The best golfers without a major after Xander Schauffele wins his first

Xander Schauffele has finally gotten over the hump.

The 30-year-old American won the 2024 PGA Championship on Sunday, giving him that elusive first major title.

Schauffele enjoyed a record-setting week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. He opened the major tournament with the lowest single-round score in tournament history at 9-under 62, and he beat second-place Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke thanks to the lowest overall score in major tournament history at 21-under.

Schauffele had previously flirted with a major championship triumph a few times. He tied for second at both the 2018 Open Championship and 2019 Masters. He recorded several high finishes on the PGA Championship leaderboard as well, placing tied for third (2019), fifth (2021), tied for fifth (2017) and tied for sixth (2018).

Schauffele was arguably the best active golfer without a major under his belt. But now that he has one, who are the top players still in search of that first major title? Here's what to know:

What are the four major golf tournaments?

The are four major golf tournaments held each year: the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship.

In 2024, Scottie Scheffler claimed the green jacket at the Masters while Schauffele took home the Wanamaker Trophy from the PGA Championship.

Is the Players Championship a major?

While the Players Championship features a massive purse, it isn't a major tournament.

Who are the best golfers to never win a major?

Here's a look at some of the top active golfers without a major title and how close each has come to winning one:

Patrick Cantlay: The 2021 FedEx Cup Champion boasts eight PGA Tour wins, but he's still looking for his first major victory. Cantlay, 32, had his best finish in a major at the 2019 PGA Championship, where he tied for third.

Tony Finau: Finau, 34, has placed high on the leaderboard in each of the four majors. A six-time winner on the Tour, Finau finished third at the 2019 Open Championship, tied for fourth at the 2020 PGA Championship, finished fifth at the 2018 U.S. Open and tied for fifth at the 2019 Masters.

Tommy Fleetwood: The 33-year-old Englishman is a two-time major runner-up, finishing second at the 2018 U.S. Open, where he lost to Brooks Koepka by one stroke, and the 2019 Open Championship. Fleetwood, a seven-time winner on the DP World Tour, has a combined five other finishes in the top five, including ties.

Rickie Fowler: Fowler was in the mix at all four majors back in 2014, tying for second at the U.S. and Open Championship, tying for third at the PGA Championship and tying for fifth at the Masters. The closest he came to a major, however, was at the 2018 Masters, where he lost out on the green jacket to Patrick Reed by one stroke. The 35-year-old has six PGA Tour victories.

Max Homa: Homa, a six-time winner on the Tour, recorded his best finish in a major earlier this year. The 33-year-old tied for third at the Masters, besting his 2023 Open Championship showing where he tied for 10th.

Viktor Hovland: Another former Fed ExCup winner, Hovland came up just short at the PGA Championship for a second straight year. After tying for second at the 2023 tournament, the 26-year-old Norwegian came in third this year. Hovland, who has six Tour victories, tied for fourth at the 2022 Open Championship as well.

Lee Westwood: A 25-time winner on the DP World Tour, Westwood has placed second or third in a major tournament, including ties, a combined nine times. But the 51-year-old Englishman has not appeared in a major since joining LIV Golf in 2022. He resigned his DP World Tour membership in 2023.

Will Zalatoris: The 27-year-old may only have one Tour victory, but he's come very close to multiple major titles. Zalatoris lost the 2022 PGA Championship to Justin Thomas in a playoff before tying for second in the U.S. Open later that year. The 2022 U.S. Open marked the second time Zalatoris lost a major by one stroke after doing so at the 2021 Masters to Hideki Matsuyama.

Which golfers have won the most majors?

Jack Nicklaus owns the most major championships of all time with 18. He won the Masters a record six times, the PGA Championship a record-tying five times, the U.S. Open a record-tying four times and the Open Championship three times.

Tiger Woods sits behind Nicklaus with 15 major championships, while Walter Hagen is the only other golfer with double-digit major titles at 11. Ben Hogan and Gary Player each won nine majors.

When is the next golf major in 2024?

Next on the 2024 calendar is the U.S. Open, which is scheduled for June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina.