2026 cumulative leaderboard highlights Sam Burns, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler

Another major tournament season has come and gone, and unlike last year, all four majors were won by different players. Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai, Wyndham Clark and Ryan Fox may not have been the four expected at the beginning of the season, but they are the men who managed to write their names in the history books at the end of the year.

As an added bonus, Rai wins what might also be called the Rory McIlroy Award as the DP World Tour member with the most Race to Dubai points across all four majors. He didn’t take out Fox, who almost caught him at the finish line with his win at the Open Championship. (McIlroy is not eligible to win his award in this case.)

The massively stacked leaderboard is a fun topic of conversation once the final tournament is over, and the 2026 version is no exception. Of the hundreds of players who participated in the majors this year, only 14 can claim to have won four times, winning on the weekend and thus playing in all 16 major rounds.

That’s one parameter needed to get your name on the stacked leaderboard, which includes two Americans who share the top spot: Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler.

Golf is strange in this way, where consistency is often rewarded like making it through the roof. Burns and Scheffler were both under 20 in all the majors, not hitting a single in either event. Meanwhile, Xander Schauffele, who has finished in the top 20 in all four tournaments, was 13 under for third place.

McIlroy rounds out the quartet at the top as his big season has largely been forgotten over the past two months after his win at the Masters and a run at the PGA Championship. Also standing out on the leaderboard are Cameron Young with his two runner-up finishes and Chris Gotterup, who ended his big season as he started it, even at a high level.

Stackable leaderboard (category related)

The stroke-achieved leaderboard, courtesy of friend Rick Gehman, paints a slightly different picture. It rewards the golf swing a bit. Winning a major tournament requires gaining somewhere around 14 strokes on the field and that gives you a huge edge, not just that week but throughout the year in this career.

The top three remain tied on the points leaderboard, but Young overtook McIlroy thanks to his performances at the Masters and The Open. Of those who have gained north of 30 strokes to the field in these four tournaments, only McIlroy has won a major tournament.

Players who didn’t do their best to make an appearance include Justin Rose, who finished three-for-15 before missing The Open, and Tommy Fleetwood. Patrick Reed is also a name on the list, as are the three remaining major league winners from 2026.

During that time, no player who was above par on the cumulative leaderboard reached the top 14 on the strokes gained leaderboard. Thomas is ranked highest at No. 17 behind Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton.

Cumulative leaderboard (strokes earned)