The 'PGA Championship' (often referred to as the U.S. PGA Championship outside of North America) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the
Professional Golfers Association of America as part of the
PGA Tour. The PGA Championship is one of the four
major championships in men's golf, and it is the golf season's final major, played in August (customarily the 4th weekend after
the Open Championship (British Open), but being advanced a week in 2007 and 2008 because of local scheduling conflicts). It is an official money event on the
PGA Tour, the
European Tour, and the
Japan Golf Tour, with a purse in 2007 of $7 million.
In line with the other majors, winning the PGA gives a golfer several privileges which make his career much more secure, if he is not already one of the elite of the sport. PGA champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (
the Masters,
U.S. Open, and
the Open Championship) for the next five years, and are exempt from qualifying for the PGA Championship for life. They also receive membership on the PGA Tour for the following five seasons and invitations to
the Players Championship for five years.
The PGA Championship has been held at a large number of venues, some of the early ones now quite obscure, but currently it is usually staged by one of a small group of celebrated courses, each of which has also hosted several other leading events.
History
The first PGA Championship was held in 1916 at
Siwanoy Country Club in
Bronxville,
New York. The winner,
Jim Barnes, received
$500. The
2007 winner,
Tiger Woods, earned
$1.26 million. The champion is also awarded the Wanamaker Trophy, which was donated by
Rodman Wanamaker.
Initially a
match play event, the tournament changed to
stroke play in 1958. Network broadcasters, preferring a large group of well-known contenders on the final day, are sometimes accused of pressuring tournament organizers to make the format change.
Qualification
The PGA Championship was established for the purpose of providing a high profile tournament specifically for professional golfers at a time when they were generally not held in high esteem in a sport that was largely run by wealthy amateurs. This origin is still reflected in the entry system for the Championship. It is the only major which does not invite leading
amateurs to compete, and the only one which reserves a large number of places, 20 of 156, for club professionals. These slots are determined by the top finishers in the
club pro championship, which is held in July.
Since
1968, the
PGA Tour has been independent of the
PGA of America. The
PGA Tour is an elite organization of
tournament professionals, but the PGA Championship is still run by the PGA of America, which is mainly a body for club and teaching professionals. The PGA Championship is the only major that does not explicitly grant entry to the top 50 players in the
Official World Golf Rankings, although it invariably invites all top 50 players who are not already qualified.
List of qualification criteria:
★ All former PGA Champions.
★ Winners of the last five U.S. Opens.
★ Winners of the last five Masters.
★ Winners of the last five Open Championships.
★ The last
Senior PGA Champion.
★ The low 15 scorers and ties in the previous PGA Championship.
★ The 20 low scorers in the last
PGA Professional National Championship.
★ The 70 leaders in official money standings (starting one week prior to the previous year's PGA Championship and ending two weeks prior to the current year's PGA Championship).
★ Members of the most recent United States
Ryder Cup Team.
★ Winners of tournaments co-sponsored or approved by the PGA Tour since the previous PGA Championship (does not include pro-am and team competitions).
★ The PGA of America reserves the right to invite additional players not included in the categories listed above.
★ The total field is a maximum of 156 players. Vacancies are filled by the first available player from the list of alternates (those below 70th place in official money standings).
Winners
Strokeplay era winners
| Year | Champion | Country | Venue | Location of venue | Winner's Score |
|---|
| 2007 | Tiger Woods | | Southern Hills Country Club | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 71-63-69-69-'272' (-8) |
| 2006 | Tiger Woods | | Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3 | Medinah, Illinois | 69-68-65-68-'270' (-18) |
| 2005 | Phil Mickelson | | | Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course | Springfield, New Jersey | 67-65-72-72-'276' (-4) |
| 2004 | Vijay Singh[1] | | Whistling Straits, Straits Course | Kohler, Wisconsin | 67-68-69-76-'280' (-8) |
| 2003 | Shaun Micheel | | Oak Hill Country Club, East Course | Rochester, New York | 69-68-69-70-'276' (-4) |
| 2002 | Rich Beem | | Hazeltine National Golf Club | Chaska, Minnesota | 72-66-72-68-'278' (-10) |
| 2001 | David Toms | | Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course | Duluth, Georgia | 66-65-65-69-'265' (-15) |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods[2] | | Valhalla Golf Club | Louisville, Kentucky | 66-67-70-67-'270' (-18) |
| 1999 | Tiger Woods | | Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3 | Medinah, Illinois | 70-67-68-72-'277' (-11) |
| 1998 | Vijay Singh | | Sahalee Country Club | Sammamish, Washington | 70-66-67-68-'271' (-9) |
| 1997 | Davis Love III | | Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course | Mamaroneck, New York | 66-71-66-66-'269' (-11) |
| 1996 | Mark Brooks[3] | | Valhalla Golf Club | Louisville, Kentucky | 68-70-69-70-'277' (-11) |
| 1995 | Steve Elkington[4] | | The Riviera Country Club | Pacific Palisades, California | 68-67-68-64-'267' (-17) |
| 1994 | Nick Price | | Southern Hills Country Club | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 67-65-70-67-'269' (-11) |
| 1993 | Paul Azinger[5] | | Inverness Club | Toledo, Ohio | 69-66-69-68-'272' (-12) |
| 1992 | Nick Price | | Bellerive Country Club | St. Louis, Missouri | 70-70-68-70-'278' (-6) |
| 1991 | John Daly | | Crooked Stick Golf Club | Carmel, Indiana | 69-67-69-71-'276' (-12) |
| 1990 | Wayne Grady | | Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club | Birmingham, Alabama | 72-67-72-71-'282' (-6) |
| 1989 | Payne Stewart | | Kemper Lakes Golf Club | Long Grove, Illinois | 74-66-69-67-'276' (-12) |
| 1988 | Jeff Sluman | | Oak Tree Golf Club | Edmond, Oklahoma | 69-70-68-65-'272' (-12) |
| 1987 | Larry Nelson[6] | | PGA National Resort & Spa | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida | 70-72-73-72-'287' (-1) |
| 1986 | Bob Tway | | Inverness Club | Toledo, Ohio | 72-70-64-70-'276' (-8) |
| 1985 | Hubert Green | | Cherry Hills Country Club | Cherry Hills Village, Colorado | 67-69-70-72-'278' (-10) |
| 1984 | Lee Trevino | | Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club | Birmingham, Alabama | 69-68-67-69-'273' (-15) |
| 1983 | Hal Sutton | | The Riviera Country Club | Pacific Palisades, California | 65-66-72-71-'274' (-10) |
| 1982 | Raymond Floyd | | Southern Hills Country Club | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 63-69-68-72-'272' (-8) |
| 1981 | Larry Nelson | | Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course | Duluth, Georgia | 70-66-66-71-'273' (-7) |
| 1980 | Jack Nicklaus | | Oak Hill Country Club, East Course | Rochester, New York | 70-69-66-69-'274' (-6) |
| 1979 | David Graham[7] | | Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | Bloomfield Township, Michigan | 69-68-70-65-'272' (-8) |
| 1978 | John Mahaffey[8] | | Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | 75-67-68-66-'276' (-8) |
| 1977 | Lanny Wadkins[9] | | Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pebble Beach, California | 69-71-72-70-'282' (-3) |
