Of golf’s four major championships, the U.S. Open may be the most difficult to win. Having to play an extra 19 holes on a bum knee, as Tiger Woods did in outlasting Rocco Mediate to win the 2008 Open, only adds to the challenge.

Spring weather can be a challenge at The Masters, conditions at the British Open vary wildly, and the PGA Championship often is an endurance contest in the dog days of summer. But the U.S. Open is a grind, as the United States Golf Association combines thick rough and lightning-fast greens to create a demolition derby in which even par is almost always a contending score.

For your weekend hacker, that makes The Open a bit of a guilty pleasure, as the world’s greatest players are brought to their knees by the course and the pressure to avoid the one big mistake that can take them out of the running. That often produces an unexpected winner, the long shot who conjures up just enough magic for 72 (or more) holes.

Who has done the best job of handling it all?

Your Open champions, of course. The list includes:

2009 – Lucas Glover

2008 – Tiger Woods – p

2007 – Angel Cabrera

2006 - Geoff Ogilvy

2005 – Michael Campbell

2004 – Retief Goosen

2003 – Jim Furyk

2002 – Tiger Woods

2001 – Retief Goosen

2000 – Tiger Woods

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Tiger Woods’ dramatic playoff victory over Rocco Mediate in 2008 gave Woods his third Open title. This year, at Bethpage Black, Woods is bidding to become just the fifth golfer to win the Open four times.

How difficult is this? Here’s a list of the players who have come away with the trophy at least twice since the first Open was played back in 1895:

4 — Willie Anderson (1901, 1903, 1904, 1905)
4 — a-Robert T. Jones Jr. (1923, 1926, 1929, 1930)
4 — Ben Hogan (1948, 1950, 1951, 1953)
4 — Jack Nicklaus (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980)
3 — Hale Irwin (1974, 1979, 1990)
3 — Tiger Woods (2000, 2002, 2008)
2 — Alex Smith (1906, 1910)
2 — John J. McDermott (1911, 1912)
2 — Walter Hagen (1914, 1919)
2 — Gene Sarazen (1922, 1932)
2 — Ralph Guldahl (1937, 1938)
2 — Cary Middlecoff (1949, 1956)
2 — Julius Boros (1952, 1963)
2 — Billy Casper (1959, 1966)
2 — Lee Trevino (1969, 1971)
2 — Andy North (1978, 1985)
2 — Curtis Strange (1988, 1989)
2 — Ernie Els (1994, 1997)
2 — Lee Janzen (1993, 1998)
2 — Payne Stewart (1991, 1999)
2 — Retief Goosen (2001, 2004)

a – amateur

Source: usga.usopen.com

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For an elite crew, however, the golf season is all about four weekends, those when the best of the best convene to determine the major championships: The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA.

On the all-time list of major champions, the legendary Jack Nicklaus leads with a total of 18 “major” wins. That standard was considered all but unassailable until Tiger Woods came along. Woods clinched his third U.S. Open and 14th major overall in June, and many now assume it is simply a matter of time before Woods overtakes Nicklaus.

Curious who else has fared best in golf’s ultimate tests? Here’s the list of the players with the most victories in the four majors, including how many times they won each:

Jack Nicklaus — 18: Masters (6), U.S. Open (4), British Open (3), PGA (5).

Tiger Woods — 14: Masters (4), U.S. Open (3), British Open (3), PGA (4).

Walter Hagen — 11: U.S. Open (2), British Open (4), PGA (5).

Ben Hogan — 9: Masters (2), U.S. Open (4), British Open (1), PGA (2).

Gary Player –9: Masters (3), U.S. Open (1), British Open (3), PGA (2).

Tom Watson — 8: Masters (2), U.S. Open (1), British Open (5).

Harry Vardon — 7: U.S. Open (1), British Open (6).

Bobby Jones — 7: U.S. Open (4), British Open (3).

Gene Sarazen — 7: Masters (1), U.S. Open (2), British Open (1), PGA (3).

Sam Snead — 7: Masters (3), British Open (1), PGA (3).

Arnold Palmer — 7: Masters (4), U.S. Open (1), British Open (2).

Source: golftoday.co.uk