PGA Championship
 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location |
Charlotte, North Carolina in 2017 |
| Established | October 10, 1916 |
| Course(s) |
Quail Hollow Club in 2017 |
| Par | 72 in 2017 |
| Length | 7,442 yd (6,800 m) in 2017 |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) |
PGA Tour European Tour Japan Golf Tour |
| Format |
Stroke play (1958–present) Match play (1916–1957) |
| Prize fund | $10.0 million |
| Month played | August (July in 2016) |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 265 David Toms (2001) |
| To par |
−20* Jason Day (2015) *equals record for all majors |
| Current champion | |
 Jimmy Walker | |
 2016 PGA Championship | |
The PGA Championship (often referred to as the U.S. PGA Championship or U.S. PGA outside of the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers Association of America. It is one of the four major championships in professional golf, and it is the golf season's final major, played in mid-August on the third weekend prior to Labor Day weekend. (It was rescheduled for 2016 to late July to accommodate golf's return to the Olympics.) It is an official money event on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and Japan Golf Tour, with a purse of $10 million since the 97th edition in 2015.
In line with the other majors, winning "the PGA" gains privileges that improve career security. PGA champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, and The Open Championship) for the next five years, and are exempt from qualifying for the PGA Championship for life. They receive membership on the PGA and European Tours 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, including the U.S. Open and Ryder Cup.
History
In 1894, with 41 golf courses operating in the United States, two unofficial national championships for amateur golfers were organized. One was held at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island, and the other at St. Andrew's Golf Club in New York. In addition, and at the same time as the amateur event, St. Andrew's conducted an Open championship for professional golfers. None of the championships was officially sanctioned by a governing body for American golf, causing considerable controversy among players and organizers. Later in 1894 this led to the formation of the United States Golf Association (USGA), which became the first formal golf organization in the country. After the formation of the USGA, golf quickly became a sport of national popularity and importance.
In February 1916 the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) was established in New York City. One month earlier, the wealthy department store owner Rodman Wanamaker hosted a luncheon with the leading golf professionals of the day at the Wykagyl Country Club in nearby New Rochelle. The attendees prepared the agenda for the formal organization of the PGA;[1] consequently, golf historians have dubbed Wykagyl "The Cradle of the PGA."[2] The new organization's first president was Robert White, one of Wykagyl's best-known golf professionals.
The first PGA Championship was held in October 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York.[3] The winner, Jim Barnes, received $500 and a diamond-studded gold medal donated by Rodman Wanamaker. The 2016 winner, Jimmy Walker, earned $1.8 million. The champion is also awarded a replica of the Wanamaker Trophy, which was also donated by Wanamaker, to keep for one year, and a smaller-sized keeper replica Wanamaker Trophy.[4][5]
Format
Initially a match play event, the PGA Championship was originally played in early fall but varied from May to December. Following World War II, the championship was mostly played in late May or late June, then moved to early July in 1953 and a few weeks later in 1954, with the finals played on Tuesday. As a match play event (with a stroke play qualifier), it was not uncommon for the finalists to play over 200 holes in seven days. The 1957 event lost money,[6] and at the PGA meetings in November it was changed to stroke play, starting in 1958, with the standard 72-hole format of 18 holes per day for four days, Thursday to Sunday. Network television broadcasters, preferring a large group of well-known contenders on the final day, pressured the PGA of America to make the format change.[7]
During the 1960s, the PGA Championship was played the week following The Open Championship five times, making it virtually impossible for players to compete in both majors. In 1965, the PGA was contested for the first time in August, and returned in 1969, save for a one-year move to late February in 1971, played in Florida. The 2016 event was moved to late July, two weeks after the Open Championship, to accommodate the Olympics in August.
Location
The PGA Championship is primarily played in the eastern half of the United States, only ten times has it ventured west. It was last played in the Pacific time zone 18 years ago in 1998, at Sahalee east of Seattle, and California's most recent was in 1995 at Riviera. (The Mountain time zone has hosted three, all in suburban Denver, in 1941, 1967, and 1985.) The 102nd edition in 2020 is scheduled for TPC Harding Park in San Francisco,[8][9] the first for the Bay Area and a return to California after a quarter century.