| 1976 | Dave Stockton | | Congressional Country Club, Blue Course | Bethesda, Maryland | 70-72-69-70-'281' (+1) |
| 1975 | Jack Nicklaus | | Firestone Country Club, South Course | Akron, Ohio | 70-68-67-71-'276' (-4) |
| 1974 | Lee Trevino | | Tanglewood Park, Championship Course | Clemmons, North Carolina | 73-66-68-69-'276' (-4) |
| 1973 | Jack Nicklaus | | Canterbury Golf Club | Beachwood, Ohio | 72-68-68-69-'277' (-7) |
| 1972 | Gary Player | | Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | 71-71-67-72-'281' (+1) |
| 1971 | Jack Nicklaus | | PGA National Golf Club | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida | 69-69-70-73-'281' (-7) |
| 1970 | Dave Stockton | | Southern Hills Country Club | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 70-70-66-73-'279' (-1) |
| 1969 | Raymond Floyd | | NCR Country Club, South Course | Dayton, Ohio | 69-66-67-74-'276' (-8) |
| 1968 | Julius Boros | | Pecan Valley Golf Club | San Antonio, Texas | 71-71-70-69-'281' (+1) |
| 1967 | Don January[10] | | Columbine Country Club | Columbine Valley, Colorado | 71-72-70-68-'281' (-7) |
| 1966 | Al Geiberger | | Firestone Country Club, South Course | Akron, Ohio | 68-72-68-72-'280' (E) |
| 1965 | Dave Marr | | Laurel Valley Golf Club | Ligonier, Pennsylvania | 70-69-70-71-'280' (-4) |
| 1964 | Bobby Nichols | | Columbus Country Club | Columbus, Ohio | 64-71-69-67-'271' (-9) |
| 1963 | Jack Nicklaus | | Dallas Athletic Club, Blue Course | Dallas, Texas | 69-73-69-68-'279' (-5) |
| 1962 | Gary Player | | Aronimink Golf Club | Newtown Square, Pennsylvania | 72-67-69-70-'278' (-2) |
| 1961 | Jerry Barber[11] | | Olympia Fields Country Club | Olympia Fields, Illinois | 69-67-71-70-'277' (-3) |
| 1960 | Jay Hebert | | Firestone Country Club, South Course | Akron, Ohio | 72-67-72-70-'281' (+1) |
| 1959 | Bob Rosburg | | Minneapolis Golf Club | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 71-72-68-66-'277' (-3) |
| 1958 | Dow Finsterwald | | Llanerch Country Club | Havertown, Pennsylvania | 67-72-70-67-'276' (-14) |
Playoff losers:
1. Chris DiMarco and Justin Leonard (both United States)
2. Bob May (United States)
3. Kenny Perry (United States)
4. Colin Montgomerie (Scotland)
5. Greg Norman (Australia)
6. Lanny Wadkins (United States)
7. Ben Crenshaw (United States)
8. Tom Watson and Jerry Pate (both United States)
9. Gene Littler (United States)
10. Don Massengale (United States)
11. Don January (United States)
Matchplay era winners
| Year | Champion | Country | Runner-up | Margin | Venue | Location of venue |
|---|
| 1957 | Lionel Hebert | | Dow Finsterwald | 2 & 1 | Miami Valley Country Club | Dayton, Ohio |
| 1956 | Jack Burke, Jr | | Ted Kroll | 3 & 2 | Blue Hill Country Club | Canton, Massachusetts |
| 1955 | Doug Ford | | Cary Middlecoff | 4 & 3 | Meadowbrook Country Club | Detroit |
| 1954 | Chick Harbert | | Walter Burkemo | 4 & 3 | Keller Golf Club | Saint Paul |
| 1953 | Walter Burkemo | | Felice Torza | 4 & 3 | Birmingham Country Club | Birmingham, Michigan |
| 1952 | Jim Turnesa | | Chick Harbert | 1 up | Big Spring Country Club | Louisville |
| 1951 | Sam Snead | | Walter Burkemo | 7 & 6 | Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania |
| 1950 | Chandler Harper | | Henry Williams, Jr. | 4 & 3 | Scioto Country Club | Columbus, Ohio |
| 1949 | Sam Snead | | Johnny Palmer | 3 & 2 | Hermitage Country Club | Richmond, Virginia |
| 1948 | Ben Hogan | | Mike Turnesa | 7 & 6 | Norwood Hills Country Club | St. Louis, Missouri |
| 1947 | Jim Ferrier | | Chick Harbert | 2 & 1 | Plum Hollow Country Club | Detroit, Michigan |
| 1946 | Ben Hogan | | Ed Oliver | 6 & 4 | Portland Golf Club | Portland, Oregon |
