Everybody talks about professional major championships this time of year.

Nobody, however, seems to know how many majors certain golfers, with the notable exception of Jack Nicklaus, have actually won.

Most golf fans know that Nicklaus has won more professional majors, 18, than any other golfer. But who's second on the list?

``Could it be (Nick) Faldo?'' asked Billy Andrade.

Larry Mize thinks it's Ben Hogan.

``Walter Hagen?'' asked Tom Lehman.

``Probably Hagen,'' Nicklaus said.

Hagen is the correct answer. He finished his career with 11 professional majors. Hogan and Gary Player are next on the list with nine each.

``Generally speaking, people can tell you who is first, but not many people can tell you who finished second in anything,'' Nicklaus said. ``That's just the way life is. You go back 10 years and start naming the major champions and ask who finished second, people don't have a clue. Nobody knows.''

Golf is different from major team sports, where there is one champion crowned each year. In golf, there are four major championships each year and they're normally won by different golfers. In fact, the last 13 majors have been won by different players.

``There are so many major championships, you kind of lose track over the years,'' Fred Funk said. ``But you keep track of who has the most.''

``In the course of 10 years, you have 40 majors and 10 Super Bowls,'' Tom Lehman said. ``A dynasty lasts longer in golf than in team sports. A golf dynasty can last 25 years; it's three, four or five years for a team.''

Another question asked of some golfers in the Masters concerned how many major championships Tom Watson has. Invariably, most guessed he had more than the eight majors he's won.

``The really good players are up there a lot and it seems like they're winning a lot more than they are,'' Lehman said. ``Ask the average golf fan how many majors Greg Norman has won and he'll say seven or eight. He's only won two. But he's up there every time.''

Today's players know how many majors their contemporaries have.

``We know who's won what,'' Andrade said. ``We know how hard it is to win a major and we're in awe of those guys who have won multiple majors.''

Major championship trivia: Did you know Watson has won more major titles (eight) than Arnold Palmer (seven)?

Or that Faldo (six) has more majors than Byron Nelson (five).

And how many professional majors did Masters co-founder and life-long amateur Bob Jones have when he gave up tournament golf in 1929 when he was still in his prime? The answer is seven.

Since major championship play started in 1860 with the British Open, only 16 golfers have won at least five majors (see box).

Six of those players with at least five major championships, headed by Nicklaus, are in the 1998 Masters Tournament. The others are Watson, Palmer, Faldo, Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros.

Three of those golfers -- Peter Thompson, Henry Braid and John H. Taylor -- won the same tournament, the British Open, for all of their major victories.

While Thompson won his titles in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1965, Braid and Taylor won their British titles at a time when there were only two major championships in existence.

The British Open started in 1860, the U.S. Open in 1895, the PGA Championship in 1916 and the Masters in 1934.

Only four golfers -- Sarazen, Hogan, Player and Nicklaus -- have recorded the career grand slam of the four majors.

Major achievements Winners of at least five professional major championships
(x-competing in 1998 Masters).