In the early 1910s, American golfers such as Francis Ouimet, Walter Hagen and John McDermott were enjoying increasing success against the Scots and the English in the US Open, which spurred enormous growth of golf in America.
In Britain, the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) had been founded in 1901, and some 15 years later was already running a successful, commercially sponsored (by the News of the World newspaper) 36 hole matchplay Championship for professionals.
On January 17, 1916, Rodman Wanamaker, a department store magnate who foresaw the commercial potential for golf and admired the British PGA’s initiatives, invited a group of 35 professional golfers (including Hagen), well-known amateurs, course architects and representatives from the golf industry to a lunch in New York.
The result was the founding of the PGA of America and the PGA Championship, sponsored by Wanamaker, who provided the trophy, a purse of $2,580 and a first prize of $500, ironically won by an English caddie and club-maker from Cornwall, Jim Barnes – although Barnes had moved to the US in 1906 and turned pro, taking US citizenship shortly after.
From 1916 to 1957 the format of the Championship remained the original 36 holes of matchplay, although the field was first whittled down to 32 or 64 qualifiers by 36 holes of strokeplay. Since 1958, it has been decided by 72 holes of strokeplay.
Automatic qualification for the PGA Championship is granted to:
• former PGA Champions
• the winners of the last five U.S. Opens
• the winners of the last five Masters
• the winners of the last five Open Championships
• the winners of the last three The Players Championship
• the Top-3 on the Official World Golf Ranking International Federation Ranking List (since 2023)
• 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 (club pros and teachers)
• the 70 leaders in official money standings on the PGA Tour since the previous PGA Championship
• members of the most recent United States and European Ryder Cup Teams who are in the Top-100 on the Official World Golf Ranking (as of one week before the start of the tournament)
• winners of tournaments co-sponsored or approved by the PGA Tour since the previous PGA Championship
• the PGA of America can invite additional players not included in the above list
• the maximum field ist 156 players with vacancies filled by the first available player from those below 70th in official money standings
Click here for Past Winners
Tournament Records
Multiple winners
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
Brooks Koepka: 2018, 2019, 2023
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
Phil Mickelson: 2005, 2021
Rory McIlroy: 2012, 2014
Justin Thomas: 2017, 2022
Most consecutive wins
4 times
Walter Hagen: 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927
Twice
Jim Barnes: 1916, 1919
Gene Sarazen: 1922, 1923
Leo Diegel: 1928, 1929
Denny Shute: 1936, 1937
Tiger Woods: 1999, 2000 and again 2006, 2007
Brooks Koepka: 2018, 2019
Youngest winner
Gene Sarazen at 20 years, 5 months and 20 days, in 1922
Tom Creavy at 20 years, 7 months and 17 days in 1931
Oldest winner
Phil Mickelson in 2021 at 50 years and 11 months
Related: “X” factor earns Wannamaker
Most times runner-up
4, by Jack Nicklaus in 1964, 1965, 1974, 1983
Most times in the top 3
12, by Jack Nicklaus
Most times in the top 10
15, by Jack Nicklaus
Lowest aggregate
264 (-16) by Brooks Koepka at Bellerive CC in 2018 (69-63-66-66)
Lowest under par
20 under, by Jason Day at Whistling Straits in 2015 (also an all-time major scoring record to par)
Biggest winning margin
8 shots, by Rory McIlroy at Kiawah Island in 2012
Lowest round
62 (-9), by Xander Schauffele in the first round at Valhalla GC in 2024
Most appearances
37, by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus
Most sub-par rounds
53, by Jack Nicklaus
Most rounds in 60s
41, by Jack Nicklaus
Most cuts made
27, by Raymond Floyd and Jack Nicklaus
Wire-to-wire winners
Bobby Nichols in 1964
Raymond Floyd in 1969
Jack Nicklaus in 1971
Raymond Floyd in 1982
Hal Sutton in 1983
Tiger Woods in 2000
Brooks Koepka in 2019
Xander Schauffele in 2024
Lowest cut:
141 (-1) at Valhalla GC in 2024
Highest cut
154 (+14) at Llanerch in 1958
Debut winners
Jim Barnes at Siwanoy, 1916
Tom Creavy at Wannamoisett, 1931
Bob Hamilton at Manito, 1944
Doug Ford at Meadowbrook, 1955
Bob Tway at Inverness, 1986
John Daly at Crooked Stick, 1991
Shaun Micheel at Oak Hill, 2003
Keegan Bradley at Atlanta, 2011
Collin Morikawa at TPC Harding Park in 2020
Major record
In winning the 1973 PGA Championship, Jack Nicklaus took his 12th professional major, overhauling Walter Hagen’s record of 11. It was also his 14th professional or amateur major (he won the US Amateur twice), overhauling Bobby Jones’ record of 13, thus making Nicklaus “officially” the greatest golfer of all time – a record he still holds with his final tally of 18 professional and 2 amateur majors.
