Achieving three major championships before your 30th birthday? That’s the kind of accomplishment that puts you in golf’s most exclusive company. This rare feat represents years of dedication, countless hours of practice, and the ability to perform under unimaginable pressure. However, when recognition comes around, even the most deserving champions sometimes get forgotten.

Scottie Scheffler dominated Royal Portrush last weekend. He claimed his fourth major championship with a commanding victory at The Open. Subsequently, Jack Nicklaus posted a congratulatory message celebrating this milestone. According to Nicklaus, Scheffler became “only the fourth player in history to capture three legs of the Grand Slam before the age of 30.” The Golden Bear listed himself, Gary Player, and Tiger Woods as the only predecessors.

This statement contained a glaring omission. Both Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth accomplished this identical feat. McIlroy won four majors by age 25, starting with the 2011 U.S. Open. Meanwhile, Spieth captured three majors by age 24, beginning with his 2015 Masters triumph. Both players dominated headlines during their breakthrough years. Furthermore, their accomplishments received widespread recognition throughout the golf world.

This oversight becomes particularly puzzling given the rarity of early major success. Modern golf presents unprecedented competitive depth. Equipment advancements have significantly leveled the playing field. Therefore, achieving three majors before 30 demands sustained excellence against increasingly talented fields.

McIlroy’s journey exemplifies this challenge perfectly. He dominated early but faced a decade-long major drought afterward. Eventually, he completed his career Grand Slam at the 2025 Masters. Similarly, Spieth’s early brilliance established impossibly high expectations. He continues pursuing his fourth major to complete the career Grand Slam.

However, recognition patterns sometimes miss deserving achievements. Players are occasionally overlooked despite their remarkable accomplishments. Recent PGA Tour player responses revealed similar oversights when discussing elite American athletes. This reflects broader trends within competitive sports recognition.

Scottie Scheffler’s Achievement Puts McIlroy and Spieth Recognition in Focus

Nicklaus has consistently praised modern players throughout his post-competitive career. He regularly acknowledges exceptional performances and milestone achievements. His praise for Rory McIlroy after the 2014 PGA Championship exemplifies this pattern, when he declared, “Rory is an unbelievable talent. I think Rory has an opportunity to win 15 or 20 majors or whatever he wants to do if he wants to keep playing.” Therefore, this particular omission likely represents an unintentional oversight rather than a deliberate snub.

Similarly, Nicklaus took to Twitter after Jordan Spieth’s 2017 British Open victory, sharing more than 350 complimentary words praising the performance as “a great display of guts, determination and skill.” His praise of Collin Morikawa‘s 2021 Open Championship victory continued this tradition. He posted on Twitter, “It looks like we’ve got a new kid on the block! What an impressive day of golf… He continues to play well, play better, and show he is here to stay.”

The Golden Bear has also spoken broadly about the current generation’s talent level, stating, “There’s a bunch of them, and there’s a bunch of really good ones,” and “I think we have more good players today than we’ve ever had in the game of golf.” This established pattern of recognition makes his omission of McIlroy and Spieth’s pre-30 major achievements particularly notable, suggesting an unintentional oversight rather than deliberate exclusion.