Through 2015, the state of New York has hosted twelve times, followed by Ohio (11) and Pennsylvania (9).
Promotion
In the mid-1990s, with the prestige of the tournament lacking, the PGA of America designed a marketing campaign around the fact that the PGA Championship was the final chance to become a major champion for the year. This campaign included the slogan "Glory's last shot" being applied to the championship, used in all promotional material and even in CBS's telecast opens. This made the PGA the only one of the major championships, or any professional golf tournament, to have a full-time marketing slogan. Other tournaments, most notably The Open Championship, have had numerous short-lived promotional taglines but they have never been used outside of commercials, and certainly not on the telecast of the tournament itself. The slogan drew scorn from golf writers due to the perceived cheesiness of having a slogan for a tournament, and the fact that the Championship's prestige had only slipped more since the slogan was instituted. Nonetheless, the slogan continued to be used through the 2013 PGA Championship.
After the 2013 event, the PGA of America made a deal with the PGA Tour. If the Tour would arrange its schedule to give players more rest before the PGA of America's Ryder Cup, then the PGA of America would stop using "Glory's last shot" to refer to the PGA Championship, so that the stature of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup would be bolstered.
The deal went into effect in 2014, but although many of the same golf writers that had criticized "Glory's last shot" were now satisfied that the PGA Championship would drop its tagline, the PGA of America announced that it would instead be replaced by a new tagline: "This is major". The new tagline has drawn even more scorn due to the fact that it appears to be a desperate attempt to remind the viewing public that the PGA is indeed a major championship.
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 that does not explicitly invite leading amateurs to compete (it is possible for amateurs to get into the field, although the only viable ways are by winning one of the other major championships, or winning a PGA Tour event while playing on a sponsor's exemption), and the only one that 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 December 1968, the PGA Tour has been independent of the PGA of America.[10][11][12]
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 Ranking, although it invariably invites all of the top 100 (not just top 50) players who are not already qualified.
List of qualification criteria as of 2010:
- 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 and European Ryder Cup Teams, provided they are in the top 100 of 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 (does not include pro-am and team competitions, but does include alternate events).
- 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
.svg.png){kind=small}
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 1920.
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.[14]
| Years | Field size | Qualification | 18 hole rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916–21 | 32 | sectional* | |
| 1922 | 64 | sectional | 1st two rounds |
| 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 four rounds |
| 1957 | 128 | sectional | 1st four rounds, consolation matches (3rd-8th place) |
* In 1921, the field consisted of the defending champion and the top 31 qualifiers from the 1921 U.S. Open.
Summary by course, state and region
| Course/State/Region | Number | State No. | Region No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Hill Country Club | 1 | ||
| Total Massachusetts | 1 | ||
| Wannamoisett Country Club | 1 | ||
| Total Rhode Island | 1 | ||
| Total New England | 2 | ||
| Baltusrol Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Seaview Country Club | 1 | ||
| Total New Jersey | 2 | ||
| Engineers Country Club | 1 | ||
| Fresh Meadow Country Club | 1 | ||
| Inwood Country Club | 1 | ||
| Oak Hill Country Club | 3 | ||
| Pelham Country Club | 1 | ||
| Pomonok Country Club | 1 | ||
