nine, the famed “Tiger Roar” arrived as he birdied 13, 15, and 16, methodically dismantling Francesco Molinari and company. He needed only a bogey to capture his 15th major, clutching his son in an emotional coda that echoed his famous 1997 win.
Darren Clarke – 42 years, 11 months
Darren Clarke’s emotional Open Championship win didn’t just break his major duck—it ignited a wave of joy through golf’s tightest-knit fraternity. Approaching 43, Clarke entered as a 200-1 outsider, a nearly man with over 50 major starts and more rain delays than playoff successes.
But Clarke’s arsenal—laser-precise ball striking, unmatched links savvy, and veteran patience—gave him a rare advantage over the field. He hit 71% of fairways and 70% of greens in regulation, minimizing damage when swirling English winds punished the careless. While rivals wilted, Clarke posted just three bogeys in his last 27 holes. He grasped victory by three strokes, his closing stretch a study in measured aggression and steely resolve.
No win resonated more with the golf public that decade: Clarke, cigar in hand, hoisting the Claret Jug, was the embodiment of perseverance finally paid off—a celebration for every late bloomer who dares to persist.
Ernie Els – 42 years, 7 months
Ernie Els’ second Claret Jug is the stuff of sporting fable, its dramatic arc made all the sharper by the numbers. At 42 years, 7 months, and after a winless major stretch spanning an entire presidency, Els roared back.
Trailing for much of Sunday, The Big Easy delivered under maximum pressure. His back nine consisted of four birdies, culminating in a 15-foot stunner at the 18th, just as Adam Scott collapsed with four closing bogeys. Els’ 68 to Scott’s 75 was a turnaround for the ages. What made it even more remarkable? Els had ranked outside the top 65 in strokes gained putting that season. His putter caught fire when he needed it most—a testament to the long view, the ability to draw on decades of facing down adversity.
With four majors now to his name, Els didn’t just restore his place in golf’s elite; he proved that resilience, as much as talent, is a champion’s greatest club.
