The PGA Championship

In 1916, the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) became established in New York City and hosted the first PGA Championship at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York.

Since then, the golf major has moved to various courses throughout the country, most of them in the eastern part of the U.S.

Below are the key stats and info you need to get prepared for the upcoming PGA Championship.  

When is the PGA Championship?

Once the fourth and final major of the year, the PGA championship moved from mid-August to the weekend before Memorial Day in 2019. Now the four-day tournament in May is the second golf major of the season.

Where is the PGA Championship?

Aside from the Masters, each of golf’s majors rotates its course location. The PGA Championship is often played in the eastern half of the United States, and only 10 times has it taken place out west.

The state of New York has hosted the most PGA Championships (13), while the competition has been held in Ohio 11 times and another nine in Pennsylvania.

Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has served as the event venue more times (four) than any other course. 

What is the PGA Championship format?

The PGA Championship originally began as a match-play tournament, until the committee decided to change it to a stroke-play event in 1958.

The competition is played from Thursday through Sunday under the standard 72-hole format of 18 holes per day.

Each hole is given a par, or the number of strokes it should take to get the ball in the hole, and scores are determined by how many strokes over or under par the golfer went. The player who used the least number of strokes to complete the course is named the winner.

The top 70 players (including ties) after the first 36 holes make the cut and advance to the weekend rounds on Saturday and Sunday.

Who is playing in the PGA Championship?

The PGA Championship is the only major whose field is made up exclusively of professionals. Each year 156 players earn a spot in the event through one or several criteria.

The event is the only major that does not guarantee entry to the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. Any former PGA champion is automatically offered an invite, while winners of the past five U.S. Opens, Masters, and Open Championships receive an entry. The top 70 players in official money standings on the PGA Tour are also allowed to compete.

Who has won the PGA Championship?

Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus are tied for the most PGA Championship titles (5). Hagen won his in 1921 and from 1924-27. Nicklaus collected his first in 1963 and last in 1980. Tiger Woods has hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy four times, while Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen have done so three times. Sarazen is also the youngest to win, at age 20 years and 174 days old.

More recently, Brooks Koepka won back to back in 2018 and 2019.

What is the name of the PGA Championship trophy?

Named after golfer and businessman Rodman Wanamaker, the Wanamaker Trophy is given to the PGA Championship winner. The champion is awarded a replica of the award to keep for one year, plus a smaller-sized replica that he can hold onto permanently.

Five-time champion Walter Hagen claimed to have lost the original trophy in a taxi sometime around 1925. Suspiciously, in 1930 the trophy was found in an unmarked case in Detroit in the basement of L.A. Young & Company, who made Hagen's golf clubs.

The PGA retired the original and now gives the duplicate to the champion. 

What is the purse for the PGA Championship?

The tournament prize money has increased over time, with last year's purse totaling $11 million. In 2019 Brooks Koepka earned $1,980,000 as the champion, while second-place finisher Tiger Woods collected $1,188,000, and Adam Scott earned $748,000 in third place.

How can I watch the PGA Championship?

You can catch all the action of the PGA Championship on CBS, or watch via live stream at PGA.com or CBSSports.com.