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For current information on this topic, see 2009 PGA Championship. |
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| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location |  United States |
| Established | 1916 |
| Course(s) | Whistling Straits-Straits Course in 2010 |
| Par | 72 in 2010 |
| Yardage | 7,514 in 2010 |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour PGA European Tour Japan Golf Tour |
| Format | Match play 1916–1957 Stroke play 1958–present |
| Purse | $7,500,000 (2009) [1] |
| Month played | August |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 265* David Toms (2001) *record for all majors |
| To-par | −18 Bob May (2000) −18 Tiger Woods (2000, 2006) |
| Current champion | |
 Yang Yong-eun |
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The PGA Championship (sometimes referred to as the U.S. PGA Championship outside of North America) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in professional golf, and it is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August (customarily four weeks after the British Open, but it was advanced a week in 2007 and 2008 because of local scheduling conflicts). Due to its distinction as the season's final major, the PGA Championship is nicknamed "Glory's last shot". It is an official money event on the PGA Tour, the European Tour, and the Japan Golf Tour, with a purse of $7.5 million in 2008.
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 players of the sport. PGA champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open) 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.
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History
In 1894, although there were only 41 golf courses in the United States, two unofficial national amateur championships took place, one at Newport and the other at St.Andrew's Golf Club in Westchester County. St. Andrews conducted an Open championship for professionals at the same time as the amateur. These championships were not sanctioned by any governing body for American golf, and caused considerable controversy. This led to the formation of the United States Golf Association in 1894, after which the sport quickly became one of national popularity and importance.
In February 1916 the Professional Golfers Association was established in New York City. One month earlier, the wealthy department store owner Rodman Wanamaker hosted a luncheon at the Wykagyl Country Club in New Rochelle. This gathering of Wanamaker and the leading golf professionals of the day prepared the agenda for the formal organization of the PGA in New York City a month later. [1] The organizations first president was Robert White, one of Wykagyl's best known golf professionals of the time. Golf historians have dubbed Wykagyl "The Cradle of the PGA". [2]
The first PGA Championship was held in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Eastchester, New York. The winner, Jim Barnes, received $500 and a diamond studded gold medal donated by Rodman Wanamaker. The 2009 winner, Yang Yong-eun, earned $1.35 million. The champion is also awarded the Wanamaker Trophy, which was also donated by 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.
In 1971, the PGA was played in February in Florida, as the first major of the calendar year. Prior to the 1960s, the tournament was often played in late July, the week following the British Open, making it difficult for players to compete in both majors.
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 explicitly invite leading amateurs to compete (it is possible for amateurs to get into the field, although the only viable way is by winning one of the other major championships), 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 June.
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 of the top 100 (not just 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 on the PGA Tour (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
Stroke play era winners
Playoff runner-up:
- ^ "Wykagyl, 1898-1998"; Desmond Tollhurst and John Barban;Pages. 28,29,30
- ^ "Wykagyl, 1898-1998"; Desmond Tollhurst and John Barban;Pages. 1-2
- ^ Chris DiMarco and Justin Leonard (both United States)
- ^ Bob May (United States)
- ^ Kenny Perry (United States)
- ^ Colin Montgomerie (Scotland)
- ^ Greg Norman (Australia)
- ^ Lanny Wadkins (United States)
- ^ Ben Crenshaw (United States)
- ^ Tom Watson and Jerry Pate (both United States)
- ^ Gene Littler (United States)
- ^ Don Massengale (United States)
- ^ Don January (United States)
Match play era winners
^ 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 became a U.S. citizen in 1917.
- 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.
Match play 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. [2]
| 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 match play era: Paul Runyan beat Sam Snead 8 & 7 in 1938
- Greatest winning margin in the stroke play 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
- 2010 – Whistling Straits, Straits Course (Haven, Wisconsin)
- 2011 – Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course (Johns Creek, Georgia)
- 2012 – Kiawah Island Golf Resort, The Ocean Course (Kiawah Island, South Carolina)
- 2013 – Oak Hill Country Club, East Course (Pittsford, New York)
- 2014 – Valhalla Golf Club (Louisville, Kentucky)
- 2015 – Whistling Straits, Straits Course (Haven, Wisconsin)
- 2016 – Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course (Springfield, New Jersey)
Notes
- ^ The course has a Kohler postal address, but is located in the unincorporated community of Haven.
- ^ a b The club has a Rochester postal address, but is located in the adjacent town of Pittsford.
- ^ a b The club is in a portion of the Duluth postal area that became part of the newly incorporated city of Johns Creek in 2006. Although the club continues to be served by the Duluth post office, it now states its postal address as Johns Creek.
- ^ a b At that time, the club had a Louisville postal address, but was located in unincorporated Jefferson County. In 2003, the governments of Louisville and Jefferson County merged, putting the club within the political boundaries of Louisville.
- ^ a b Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in Los Angeles with its own postal identity.
- ^ The club has a St. Louis postal address, but is located in the suburb of Town and Country.
External links
- PGA Media Guide
- Official site-2009
- Official site-2008
- Official site-2007
- Official site-2006
- Official site-2005
- Official site-2004
- Official site-2003
- PGA History Exhibit
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