| 1945 | Byron Nelson | | Sam Byrd | 4 & 3 | Moraine Country Club | Dayton, Ohio |
| 1944 | Bob Hamilton | | Byron Nelson | 1 up | Manito Golf and Country Club | Spokane, Washington |
| 1943 | Not held due to World War II |
| 1942 | Sam Snead | | Jim Turnesa | 2 & 1 | Seaview Country Club | Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| 1941 | Vic Ghezzi | | Byron Nelson | 1 up | Cherry Hills Country Club | Cherry Hills Village, Colorado |
| 1940 | Byron Nelson | | Sam Snead | 1 up | Hershey Country Club, West Course | Hershey, Pennsylvania |
| 1939 | Henry Picard | | Byron Nelson | 1 up | Pomonok Country Club | Flushing, New York |
| 1938 | Paul Runyan | | Sam Snead | 8 & 7 | The Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort | Smithfield Township, Pennsylvania |
| 1937 | Denny Shute | | Harold McSpaden | 1 up | Pittsburgh Field Club | O'Hara Township, Pennsylvania |
| 1936 | Denny Shute | | Jimmy Thomson | 3 & 2 | Pinehurst Resort, No. 2 Course | Pinehurst, North Carolina |
| 1935 | Johnny Revolta | | Tommy Armour | 5 & 4 | Twin Hills Golf & Country Club | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| 1934 | Paul Runyan | | Craig Wood | 1 up | The Park Country Club | Williamsville, New York |
| 1933 | Gene Sarazen | | Willie Goggin | 5 & 4 | Blue Mound Golf & Country Club | Wauwatosa, Wisconsin |
| 1932 | Olin Dutra | | Frank Walsh | 4 & 3 | Keller Golf Club | Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| 1931 | Tom Creavy | | Denny Shute | 2 & 1 | Wannamoisett Country Club | Rumford, Rhode Island |
| 1930 | Tommy Armour | ^ | Gene Sarazen | 1 up | Fresh Meadow Country Club | Great Neck, New York |
| 1929 | Leo Diegel | | Johnny Farrell | 6 & 4 | Hillcrest Country Club | Los Angeles, California |
| 1928 | Leo Diegel | | Al Espinosa | 6 & 5 | Baltimore Country Club, East Course | Timonium, Maryland |
| 1927 | Walter Hagen | | Joe Turnesa | 1 up | Cedar Crest Country Club | Dallas, Texas |
| 1926 | Walter Hagen | | Leo Diegel | 5 & 3 | Salisbury Golf Club, Red Course | East Meadow, New York |
| 1925 | Walter Hagen | | Bill Mehlhorn | 6 & 5 | Olympia Fields Country Club | Olympia Fields, Illinois |
| 1924 | Walter Hagen | | Jim Barnes | 2 up | Hill Course, French Lick Springs Resort | French Lick, Indiana |
| 1923 | Gene Sarazen | | Walter Hagen | 1 up | Pelham Country Club | Pelham Manor, New York |
| 1922 | Gene Sarazen | | Emmet French | 4 & 3 | Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania |
| 1921 | Walter Hagen | | Jim Barnes | 3 & 2 | Inwood Country Club | Inwood, New York |
| 1920 | Jock Hutchison | ^ | J. Douglas Edgar | 1 up | Flossmoor Country Club | Flossmoor, Illinois |
| 1919 | Jim Barnes | ^ | Fred McLeod | 6 & 5 | Engineers Country Club | Roslyn Harbor, New York |
| 1917-1918: Not held due to World War I | |||||
| 1916 | Jim Barnes | ^ | Jock Hutchison | 1 up | Siwanoy Country Club | Bronxville, New York |
^ These players were British born, but they were based in the United States when they won the PGA Championship, and they became U.S. citizens:
★ Tommy Armour - Born in Scotland but moved to the U.S. in the early 1920s and became a U.S. citizen at that time.
★ Jock Hutchison - Born in Scotland. He was a U.S. citizen at the time of his 1921 Open Championship win, so he was probably already a U.S. citizen in 1920, but this is unconfirmed.
★ Jim Barnes - Born in England. Moved to the United States in 1906 and may have become a U.S. citizen as early as 1907, but this is unconfirmed.
If these British-born players are excluded, then the PGA Championship is the only one of the four majors never to have been won by a European.
Multiple winners
The following men have won the PGA Championship more than once through 2007.
