It will not surprise golf fans to know that Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods were the first two players to finish in the top five in all four of the events currently recognised as majors in one calendar year.
Jack Nicklaus first achieved the feat in 1971, before replicating it two years later. In both years, he won the PGA Championship
Incredibly, Nicklaus finished outside of the top 10 in majors on just five occasions during the 1970s.
Tiger Woods also managed it twice. The 2000 season saw him win three majors and finish fifth at The Masters. Meanwhile, his worst finish in a major in 2005 was tied for fourth at the PGA Championship.
The third player on the list not only failed to win a major in the year they joined the very exclusive club, but they have not actually lifted any of the sport’s four biggest titles across their entire career.
The only player to finish in the top five in all four majors in one year without ever winning one
The 2014 season proved to be a significant one in the career of Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman won both The Open Championship and the PGA Championship to double his major tally. It also meant that he was just a Masters victory away from completing the Career Grand Slam.
It was Bubba Watson who triumphed at Augusta National for a second time – with Jordan Spieth finishing second. Meanwhile, Martin Kaymer produced a masterclass to win the US Open at Pinehurst.
For Rickie Fowler, the season appeared to be confirmation that his maiden major win was just around the corner.
Fowler had actually only registered two top 10s in the 16 majors he had played before 2014.
His fifth place finish at The Masters proved to be his worst result in the majors all year. He was the runner-up at both the US Open and The Open Championship.
His run concluded with a third place finish at the PGA Championship. Fowler was 15 under par through 10 holes of the final round – one shot off the eventual winning score – but ended up playing the final eight holes in one over par to end up two back of McIlroy at Valhalla.
Admittedly, Fowler was a distant second at Pinehurst, with Kaymer winning by eight. Meanwhile, McIlroy was six shots clear with one round to play at Royal Liverpool.
Nevertheless, it was no surprise that Fowler took plenty of positives from his year after the final round at the PGA Championship.
“It was definitely emotional as soon as I finished up as far as I really felt like I could win today and to come up a bit short and obviously not to make birdie on the last at least, obviously I wanted to make three there, but disappointed right now,” he said in Kentucky.
“But like I said, once I will be able to look back at all four majors and it’s something definitely to be proud of.”
Rickie Fowler has had numerous highs and lows since his brilliant 2014 season
The biggest win of Fowler’s career followed the next year. He produced an incredible finish at TPC Sawgrass – playing the final five holes in six under par – to make a playoff and then win The Players Championship.
He would also win a FedEx Cup playoff event later in the year at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Unfortunately, success in the majors continues to elude the 36-year-old.
He finished second to Patrick Reed at the 2018 Masters. However, he has struggled to put himself in contention since, with his best opportunity coming at the 2023 US Open when he was at least tied for the lead after the first three rounds.
A 75 on Sunday saw Fowler finish five shots behind Wyndham Clark in Los Angeles.
Fowler’s victory at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic had the potential to be a turning point in his career. He had previously gone four years without winning on the PGA Tour.
Perhaps he will not have another year like 2014 ever again. But doing anything that only Nicklaus and Woods have managed previously shows beyond any doubt that Fowler is a world-class performer on his day.
His best days may possibly be behind him now. However, that does not mean that Fowler’s hopes of finally winning a major have been dashed by any means.