You Won’t Believe the Epic History Behind the PGA Championship. Witness 100+ Years of Major Glory Unfold

Introduction and Origins

The PGA Championship is one of golf’s four major tournaments, and its story begins over a century ago with a visionary idea. In 1916, department store magnate Rodman Wanamaker organized a luncheon with top golf professionals that led to the founding of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) shotscope.com. Wanamaker believed a high-profile tournament for professional golfers – who were then seen as second-class in a sport dominated by wealthy amateurs – would elevate the pros’ stature and even boost golf equipment sales shotscope.com en.wikipedia.org. Later that year, the inaugural PGA Championship was held in October 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York en.as.com. British-born Jim Barnes won the first title, earning a $500 prize and a diamond-studded gold medal donated by Wanamaker en.as.com. The champion also received custody of the new tournament’s imposing trophy – the silver Wanamaker Trophy – which stands about 2½ feet tall and weighs 27 pounds en.wikipedia.org. This massive trophy, provided by Wanamaker, became a symbol of the championship’s prestige shotscope.com. The early PGA Championships were match play format, aligning with the era’s head-to-head style of competition and the PGA’s goal of showcasing skilled club professionals. Over time, this event that Wanamaker and his colleagues launched “to create one of the game’s greatest tournaments” shotscope.com has grown into a major championship steeped in history and tradition.

Tournament Format and Structure

Originally conducted as a match-play tournament, the PGA Championship’s format has evolved significantly. From 1916 through 1957, the title was decided via match play – a grueling format in which finalists could play over 200 holes in a week through multiple head-to-head matches en.wikipedia.org. The championship typically included a stroke-play qualifier followed by days of match play, and scheduling varied from spring to late fall in those early decades en.wikipedia.org. After World War II it often took place in late May or June, and by the 1950s it had shifted to July en.wikipedia.org. However, the 1957 PGA Championship saw poor financial results, prompting a major change: in November 1957 the PGA of America voted to switch to a 72-hole stroke-play format starting in 1958 en.wikipedia.org. From 1958 onward, the championship has been contested over four rounds of 18 holes (Thursday through Sunday) like the other majors. This change to stroke play – encouraged by network TV broadcasters who wanted a big final-day leaderboard of contenders – transformed the PGA Championship into the dramatic four-day shootout we know today en.wikipedia.org. Every competitor now plays 72 holes, and the lowest total score wins (with an 18-hole Monday playoff in case of a tie, a format used until 2019 when it changed to a sudden-death playoff).

Field and Qualification: The PGA Championship field typically consists of 156 players, making it one of the deepest in golf en.wikipedia.org. Unlike the other majors, the PGA Championship explicitly exists for professional golfers – it was conceived to give club pros and touring pros their own big stage at a time when amateurs dominated the sport en.wikipedia.org. Fittingly, it is the only major that does not invite amateur players, and it reserves a block of 20 spots for PGA club professionals who earn entry through the PGA Professional Championship (a tournament for club pros held each spring) en.wikipedia.org. The rest of the field is filled by the world’s elite tour players, who qualify through various criteria. Modern qualification categories include:

• Major Champions: All former PGA Champions, plus recent winners of the Masters, U.S. Open, and The Open Championship (usually the last five years of each) en.wikipedia.org.
• The Players Champion: Winners of the last three Players Championship (the PGA Tour’s flagship event) en.wikipedia.org.
• Top Ranked Players: Top finishers in recent PGA Championships (e.g. the low 15 and ties from the previous year) and the top 70 players in PGA Tour money/points rankings since the last PGA en.wikipedia.org. High-ranking international players and tournament winners since the previous PGA Championship also get in.
• Team Players: Members of the most recent Ryder Cup teams (USA & Europe) if they are ranked in the world top 100 en.wikipedia.org.
• Club Professionals: The 20 leading club pros from the PGA Professional Championship, as noted above, earn coveted spots en.wikipedia.org.
• Special Invitations: The PGA of America can invite additional players (often from the top 100 in the world) to round out the field of 156 en.wikipedia.org.

This robust qualifying system ensures that the PGA Championship boasts perhaps the strongest field in golf, routinely including nearly all of the world’s top 100 professionals linksmagazine.com. It is a true “major” in every sense, often described as the major with the deepest roster of talent.