5 wins:
★ Walter Hagen: 1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927
★ Jack Nicklaus: 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980
4 wins:
★ Tiger Woods: 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007
3 wins:
★ Gene Sarazen: 1922, 1923, 1933
★ Sam Snead: 1942, 1949, 1951
2 wins:
★ Jim Barnes: 1916, 1919
★ Leo Diegel: 1928, 1929
★ Raymond Floyd: 1969, 1982
★ Ben Hogan: 1946, 1948
★ Byron Nelson: 1940, 1945
★ Larry Nelson: 1981, 1987
★ Gary Player:1962, 1972
★ Nick Price: 1992, 1994
★ Paul Runyan: 1934, 1938
★ Denny Shute: 1936, 1937
★ Vijay Singh: 1998, 2004
★ Dave Stockton: 1970, 1976
★ Lee Trevino: 1974, 1984
National summary
| Rank | Nation | Wins |
|---|
| 1 | align=left | 78 |
| 2 | align=left | 4 |
| 3 | align=left | 2 |
| align=left | 2 |
| align=left | 2 |
Matchplay era details
The table below lists the field sizes and qualification methods for the match play era. All rounds were played over 36 holes except as noted in the table.
[1]
| Years | Field Size | Qualification | 18 hole rounds |
|---|
| 1916-21 | 32 | sectional
★ | |
| 1922 | 64 | sectional | 1st round |
| 1923 | 64 | sectional | |
| 1924-34 | 32 | 36 hole qualifier | |
| 1935-41 | 64 | 36 hole qualifier | 1st two rounds |
| 1942-45 | 32 | 36 hole qualifier | |
| 1946-55 | 64 | 36 hole qualifier | 1st two rounds |
| 1956 | 128 | sectional | 1st five rounds |
| 1957 | 128 | sectional | 1st five rounds, consolation matches (3rd-8th place) |
★ In 1921, the field consisted of the defending champion and the top 31 finishers at the
U.S. Open.
Records
★ Oldest winner:
Julius Boros in 1968 (48 years, 142 days)
★ Youngest winner:
Gene Sarazen in 1922 (20 years, 174 days)
★ Greatest winning margin in the matchplay era:
Paul Runyan beat
Sam Snead 8 & 7 in 1938
★ Greatest winning margin in the strokeplay era: 7 strokes,
Jack Nicklaus in 1980
★ Lowest absolute 72-hole score: 265,
David Toms (66-65-65-69), 2001
★
★ This is the lowest 72-hole score ever recorded in any major championship
★ Lowest 72-hole score in relation to par: -18,
Tiger Woods (66-67-70-67, 270) and
Bob May (72-66-66-66, 270), 2000;
Tiger Woods (69-68-65-68, 270), 2006
★
★ Toms' 2001 score was -15. The 2001 site, the Highlands Course at Atlanta Athletic Club, plays to par 70, while the 2000 site, Valhalla Golf Club, and the 2006 site, Medinah Country Club, both play to par 72
★ Lowest 18-hole score: 63 –
Bruce Crampton, 2nd round, 1975;
Raymond Floyd, 1st, 1982;
Gary Player, 2nd, 1984;
Vijay Singh, 2nd, 1993;
Michael Bradley, 1st, 1995;
Brad Faxon, 4th, 1995;
José María Olazábal, 3rd, 2000;
Mark O'Meara, 2nd , 2001;
Thomas Bjørn, 3rd, 2005;
Tiger Woods, 2nd, 2007
Future tournament sites
★ 2008 -
Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course (
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan)
★ 2009 -
Hazeltine National Golf Club (
Chaska, Minnesota)
★ 2010 -
Whistling Straits, Straits Course (
Sheboygan, Wisconsin)
★ 2011 -
Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course (
Duluth, Georgia)
★ 2012 -
Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Ocean Course (
Kiawah Island, South Carolina)
★ 2013 -
Oak Hill Country Club, East Course (
Pittsford, New York)
★ 2014 - TBA
★ 2015 -
Whistling Straits, Straits Course (
Sheboygan, Wisconsin)
External links
★
Official site-2007
★
Official site-2006
★
Official site-2005
★
The Missing Wanamaker Trophy
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