The 2019 PGA Championship was the Brooks Koepka show and the American bomber held a seven-shot lead going into the final day. A PGA Championship record, but is it the largest 54-hole lead in a major?
In short, no.
So what is the largest 54-hole lead in a major championship?
The largest 54-hole lead in a major is 10 strokes and has been achieved by two players…
Henry Cotton (1934 Open Championship, Royal St. George’s)
The Englishman won the first of his three majors in 1934, despite his 10-shot lead being cut in half on the final day on the Kent coast.
Tiger Woods (2000 US Open, Pebble Beach)
What a way to win your national Open for the first time. Woods, now a 15-time major champion, refused to rest on his laurels on the final day and went on to triumph by a ridiculous, and record, 15 shots.
Who’s next?
Well, it’s that man again. There are two players on nine strokes…
Tiger Woods (1997 Masters, Augusta National)
You might remember this one…
Tiger’s got his major tally off the mark at the Masters in 1997, where he led by nine before teeing it up in his final round. He ended it 12 clear – and all this having played the first nine holes of the opening round in 40 shots.
Rory McIlroy (2011 US Open, Congressional)
A striking similarity between Rory’s first major win and Tiger’s.
The Northern Irishman is only chasing the Masters to compete the Grand Slam and this was the beginning of his major glory. His maiden major winning margin wasn’t quite as emphatic as Tiger’s but he did beat runner-up Jason Day by eight.
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