Major rewind produces compelling takeaways - RAW CHILI

Ryan Fox, shown holding the Claret Jug after his Open Championship victory, is one of an eclectic foursome of 2026 major championship winners. Kyodo News via Getty Images

Considering the fascination with sports betting these days, what might have been the odds in early April that the four major champions this year would be Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai, Wyndham Clark and Ryan Fox?

The quartet is not as random as the 2003 group that included Mike Weir, Jim Furyk, Ben Curtis and Shaun Micheel, but it is an eclectic collection that suggests it was a good year for the majors because of the diversity of winners.

The majors, because of what they are, give us more than just the golf. They become character studies, a feeding frenzy for architecture aficionados and enduring chapters in the game’s larger story.

There was the added bonus this year of sometimes boorish crowd behavior, the introduction of codes of conduct, the collective absence of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, a handful of thrown clubs and the unrequited flirtations of Sam Burns and Cameron Young with their first major victories along with Scottie Scheffler’s perpetual presence.

While it may not rival 2015, when Jordan Spieth made winning the Grand Slam seem possible, or 1972, when Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Gary Player collected the four major trophies, this year’s results served as a reaffirmation (McIlroy’s second consecutive Masters victory), a rebirth of sorts (Clark restoring his game and his image) and a proper introduction to two players (Rai and Fox) who took their careers to the next level.

After all those years of coming up short at Augusta, McIlroy’s second Masters victory further cemented his place in the game’s all-time hierarchy while feeling different from his first win there. That was probably inevitable, given the years of drama and the turbulent conclusion in 2025 that sent him to his knees.

This year had its own drama – he led by six after 36 holes and let his entire lead slip away on Saturday – but the accompanying angst and elation was slightly muted from the previous year. That doesn’t diminish the achievement – the conversation about McIlroy becoming the first to win three green jackets in succession will begin shortly – but added context to the enormity of his career Grand Slam-securing victory in ’25.

The postscript to McIlroy’s second Augusta victory has a familiar feel to last year in that he has not found that high point again this season. He was on the edge of contention at the PGA Championship at Aronimink but didn’t factor into the story in the final two majors.

Rory McIlory (left), Aaron Rai and Wyndham Clark round out the year’s eclectic major championship group.

His acknowledgement last week that his interest in playing the PGA Tour full time has begun to wane wasn’t surprising. He’s likely to play no more than 10 tour events in the U.S. next year including the majors, though that probably doesn’t excite the changemakers at the PGA Tour.

At 37 and with his base now established London, McIlroy has reached the point where he can recalibrate his schedule. He will probably play more international events, something he’s talked about through the years, but being a regular presence on the PGA Tour no longer seems to be his priority.

Contrast that with where Clark, Rai and Fox are in their careers.

Clark had not become a pariah but he embarked on a necessary reclamation project that culminated with his victory at Shinnecock Hills in the U.S. Open. Comeback stories are inherently appealing and Clark’s was filtered through the lens of his own transgressions.

He faced the double dilemma of reviving a game that had bottomed out and repairing an image sullied by multiple temper tantrums. Achieving one is hard enough. Doing both is rare.

Clark may never be warm and fuzzy like Tommy Fleetwood, but the way he was treated by some fans on Long Island made him a sympathetic character, especially given how he handled it. While it was not like the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, the weekend at Shinnecock heightened the focus on fan behavior, an unfortunate byproduct of the times that needs more attention going forward.

In its own way, the USGA faced its own image challenges at Shinnecock and aced the test, getting the setup just right on a rugged course by leaning into a more conservative approach rather than playing around the edges.

Rai and Fox have contrasting styles – Rai is a deliberate micromanager on the course and Fox is a fast-twitch athlete who combines power with touch – and both have spent their careers largely off-camera.

Aronimink and Royal Birkdale provided different tests and both delivered despite the oversized impact of technology on the game, which has been fundamentally altered by the distances players now drive the ball. At its highest level, the game would benefit by rolling back driving distances by 10 percent but that’s unlikely to ever happen.

Aronimink stood up by virtue of its heavily contoured greens and Royal Birkdale survived despite its rough being baked out because it got just enough wind each afternoon to offset an otherwise benign setup that surrendered three 62s.

In both cases, their victories helped reveal the respect their peers have for them and while both may be one-hit major championship wonders, the way they finished their respective victories will continue to sparkle over time.

Rai played his final 10 holes in 6-under par while Fox birdied four of his last six holes, including a Disney-quality closing birdie on the 72nd hole.

And now, Rory McIlroy and the 2027 Masters are on the clock.