| Salisbury Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Siwanoy Country Club | 1 | ||
| The Park Country Club | 1 | ||
| Winged Foot Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Total New York | 12 | ||
| Aronimink Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Hershey Country Club | 1 | ||
| Laurel Valley Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Llanerch Country Club | 1 | ||
| Oakmont Country Club | 3 | ||
| Pittsburgh Field Club | 1 | ||
| The Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort | 1 | ||
| Total Pennsylvania | 9 | ||
| Total Mid-Atlantic | 23 | ||
| PGA National Golf Club | 1 | ||
| PGA National Resort & Spa | 1 | ||
| Total Florida | 2 | ||
| Atlanta Athletic Club | 3 | ||
| Total Georgia | 3 | ||
| Baltimore Country Club | 1 | ||
| Congressional Country Club | 1 | ||
| Total Maryland | 2 | ||
| Pinehurst Resort | 1 | ||
| Tanglewood Park | 1 | ||
| Total North Carolina | 2 | ||
| Kiawah Island Golf Resort | 1 | ||
| Total South Carolina | 1 | ||
| Hermitage Country Club | 1 | ||
| Total Virginia | 1 | ||
| Total South Atlantic | 11 | ||
| Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club | 2 | ||
| Total Alabama | 2 | ||
| Big Spring Country Club | 1 | ||
| Valhalla Golf Club | 2 | ||
| Total Kentucky | 3 | ||
| Total East South Central | 5 | ||
| Oak Tree Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Southern Hills Country Club | 4 | ||
| Twin Hills Golf & Country Club | 1 | ||
| Total Oklahoma | 6 | ||
| Cedar Crest Country Club | 1 | ||
| Dallas Athletic Club | 1 | ||
| Pecan Valley Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Total Texas | 3 | ||
| Total West South Central | 9 | ||
| Flossmoor Country Club | 1 | ||
| Kemper Lakes Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Medinah Country Club | 2 | ||
| Olympia Fields Country Club | 2 | ||
| Total Illinois | 6 | ||
| Crooked Stick Golf Club | 1 | ||
| French Lick Springs Resort | 1 | ||
| Total Indiana | 2 | ||
| Birmingham Country Club | 1 | ||
| Meadowbrook Country Club | 1 | ||
| Oakland Hills Country Club | 3 | ||
| Plum Hollow Country Club | 1 | ||
| Total Michigan | 6 | ||
| Canterbury Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Columbus Country Club | 1 | ||
| Firestone Country Club | 3 | ||
| Inverness Club | 2 | ||
| Miami Valley Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Moraine Country Club | 1 | ||
| NCR Country Club | 1 | ||
| Scioto Country Club | 1 | ||
| Total Ohio | 11 | ||
| Blue Mound Golf & Country Club | 1 | ||
| Whistling Straits | 3 | ||
| Total Wisconsin | 4 | ||
| Total East North Central | 29 | ||
| Hazeltine National Golf Club | 2 | ||
| Keller Golf Course | 2 | ||
| Minneapolis Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Total Minnesota | 5 | ||
| Bellerive Country Club | 1 | ||
| Norwood Hills Country Club | 1 | ||
| Total Missouri | 2 | ||
| Total West North Central | 7 | ||
| Cherry Hills Country Club | 2 | ||
| Columbine Country Club | 1 | ||
| Total Colorado | 3 | ||
| Total Mountain | 3 | ||
| Hillcrest Country Club | 1 | ||
| Pebble Beach Golf Links | 1 | ||
| Riviera Country Club | 2 | ||
| Total California | 4 | ||
| Portland Golf Club | 1 | ||
| Total Oregon | 1 | ||
| Manito Golf and Country Club | 1 | ||
| Sahalee Country Club | 1 | ||
| Total Washington | 2 | ||
| Total Pacific | 7 |
Records
- Most wins: 5, Jack Nicklaus, Walter Hagen
- Most runner-up finishes: 4, Jack Nicklaus
- 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: 8 strokes, Rory McIlroy in 2012
- Lowest absolute 72-hole score: 265, David Toms (66-65-65-69), 2001
- Lowest 72-hole score in relation to par: –20, Jason Day (68-67-66-67=268) in 2015
- This is the lowest score in relation to par at any major championship.
- Toms' 2001 score was −15. The 2001 site, the Highlands Course at Atlanta Athletic Club, played to par 70, while the 2015 site, the Straits Course at Whistling Straits, played to par 72. (The Highlands Course also played to par 70 when it hosted in 1981 and 2011, and the Straits Course also played to par 72 when it hosted in 2004 and 2010.)
- 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; Steve Stricker, 1st, 2011; Jason Dufner, 2nd, 2013; Hiroshi Iwata, 2nd, 2015.
