List of PGA Championship Champions

List Of PGA Championship Champions

The PGA Championship is an annual golf competition held in mid-August. It was established in 1916 and one of the four major championships played each year which include the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the Open Championship (British Open). In addition, this championship is conducted by the Professional Golfers Association (PGA). Due to World War I and II, the competition was not held from 1917 to 1918 and in 1943, respectively.

The reigning champion of the competition is automatically invited to play in the other three majors for the next five years, and is exempt from qualifying for the PGA Championship for life. The champion also receives membership on the PGA Tour for the following five years and invitations to The Players Championship for five years. The prize of the tournament is the Wanamaker Trophy, which the champion keeps until the following year's competition. The PGA Championship was originally a match play event, however, in 1958 it was changed to a stroke play event.

Walter Hagen (match play) and Jack Nicklaus (stroke play) hold the record for the most victories; both men have won the competition five times. Hagen holds the record for most consecutive wins in match play with four (1924–27), and Tiger Woods holds the record for most consecutive wins in stroke play with two, which he did this twice (1999–2000, 2006–07). Julius Boros is the oldest winner of the PGA Championship; he was 48 years, 142 days old when he won in 1968. The youngest winner of the PGA Championship is Gene Sarazen, who was 20 years, 174 days old when he won in 1922. David Toms holds the record for the lowest score over 72 holes, which is 265. Tiger Woods holds the distinction of being the most strokes under par for 72 holes, being 18 strokes under par (-18) when he won in 2000 and 2006. The PGA Championship has had three wire-to-wire champions: Bobby Nichols in 1964, Raymond Floyd in 1982, and Hal Sutton in 1983. Two others have led wire-to-wire if ties after a round are counted: Floyd in 1969 and Woods in 2000.