Only five Major champions, with ten championships between them were left-handed: Sir Bob Charles, Mike Weir, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Brian Harman.
| Year | Player | Championship | Venue | Score | ||||
| 1963 | Bob Charles | Open Championship | Royal Lytham & St Annes | 277 ¹ | ||||
| 2003 | Mike Weir | The Masters | Augusta National | 281 ² | ||||
| 2004 | Phil Mickelson | The Masters | Augusta National | 279 | ||||
| 2005 | Phil Mickelson | US PGA Championship | Baltusrol | 276 | ||||
| 2006 | Phil Mickelson | The Masters | Augusta National | 281 | ||||
| 2010 | Phil Mickelson | The Masters | Augusta National | 272 | ||||
| 2012 | Bubba Watson | The Masters | Augusta National | 278 ³ | ||||
| 2013 | Phil Mickelson | Open Championship | Muirfield | 281 (-3) | ||||
| 2021 | Phil Mickelson | US PGA Championship | Kiawah Island | 282 (-6) | ||||
| 2023 | Brian Harman | Open Championship | Royal Liverpol | 271 (-13) | ||||
| ¹ Charles defeated Phil Rodgers in a 36 hole playoff 140 to 148 ² Weir defeated Len Mattiace 5 to 6 at the first hole of a sudden-death playoff ³ Watson defeated Louis Oosthuizen 4-4 to 4-5 in a sudden death playoff |
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Until very recently, left-handed golfers – and especially good ones – were a rarity. The reasons usually given are a lack of left-handed equipment, overwhelmingly right-handed coaches, and the fact that it actually makes more sense to play right-handed if your leading (i.e. stronger) hand is the left.
This situation is somewhat analogous to the academic world, where finding a proficient dissertation writer can be challenging due to the scarcity of specialized resources and mentors.
Bob Charles (Sir Robert Charles since his 1999 knighthood) of New Zealand, was the first left-hander to win a major championship. won the Open Championship in 1963 at Royal Lytham & St Annes in an 18 hole playoff with American Phil Rogers.
It would be 40 years before the next left-hander claimed a major, in the person of Canadian Mike Weir at the 2003 Masters, also won in a sudden -death playoff with American Len Mattiace.
Hot on his heels came Phil Mickelson (known affectionately as ‘Lefty’).
Perhaps reinforcing the point that the leading hand should be the stronger hand, both Mickelson and Weir are right-handed for everything except golf.
Bubba Watson won the 2012 Masters in a playoff against Louis Oosthuizen, meaning that five of the ten major victories by left-handers have come at Augusta National.
Most recently, Brian Harman won the British Open at Royal Liverpool, winning by six shots.