Schedule: The timing of the PGA Championship has shifted over the years. For much of its history in the stroke-play era, the tournament was known as the season’s final major, traditionally held in August and marketed with the tagline “Glory’s Last Shot.” In 2019, however, a major schedule change moved the PGA Championship to May, positioning it as the year’s second major (after the Masters in April) en.wikipedia.org. Since 2019, the event has been staged in May, usually ending on the Sunday before Memorial Day in the U.S. en.wikipedia.org. This move – influenced partly by the addition of golf to the Summer Olympics and a desire to avoid clashing with the late-summer football season – also allows the PGA to visit a wider array of courses in cooler spring weather en.wikipedia.org. (Notably, a one-time shift occurred in 2016 when the tournament was played in late July to accommodate the Rio Olympics en.wikipedia.org.) Regardless of month, the championship follows a Thursday–Sunday schedule, with players making a 36-hole cut (top 70 plus ties) after Friday’s round. The modern PGA Championship is a tightly run four-day test, but its match-play roots and unique heritage still echo through traditions like the engraving of the Wanamaker Trophy with each year’s winner on Sunday evening.

Notable Courses and Locations

Unlike the Masters Tournament which stays at one club, the PGA Championship is a roving event played at a different venue each year. Over time it has built a legacy at some of America’s most storied golf courses. The tournament has primarily been contested in the eastern half of the United States, reflecting the PGA of America’s roots and membership base en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org. In fact, the states of New York (13 times), Ohio (11), and Pennsylvania (9) have hosted the PGA Championship more than any others en.as.com en.wikipedia.org. Only on rare occasions has it ventured west of the Mississippi – for example, TPC Harding Park in San Francisco hosted in 2020, marking a return to California after a 25-year hiatus en.as.com en.wikipedia.org. (The Pacific Time Zone has hosted just two PGAs in history, and the Mountain Time Zone only three en.as.com.)

Many iconic golf courses have tested the world’s best at this championship. A select few have become signature PGA venues due to multiple appearances:

• Southern Hills Country Club (Tulsa, Oklahoma) – 5-time host (most recently in 2022) en.wikipedia.org, known for its tight fairways and extreme summer heat in past August PGAs.
• Oak Hill Country Club (East Course) (Rochester, New York) – 4-time host (most recently in 2023) en.wikipedia.org, a classic tree-lined course where champions like Jack Nicklaus and Brooks Koepka have prevailed.
• Valhalla Golf Club (Louisville, Kentucky) – 4-time host (1996, 2000, 2014, 2024) en.wikipedia.org, a modern championship course that produced Tiger Woods’ dramatic 2000 playoff win and Rory McIlroy’s duel in the dusk in 2014.

Other renowned venues have also staged the PGA multiple times, underscoring the championship’s prestige. These include Atlanta Athletic Club in Georgia (Highlands Course, 3 times) en.wikipedia.org, Firestone Country Club (South Course, 3 times) en.wikipedia.org, Oakland Hills in Michigan (South Course, 3 times) en.wikipedia.org, Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania (3 times) en.wikipedia.org, and Whistling Straits in Wisconsin (Straits Course, 3 times) en.wikipedia.org. Each PGA Championship adds to the lore of these courses – whether it’s the ocean winds at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course (host in 2012 and 2021), the daunting “Green Mile” closing stretch at Quail Hollow (host in 2017 and again in 2025), or the crowd-energized atmosphere of Hazeltine (site of Rich Beem’s upset win in 2002). Even the very first PGA Championship course, Siwanoy Country Club, though relatively modest, holds a special place as the site where this grand tradition was born en.as.com.

Geographically, the PGA Championship has balanced tradition with expansion. It has long been anchored at classic clubs in the Northeast, Midwest, and South, but has also made forays to new regions – for example, bringing major championship golf to Florida (PGA National in 1971), the Pacific Northwest (Sahalee in 1998), and the West Coast (California’s Harding Park in 2020) en.wikipedia.org. By rotating sites, the PGA showcases different course styles and climates, adding variety to the test each year. Regardless of venue, the setup tends to favor championship-caliberconditions: long, tough layouts (often par 70 or 71), thick rough, and fast greens to identify the best ball-strikers and clutch putters.

