A look into the history of the PGA Championship

The PGA Championship is the third oldest of the major championships, dating back to 1916, but what is the history of the tournament?

1860 saw the beginning of the Open Championship, with the US Open then following in 1895. Two decades later, the PGA Championship was born.

The history of the PGA Championship begins with the founding of the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of America. The PGA of America was founded in February 1916, and just eight months later, the first edition of the tournament would take place.

Rodman Wanamaker, head of the department store Wanamaker’s, donated a gold medal complete with diamond studs for the winner of the tournament. England’s Jim Barnes would be the victor, also receiving $500 for becoming the first PGA Champion. The tournament was held at Siwanoy Country Club, the only time the venue held the event.

The trophy which is now given to the winners of the PGA Championship is named the Wanamaker Trophy after Rodman, with the winners receiving the real trophy for a year, before then getting a 9:10 scale replica to keep thereafter.

The trophy given out today is actually the second iteration following the original being ‘lost’ in the 1920s.

The Wanamaker Trophy became synonymous with Walter Hagen during that time. ‘The Father of American Golf’ lifted the trophy five times over the decade which included four straight wins between 1924 and 1927.

Hagen’s streak was eventually ended in 1928 by Leo Diegel, who defeated the five-time champion in the quarter-finals to upset the favourite and claim the title. But there was one slight problem. The Wanamaker Trophy had gone missing.

With the prospect of having to return the trophy apparently slipping his mind after a four-year reign, Hagen was forced to admit he had in fact lost the prestigious prize.

The story behind its disappearance remains a mystery. Hagen claimed the trophy had gone missing in the aftermath of his 1925 victory, when the 11-time major champion went out partying in Chicago and mistakenly left it in a taxi. All 28 inches and 27 pounds of it apparently not spotted by the departing taxi driver…

With Diegel still waiting, the PGA of America was forced to commission a duplicate trophy, the same one that is still used to this very day. Astonishingly, the original was discovered three years later in the cellar of Hagen’s club makers firm. Hagen’s lost property can today be seen on display at the PGA Historical Centre in Florida.

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For the first four decades of the tournament, the PGA Championship was played in a match play format. That was changed in 1958, with the tournament changing to the standard four-day, 72-hole stroke play format, after the PGA of America were somewhat forced into the change by network television broadcasters.

Until 1957, a stroke play qualifier led into a match play event. But after the edition that year lost money, a meeting in November led to the decision to convert to stroke play – a format that complements TV advertising.

During its match play phase, Hagen was the main man, winning the title five times. Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen were three-time winners, while Jim Barnes, Leo Diegel, Denny Shute, Paul Runyan, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan all claimed victory twice at the PGA Championship.

Sarazen remains the youngest ever winner of the tournament, just 20 years and 174 days old when he was victorious for the first time in 1922.

His victory in 1922 was the second completed leg of his career grand slam. He won the US Open earlier that year, followed by The Open Championship in 1932 and the Masters in 1935.

Within the first decade of the tournament becoming a stroke-play format, a pair of records were set. Arnold Palmer became the first man to shoot four rounds in the 60s at a major in 1964, while Julius Boros – at 48 years old – became the oldest major champion in 1968, a record he would hold for more than half a century.

Jack Nicklaus joined Hagen in winning the PGA Championship on five occasions, and he is the only man to do so during the stroke play era. 4 of the 15 majors won by Tiger Woods also came at the PGA, with Brooks Koepka winning his third title (and fifth major overall) in 2023.

2010 saw one of the biggest rules controversies in recent major championship history. Dustin Johnson‘s drive on the 72nd hole found a sandy area to the right of the fairway. Thinking it was a waste area, the American grounded his club and went on to make bogey. However, rules officials then informed him that the area was actually in play as a bunker, meaning he received a two-shot penalty for grounding his club, dropping him out of the play-off and into a tie for 5th place. Thankfully, Johnson would go on to win the US Open a few years later to break his major duck.

The tournament moved to a May spot in the calendar for the 2019 season, with the Players Championship reverting back to its original March slot. Since then, the tournament has been the second major of the year after the Masters.

As with most other facets of life, the PGA Championship had a weird feel to it in 2020. There were no fans in attendance at TPC Harding Park, as Collin Morikawa won his first major title, before dropping the lid of the Wanamaker Trophy in the presentation!

Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka lifted the Wanamaker Trophy in 2021, 2022 and 2023, with Koepka becoming just the third man to win the tournament three times in the stroke play era.

Mickelson’s victory saw him become the first player over the age of 50 to win a men’s major championship, defeating the field and Father Time at Kiawah Island in 2021.

The 2025 edition sees Quail Hollow host the tournament for a second time. Thomas won the event in 2017 at this venue. In total, 75 different venues have played host to the tournament over its lengthy history.

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