The PGA Championship: History and Greatest Moments
The PGA Championship is the fourth major in the calendar — played in May since 2019, previously in August — and the one most explicitly focused on professional golf's practitioner community. It is run by the PGA of America (the organization representing club professionals and teaching pros) rather than a governing body, and the field has historically included more club professionals than the other majors. It is the major most likely to produce a first-time champion and the one whose venue rotation has produced the most dramatic locations.
The Match Play Era: 1916-1957
The PGA Championship was played as match play — head-to-head competition rather than stroke play — from its inception in 1916 through 1957. The match play format favored players with strong competitive temperaments over those with the consistency required to survive four rounds of stroke play against a full field. Walter Hagen won five PGA Championships between 1921 and 1927; Gene Sarazen won twice; Sam Snead won three times in the final decade of the match-play era.
The switch to stroke play in 1958 changed the tournament's character significantly, bringing it more in line with the US Open and Masters and making it more accessible to television audiences who could follow aggregate scoring without understanding bracket competition.
Greatest Strokeplay Champions
Jack Nicklaus won five PGA Championships (1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980) — more than any player in the strokeplay era and a record that reflects his consistency across the most variable of the four majors in terms of venues. Tiger Woods won four (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007), three of them in a seven-year window that constitutes the most dominant PGA Championship run of the modern era. Phil Mickelson became the oldest major champion in history at the 2021 PGA at Kiawah Island.
Kiawah Island: The Most Dramatic Venue
The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island has hosted the PGA Championship twice — 1991 (the War by the Shore Ryder Cup) and 2021 (Mickelson's historic win) — and is scheduled for a third hosting. Pete Dye's design plays entirely exposed to the Atlantic wind, with ocean views from nearly every hole and prevailing winds that can add or subtract 40 yards from approach shots depending on the daily conditions. The 2021 PGA Championship, played in May with full sea wind, produced some of the most dramatic scoring conditions of any modern major.
The Wanamaker Trophy
The Wanamaker Trophy — the PGA Championship's prize — is the largest of the four major championship trophies. At 28 inches tall and approximately 27 pounds, it cannot be taken home by the champion; a replica is provided. The original trophy has been in circulation since 1925 and has been lost twice — once by John Daly in the trunk of a taxi cab after his 1991 win, recovered the following day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the PGA Championship called the fourth major?
The PGA Championship is called "the fourth major" because it is generally considered fourth in prestige and tradition among the four major championships, behind the Masters, US Open, and Open Championship. This ordering reflects the tournament's later conversion to stroke play (1958) and its administrative origin as a club professional organization's tournament rather than a governing body championship.
Who has won the most PGA Championships?
Walter Hagen won the most PGA Championships overall with five wins, all in the match-play era (1921-1927). In the strokeplay era, Jack Nicklaus leads with five wins (1963-1980).