LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman tops list of greatest 2-time major winners all-time

Since the first British Open Championship was held at Prestwick in 1860, 232 men have won a major.

Of that exclusive group, 42 players have won exactly two major championships, and the list of players who have won is quite impressive.

That will include Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, the best players of the 2024 calendar year. Of course, Scheffler also won at Augusta National in April, earning him his second green jacket. Meanwhile, Schauffele fended off Bryson DeChambeau at Valhalla and overcame wind, rain and a Scottish summer at Royal Troon to play a spectacular final 36 holes to be crowned champion of the year.

So Playing Through decided to rank the top five players who won exactly two majors during their careers. However, within these rankings, majors since 1945 have changed significantly since Willie Park Sr. won the British Open in 1860 and are different from before World War II. I decided to rank the top two-time winners. .

Unfortunately, here are the top five players of all time to win exactly two major titles.

5. Dustin Johnson (2016-2020)

One of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour throughout the 2010s, Dustin Johnson won the U.S. Open title at Oakmont in 2016 and the Masters in the fall of 2020.

Johnson won by three points at Oakmont, breaking the scoring record at Augusta National during the rescheduled tournament. He won the Masters by five strokes at 20 under par. Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth both posted 18-under scores in 1997 and 2015, respectively.

During his career, Johnson had 21 top-10 finishes in the majors, but missed just 10.

Still, there's a good chance he has bigger titles on his resume.

At the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Johnson held a one-shot lead on the 72nd hole. He pushed his drive to the right of the fairway and landed in one of the waste bunkers that line the Channel Course.

Johnson didn't realize it was a sand trap and grounded his club, resulting in a two-stroke penalty after the round. A bogey on this hole would have put him in a playoff with Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson, but a penalty resulted in a triple bogey and he fell back to a tie for fifth place.

And at the 2015 U.S. Open, Johnson trailed Jordan Spieth by one stroke as he arrived at the par-5 18th at Chambers Bay. He hit a long iron 12 feet from the hole, giving himself a golden chance for eagle and victory. But he made a shocking three-putt to give Spieth his second consecutive major title.

4. Ben Crenshaw (1984-1995)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest putters of all time, Ben Crenshaw's major titles came exclusively at Augusta National.

In 1984, Crenshaw advanced to the final round by two points over Tom Kite. But the Texas Longhorn bounced back and won on Sunday, shooting a 4-under 68 and winning his first green jacket with a two-stroke lead over Tom Watson.

Crenshaw could have won more majors throughout the 1980s, as he had 13 top-10 finishes in majors throughout the 1980s. He scored 26 points in his career.

He also lost in a playoff to David Graham at the 1979 PGA Championship in Oakland Hills, Michigan.

But his second victory at Augusta didn't come until 1995, a week after he lost his mentor, Harvey Pennick. Crenshaw arrived at Augusta National devastated by the death of his best friend and understandably upbeat.

Still, by the power of God, Crenshaw had the best week of his career, and the golf gods were on his side. He never made a three-putt before heading to his second green jacket.

Photo by J. David Eyck/Getty Images

3. Bernhard Langer (1985-1993)

Bernhard Langer, the first German to win a major, won two majors at the Masters, just like Crenshaw.

In 1985, Langer finished two strokes ahead of fellow legends Seve Ballesteros, Raymond Floyd and Curtis Strange. Eight years later, Langer won by four strokes over Chip Beck.

But his career goes far beyond his two wins at Augusta National. He was a perennial Ryder Cup star for Team Europe, often working as a thorn in the American side.

Langer was also the top-ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings when he debuted in 1986.

Additionally, Langer is one of five athletes to have won professional events on five continents. He has the second-most wins of all time on the European Tour and more wins than anyone on the PGA Tour Champions.

He finished in the top 10 in majors 19 times, including two at the Open Championship in 1981 and 1984, the latter of which is considered one of the all-time greats. .

Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images

The 66-year-old German has won 12 majors on the Champions Tour and has aged like fine wine. This is three more than Gary Player and four more than Jack Nicklaus.

2. Johnny Miller (1973-1976)

Golf fans today remember Johnny Miller, the longtime analyst for NBC Sports. Since Miller retired in 2018, Paul Azinger has served as lead color commentator. However, Azinger left NBC in the fall of 2024, and the network replaced him with a rotating cast that included Brad Faxon, Kevin Kisner, Kurt Byram, Paul McGinley, Brandel Chamblee, and Luke Donald.

Sadly, Miller's playing days were more impressive than his time behind the microphone — which is quite a compliment considering he's widely regarded as one of the greatest golf announcers of all time. is. But he's also one of the best ball strikers of all time.

He won the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont with the best final round in history. That Sunday, he shot an 8-under 63, passing local favorite Arnold Palmer and the game's top player Jack Nicklaus in the process. Miller hit every green within regulation, an out-of-this-world feat considering Oakmont's difficulty level.

Miller then won the 1976 British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale by six strokes over Ballesteros and Nicklaus. He trailed by two strokes heading into the final round, but shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday to overtake the 19-year-old Ballesteros.

Overall, Miller recorded 17 top-10 finishes in major tournaments, with his most recent top-10 finish coming in 1985. He placed 8th at the US Open held at Oakland Hills.

Getty Images

1. Greg Norman (1986-1993)

Simply put, Greg Norman is one of the best players the game has ever seen.

During his career, Norman spent a total of 331 weeks at the top of the Official World Golf Rankings, which is second all-time behind Tiger Woods. Incredibly, third place goes to the aforementioned Dustin Johnson with 139 points.

He has 88 wins as a professional, including two wins at the British Open Championship.

However, he had eight runner-up finishes in majors, including many close finishes. “The Shark” has finished in the top 10 at the majors 30 times, a pretty impressive feat.

As a result, Norman is best remembered for appearing at the last minute.

At the 1987 Masters, Australians watched as Larry Mize chipped in on the second playoff hole, the famous par-4 11th, to claim the green jacket.

Then, in 1989, Norman missed the playoffs by one stroke at Augusta National and a few months later lost in a playoff at the British Open Championship to Mark Carcaveccia.

Seven years later, in 1996, Norman experienced the biggest heartbreak of his life.

He held a six-stroke lead heading into the final round at Augusta National, but on that fateful Sunday he shot a six-over 78 and lost to Nick Faldo by five strokes.

Nevertheless, Norman dominated the sport in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The 2001 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee has won the Byron Nelson Award five times, the Arnold Palmer Award three times, and the Verdon Trophy for lowest adjusted average score three times.

His presence is still felt today, primarily through LIV Golf, where he serves as commissioner.

Photo by Jason Butler/Getty Images

Honorable Mention (in no particular order):

Angel Cabrera (2007-2009)

Retief Goossen (2001-2004)

Jon Rahm (2021-2023)

Scotty Scheffler (2022-2024)

Xander Schauffele (2024)

Curtis Strange (1988-1989)

Fuzzy Zoller (1979-1984)

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.