Historical Highlights and Iconic Moments

With over a century of competition, the PGA Championship has produced a treasure trove of historic moments – from record-setting performances to dramatic finishes that still stir debate among golf fans. Here are some of the key turning points and iconic moments that define the championship’s lore:

• Walter Hagen’s Four-Peat (1924–1927): In the match-play era, Walter Hagen established himself as the PGA Championship’s first legend by winning four consecutive titles from 1924–1927. Hagen’s swagger and showmanship were matched by his dominance – a feat no one has replicated at any major since. (He won five PGA Championships in total, a record he now shares with Jack Nicklaus en.wikipedia.org.) Hagen’s 1920s reign solidified the event’s prestige and produced colorful tales – including the infamous story of the lost Wanamaker Trophy. After Hagen won in 1925, the trophy mysteriously went missing for several years (reportedly left in a taxi by Hagen during celebrations) before resurfacing in a clubhouse cellar shotscope.com shotscope.com. Hagen’s run and his carefree antics (like joking he “had no intention of surrendering” the trophy) are early chapters of PGA Championship folklore shotscope.com shotscope.com.
• Sarazen Stuns Hagen in Sudden Death (1923): Before Hagen’s streak, one of the first great finals came in 1923. Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen battled to a tie after the regulation 36 holes of the final match, forcing a sudden-death playoff – a rarity at the time. Sarazen ultimately beat Hagen in extra holes to claim the 1923 PGA title, foiling Hagen’s bid for a third straight win news.williamhill.com. This dramatic finish (a sudden-death showdown decades before the PGA adopted them for stroke play) “broke Walter’s heart” and signaled the rise of Sarazen, who at just 21 years old became the PGA Championship’s youngest winner news.williamhill.com en.wikipedia.org. Sarazen’s 1923 victory was part of his own Hall-of-Fame career (he would win the PGA three times), and it highlighted the fierce match-play rivalries of the early championships.
• Format Change – Stroke Play Debut (1958): A pivotal turning point in PGA history came in 1958 when the championship switched from match play to stroke play. The last match-play PGA Champion was Lionel Hebert in 1957, after which the tournament reinvented itself. In 1958 at Havertown, Pennsylvania, Dow Finsterwald won the first stroke-play PGA Championship, ushering in the modern era en.wikipedia.org. The change was driven by financial concerns and the rising influence of television en.wikipedia.org. It proved to be a smart move: the new format produced tighter leaderboards and greater mainstream appeal, helping the PGA Championship thrive alongside the other stroke-play majors. This moment in 1958 is remembered as a key “historical highlight” because it ensured the championship’s survival and growth – bridging the gap between the head-to-head drama of match play and the excitement of a 72-hole shootout that fans love today.
• “Shot Heard ’Round the World” Bunker Miracle (1986): Fast forward to 1986 at Inverness Club in Ohio, when one of the PGA Championship’s most iconic shots took place. Greg Norman – the world’s top golfer at the time – appeared poised to win, holding a four-stroke lead with eight holes to play in Monday’s rain-delayed final round linksmagazine.com. But American Bob Tway mounted a comeback and caught Norman by the 18th hole, where the tournament hung in the balance linksmagazine.com. Norman found the edge of the green in two, while Tway’s approach plugged into a greenside bunker. What followed was pure magic: Tway blasted out of the sand and holed the shot for birdie, erupting in an uncharacteristic leap of joy as the gallery roared linksmagazine.com. Norman, stunned, missed his long birdie attempt – making Tway the champion in one of the most dramatic finishes ever. Tway’s sand shot – a walk-off hole-out to win a major – remains “the PGA Championship’s most unexpected shot” linksmagazine.com and is often replayed in highlight reels, symbolizing the anything-can-happen drama of this tournament.
• John Daly’s Cinderella Story (1991): The 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club (Indiana) provided a fairytale storyline for the ages. Practically unknown at the time, John Daly only got into the field as the ninth alternate, driving through the night to the course after a last-minute withdrawal gave him a spot linksmagazine.com. Once there, the 25-year-old “grip it and rip it” bomber unleashed his prodigious drives and freewheeling style on the field. Daly led wire-to-wire, pulverizing the Pete Dye-designed course with 300+ yard drives and fearless long-iron shots linksmagazine.com linksmagazine.com. His “country-boy” charisma – complete with a mullet and unapologetic swagger – electrified the galleries, who had found a new folk hero linksmagazine.com. Daly ended up winning by three strokes, completing the most unlikely major win in modern history. As Arnold Palmer himself marveled, “No one has ever stirred the golf world in one week like John Daly” linksmagazine.com. Daly’s out-of-nowhere victory transformed him into an overnight celebrity and exemplified the PGA Championship’s propensity for surprise upsets and breakout performances.