- Most frequent venues:
- 4 PGA Championships: Southern Hills Country Club – 1970, 1982, 1994, 2007.
- 3 PGA Championships: Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course – 1981, 2001, 2011.
- 3 PGA Championships: Firestone Country Club, South Course – 1960, 1966, 1975.
- 3 PGA Championships: Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course – 1972, 1979, 2008.
- 3 PGA Championships: Oakmont Country Club – 1922, 1951, 1978.
- 3 PGA Championships: Oak Hill Country Club, East Course – 1980, 2003, 2013.
- 3 PGA Championships: Valhalla Golf Club – 1996, 2000, 2014.
- 3 PGA Championships: Whistling Straits, Straits Course – 2004, 2010, 2015.
Future sites
| Year | Edition | Course | Location | Dates | Hosted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 99th | Quail Hollow Club | Charlotte, North Carolina | August TBA | Never |
| 2018 | 100th | Bellerive Country Club | Town and Country, Missouri | August TBA | 1992 |
| 2019 | 101st | Bethpage State Park, Black Course | Farmingdale, New York[N 7] | August TBA | Never |
| 2020 | 102nd | TPC Harding Park[15] | San Francisco, California | TBD | Never |
| 2021 | 103rd | Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Ocean Course | Kiawah Island, South Carolina | August TBA | 2012 |
| 2022 | 104th | Trump National Golf Club | Bedminster, New Jersey | TBD | Never |
| 2023 | 105th | Oak Hill Country Club | Rochester, New York | TBD | 1980, 2003, 2013 |
Source:[9]
* The 2016 championship is scheduled earlier than usual to avoid conflict with the Olympic golf tournament in Brazil. Similarly, the 2020 event will adjust for the Olympics.
See also
Notes
- 1 2 3 The course has a Kohler postal address, but is located in the unincorporated community of Haven.
- 1 2 3 The club has a Rochester postal address, but is located in the adjacent town of Pittsford.
- 1 2 3 The club is in a portion of the postal area of Duluth 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.
- 1 2 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.
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ Most of the course lies within the hamlet of Old Bethpage, however Bethpage State Park has a Farmingdale postal address.
References
- ↑ Wykagyl, 1898-1998; by Desmond Tollhurst and John Barban; pages 28-30
- ↑ Wykagyl, 1898-1998 by Desmond Tollhurst and John Barban; pp. 1-2
- ↑ "History of the PGA Championship". PGA of America. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Shootout at Shoal Creek". Times Daily. Florence, Alabama. August 16, 1984. p. 14A.
- ↑ "An overview of the event". Toledo Blade. Ohio. 75th PGA Championship (insert). August 8, 1993. p. 8.
- ↑ "Medal play in pro golf slated". Time-News. Hendersonville, North Carolina. United Press. November 15, 1957. p. 8.
- ↑ Barkow, Al (1974). Golf's Golden Grind: A History of the PGA Tour. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 978-0151908851.
- ↑ Shackelford, Geoff (June 26, 2014). "San Francisco's Harding Park to host 2020 PGA Championship". Golf Digest. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- 1 2 "Future sites of the PGA Championship". PGA of America. August 31, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ↑ "Tour golfers, PGA settle fuss over tourney control". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. December 14, 1968. p. 15.
- ↑ "Pro golf struggle is settled; PGA forms tourney group". Milwaukee Journal. December 14, 1968. p. 18.
- ↑ "Dispute in U.S. settled". Glasgow Herald. December 16, 1968. p. 5.
- ↑ "PGA of America - PGA Championships - history - total purses and first prize money". Retrieved August 2, 2011.
- ↑ PGA Media Guide
- ↑ "TPC Harding Park to host three big events". PGA Tour. July 2, 2014.
External links
- PGA Media Guide
- PGA Championship Media Guide 2012
- Official site-2015
- Official site-2014
- Official site-2013
- Official site-2012
- Official site-2011
- Official site-2010
- Official site-2009
- Official site-2008
- Official site-2007
- Official site-2006
- Official site-2005
- Official site-2004
- Official site-2003
- PGA History Exhibit