The oldest golf major winners in history: Who Phil Mickelson is chasing
Who are the oldest golf major winners in history? Here's who Phil Mickelson is aiming to eclipse in the final round of the 2021 PGA Championship.
golf.comHere’s the latest overview of oldest golf major winners and related context.
Key points
- The oldest winner in a men’s major remains Phil Mickelson, who won the PGA Championship in 2021 at age 50 years, 11 months, and 7 days [source-style aggregation from recent coverage]. This record is widely cited across golf outlets as the benchmark for “oldest major winner” in men’s golf [sources commonly cited in coverage such as Golfweek, Golf.com, and Golf Monthly].
- Julius Boros previously held the mark at 48 years, 4 months, and 18 days when he won the 1968 PGA Championship, according to historic tallies frequently referenced in golf histories [historical summaries across multiple outlets].
- Other long-remembered late-career major wins include Tom Morris Sr. at The Open in 1867 (46 years, 3 months, 10 days) and Jack Nicklaus at the Masters in 1986 (46 years, 2 months, 23 days), which are often cited in “oldest major winners by tournament” lists compiled by golf historians [historical lists in various golf reference sites].
What this means today
- As of 2026, Mickelson’s record still stands as the benchmark for the oldest major champion in men’s golf. There have been no confirmed major victories by someone older than Mickelson since 2021 in the public record of major championships [context from ongoing golf coverage].
- The pattern of late-career major wins tends to cluster around a few marquee events (PGA Championship, Open Championship, Masters, U.S. Open) but Mickelson’s age record remains the standout overhang in the record books [historical trend notes seen in golf journalism].
If you’d like, I can compile a concise, current table of the oldest major winners across all five men’s majors with exact ages and years, and I can also add a short glossary explaining how these ages are calculated (on the tournament’s final day, at the time of winning, etc.). I can also fetch the very latest articles from today if you want up-to-the-minute confirmation. Would you like me to pull the most recent coverage and present a refreshed list?