• Tiger vs. “El Niño” at Medinah (1999): The 1999 PGA Championship served up a generational duel between 23-year-old Tiger Woods and 19-year-old Spanish phenom Sergio García (nicknamed “El Niño”). Tiger was already a Masters champ but was seeking his second major, while García was a fearless teenager in his PGA Championship debut linksmagazine.com. Down the stretch at Medinah, the two traded spectacular shots and steely nerves. García produced one of the championship’s most replayed shots – a bending, blind 6-iron from behind a tree trunk on the 16th hole – followed by a youthful sprint and scissor-kick leap to see the result, igniting the crowd. Tiger, however, held off the charge, sinking clutch putts (including a dramatic 8-foot par save at 17) and prevailed by a single stroke to claim the Wanamaker Trophy linksmagazine.com linksmagazine.com. The image of Woods and García trading fist pumps and intense stares signaled the arrival of a new era. Their battle at Medinah is remembered as one of the great major championship duels, and it kick-started Tiger’s run of dominance in the PGA (he would win four PGA Championships in the coming decade).
• Tiger Woods and Bob May’s Duel in the Dark (2000): If 1999 introduced Tiger’s clutch gene at the PGA, the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla cemented his legend. In a suspenseful three-hole playoff under fading light, Tiger Woods edged unheralded Bob May in an epic Sunday showdown linksmagazine.com. The two players had finished 72 holes tied at 18-under-par, with Tiger needing a dramatic birdie at the 72nd hole (complete with his famous finger-pointing celebration as his putt dropped) to force the playoff. The duel continued shot-for-shot in overtime until Tiger secured victory – his second straight PGA title and third major of 2000. This climax capped off Woods’ historic season (he won three majors in 2000) news.williamhill.com and gave the PGA Championship one of its most thrilling finishes ever. Fans will forever remember Tiger’s icy determination and Bob May’s fearless response; their battle exemplified the intensity that the PGA can deliver. As a footnote, that 2000 tournament was also the last PGA Championship for Jack Nicklaus (who nearly made the cut at age 60 with a valiant eagle try on Friday) linksmagazine.com – a symbolic passing of the torch from the five-time PGA champion Nicklaus to the new dominant force in Woods.
• “Lefty” Breaks Through and an Unlikely Oldest Champion (2005 & 2021): Beloved fan-favorite Phil Mickelson has had multiple signature PGA moments. In 2005 at Baltusrol, “Lefty” hit a deft chip from deep rough on the 72nd hole – a shot he had practiced in his backyard thousands of times – to set up a closing birdie and win by one linksmagazine.com linksmagazine.com. Mickelson’s leap of joy with both fists in the air remains an iconic image from that 2005 PGA Championship. Fast forward 16 years: Mickelson shocked the sports world at the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island by becoming, at 50 years old, the oldest major winner in history en.wikipedia.org. Battling winds on the Ocean Course against players half his age, Phil showcased experience and creativity to secure an improbable victory by two strokes. His 2021 win (his second PGA title, coming 16 years after the first) was a “joyously unexpected” triumph that resonated beyond golf linksmagazine.com linksmagazine.com, proving that the PGA Championship can deliver storybook finishes. Mickelson’s win sent fans into a frenzy and underscored the championship’s motto that “anything can happen” – even a half-century-old underdog beating the world’s best.
• Club Pro Magic – Michael Block’s Ace (2023): One uniquely heartwarming aspect of the PGA Championship is the inclusion of club pros, and in 2023 one of them produced a moment for the ages. Michael Block, a 46-year-old club professional from California, became an overnight sensation at the 2023 PGA Championship (Oak Hill) by not only making the cut – a feat in itself for a club pro – but finishing tied for 15th (the best by a club pro in decades) and delivering a once-in-a-lifetime shot pgachampionship.com pgachampionship.com. In the final round, playing alongside superstar Rory McIlroy, Block made a hole-in-one at the 151-yard 15th hole, slam-dunking his 7-iron tee shot directly into the cup without a bounce pgachampionship.com. The crowd erupted in disbelief and joy, chanting the club pro’s name as he walked to the green. Block’s ace was “the icing on the cake for one of the most remarkable stories in recent PGA Championship history,” capping off a fairy-tale week instagram.com pgachampionship.com. His emotional reaction (“No way… are you kidding me?” he exclaimed, hands on head) and the bear hug from McIlroy captured the pure joy of the moment pgachampionship.com. Michael Block’s story exemplified the PGA Championship’s cultural impact – a local club teacher captivating millions of fans, proving that in this championship the golf “everyman” can share the spotlight with tour elites. It was a moment that transcended sports pages and went viral globally, highlighting the inclusive spirit that the PGA of America brings to its major.

