Things Always Go Awry at Certain Tournaments

62 Wins for Palmer, Yet No PGA Championship Title
45 Wins for Mickelson, Six Times Runner-Up at the US Open
Inbee Park Needed 20 Attempts for Her First KLPGA Tour Victory

There is a commonality between world No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Park Minji: both players are exceptionally strong at certain tournaments. McIlroy successfully defended his title at the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage, which began on the 5th (local time), and has consistently finished in the top 10 at this event. Similarly, Park Minji delivered an outstanding performance at this week's KLPGA Tour Celltrion Queens Masters, claiming the title for the fourth consecutive year since 2021.

On the other hand, unlike McIlroy or Park Minji, some players consistently struggle at specific tournaments. This is often referred to as a "tournament jinx." Arnold Palmer of the United States won 62 times on the PGA Tour, but never managed to win the PGA Championship, a major tournament. He competed in the event 37 times but never claimed victory, ultimately failing to achieve a career Grand Slam by winning all four majors.

Phil Mickelson has not been able to collect the US Open championship trophy, thus failing to achieve a career Grand Slam. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Sam Snead of the United States, who shares the record for most PGA Tour wins (82) with "golf emperor" Tiger Woods, is a similar case. Snead never won the US Open. In contrast, Jack Nicklaus, also of the United States, is a "living legend" with 73 career victories, including 18 majors. He completed the career Grand Slam in 1966, but never won the Canadian Open, where McIlroy has demonstrated particular strength.

"The Great White Shark" Greg Norman of Australia is a representative example of a player who fell short at major championships. He accumulated a total of 94 wins worldwide, including 20 on the PGA Tour and others in Europe, Australia, and Japan, establishing himself as one of the era's top stars. However, in majors, he only managed two wins at The Open. He was especially unlucky at the Masters. From 1981 to 2002, he played in the tournament for 22 consecutive years without a win, finishing runner-up three times in 1986, 1987, and 1996. In 1996, he started the final round with a six-shot lead but collapsed with a six-over-par score.

Phil Mickelson of the United States is another example of misfortune. He has 45 career wins, including six majors, but never won the US Open, thus failing to achieve a career Grand Slam. He was runner-up six times, in 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2013. Lee Westwood, representing England, also has 44 professional wins but has never claimed a major title.

Inbee Park struggled without a title in domestic tournaments but succeeded on her 20th attempt in 19 matches at the 2018 Doosan Match Play. Photo by KLPGA

Meanwhile, Inbee Park, who won gold medals at all four major championships as well as the Rio Olympics, struggled to secure a victory on the KLPGA Tour. She played in 19 domestic tournaments by 2017 but was unable to win. Fortunately, in the final of the 2018 Doosan Match Play, she defeated Kim Arim to finally claim a domestic title and break her winless streak in Korean tournaments.