These highlights are just a sampling of the PGA Championship’s rich history. From the early 20th-century showdowns to 21st-century heroics, the tournament has consistently delivered drama, excitement, and historic firsts. Each year seems to add a new chapter – a clutch shot, a comeback, or an unlikely hero – further burnishing the legacy of the Wanamaker Trophy.

Notable Champions and Records

Over the decades, the PGA Championship has been a stage for golf’s greatest champions to etch their names in history. A who’s who of legends have hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy, often multiple times. The record for most PGA Championship victories is five, shared by two icons of the game: Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen en.wikipedia.org. Nicklaus won his five between 1963 and 1980, while Hagen’s five all came in the match-play era (1919, 1921, 1924–1927) – including the unmatched streak of four in a row. Just behind them is Tiger Woods with four PGA Championship titles (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007), showcasing his dominance in the 2000s en.wikipedia.org. Multiple other Hall of Famers have been PGA Champions: Gene Sarazen (3 wins, and notably the youngest winner ever at 20 years old) en.wikipedia.org, Sam Snead (3 wins), and modern stars like Rory McIlroy (2 wins so far, in 2012 and 2014) and Phil Mickelson (2 wins, in 2005 and 2021). More recently, Brooks Koepka has emerged as a modern PGA Championship titan – he’s captured three titles in 2018, 2019, and 2023, joining the elite company of three-time winners that includes Sarazen, Snead and others.

Beyond total wins, the PGA Championship record book is filled with notable feats:

• Oldest and Youngest Champions: Phil Mickelson’s 2021 victory at age 50 made him the oldest winner of the PGA (and indeed any men’s major) in history en.wikipedia.org. At the other end, Gene Sarazen was just 20 years and 174 days old when he won the 1922 PGA Championship, making him the youngest champion on record en.wikipedia.org. This illustrates the championship’s broad range – from seasoned veterans to precocious youngsters – who can rise to the occasion.
• Scoring Records: As equipment and course conditions have evolved, so have scoring levels at the PGA. The 72-hole scoring record (aggregate) is 264, set by Brooks Koepka in 2018 at Bellerive Country Club en.wikipedia.org. However, because par at Bellerive was 70, Koepka’s score was –16 relative to par. The lowest score in relation to par is –20, achieved by Jason Day in 2015 when he shot 268 at Whistling Straits (par 72) en.wikipedia.org. Day’s 20-under mark was a record for any major at the time en.wikipedia.org, highlighting how the PGA can yield low scoring when conditions allow. In 2024, Xander Schauffele posted a 263 total at Valhalla (par 71) to win at –21, unofficially surpassing Day’s to-par record (though not yet reflected in the historical records) en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org. For a single round, the PGA Championship’s 18-hole scoring record is 62. This record has been reached a few times, most recently by Schauffele in the first round of 2024 at Valhalla (a 9-under 62) foxsports.com en.wikipedia.org, which tied the all-time major championship record for lowest round.
• Victory Margins: The largest margin of victory in a PGA Championship during the stroke-play era is 8 strokes, achieved by Rory McIlroy in 2012 at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course en.wikipedia.org. (McIlroy’s dominant win in brutal wind conditions broke the previous modern record and announced him as a superstar.) In the match-play era, the record rout in a championship match was 8&7, when Paul Runyan defeated Sam Snead in 1938 en.wikipedia.org– a lopsided result that speaks to a different time, when match play could produce wide margins. Most PGA Championships, however, are decided much more narrowly – often by one or two strokes or in playoffs, adding to the event’s drama.
• Other Milestones: The PGA Championship has seen its share of unique records. For example, performance under pressure – Bob May’s 72-hole score of 18-under in 2000 is the lowest by a non-winner in major history (Tiger had to match it to force their playoff) news.williamhill.com. The tournament is also known for identifying repeat winners in streaks: Tiger Woods remains the only player in the stroke-play era to win back-to-back PGAs (he did it twice, 1999–2000 and 2006–2007), while legends like Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Nick Price each won two PGAs in their careers. And of course, the Wanamaker Trophy itself has some “records” – having survived being lost and recovered, and even being accidentally dropped (the lid, by Collin Morikawa in 2020, who joked about the dent). Each champion gets to take home a replica trophy, but their name being engraved alongside the greats on the original Wanamaker is the true honor.

To put these champions and records in perspective, here is a look at the recent PGA Championship winners and their performances, which underscore how elite play is needed to seize the title: