PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is one of the four major championships in men’s professional golf, contested annually each May and run by the PGA of America. It is the only major exclusively for professional players, with no amateur entry permitted.
What is the PGA Championship?
The PGA Championship is golf’s second major of the calendar year, sitting between the Masters in April and the U.S. Open in June. It has been played since 1916, when Jim Barnes won the inaugural event at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York, taking home $500 and a diamond-studded medal donated by department store owner Rodman Wanamaker.
The tournament is organised by the PGA of America, a body of roughly 30,000 club and teaching professionals. That makes the PGA Championship distinct in purpose from the other three majors: it was created to give professional golfers a high-profile event of their own at a time when the sport was largely run by wealthy amateurs. That origin still shapes the entry rules today.
The winner takes home the Wanamaker Trophy, a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, a seven-year membership on the DP World Tour, and lifetime eligibility for the PGA Championship itself. In 2026, Aaron Rai of England won the 108th edition at Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia, finishing 9-under 274 for a three-stroke victory and a $3.69 million payday from a record $20.5 million purse.
How the PGA Championship works
The tournament runs Thursday through Sunday over four rounds of 18 holes each, totalling 72 holes of stroke play. A 36-hole cut narrows the field after Friday: the top 70 players and ties move on to the weekend, while the rest go home.
A maximum of 156 players make the field. Whoever has the lowest total score after 72 holes wins. If two or more players are tied at the end of regulation, the PGA of America uses a three-hole aggregate playoff to decide the title; if players remain tied after that, it goes to sudden death.
The PGA Championship was a match play event from 1916 until 1957, with golfers competing head-to-head in individual matches rather than racing for the lowest 72-hole score. The PGA of America switched to stroke play in 1958, partly under pressure from television broadcasters who wanted a leaderboard full of contenders on the final day. Since 2019, the tournament has been played in May; before that, it closed out the major season in August.
PGA Championship vs PGA Tour event
The single biggest source of confusion around the PGA Championship is its name. The PGA Championship and a regular PGA Tour event are run by two different organisations, and they have been since 1968, when tour professionals broke away from the PGA of America to form what became the PGA Tour.
A clean comparison:
| Feature | PGA Championship | Regular PGA Tour event |
| Organised by | PGA of America | PGA Tour |
| Status | Major championship | Regular tour stop (or signature event) |
| Frequency | Once per year, in May | Almost weekly through the season |
| Field | 156 max, mostly tour pros plus 20 club pros | Varies; usually 120–156 tour pros |
| Trophy | Wanamaker Trophy | Tournament-specific trophy |
| 2026 purse | $20.5 million | Typically $9–$20 million |
| Career impact | Major title, lifetime PGA exemption | Tour win, two-year PGA Tour exemption |
The PGA of America is a membership body for club and teaching professionals, which is why 20 places in the PGA Championship field are reserved for the top finishers at the PGA Professional Championship each year. No regular PGA Tour event reserves slots for club pros in that way.
How it fits among the four majors
Men’s professional golf has four major championships. Winning any of them is a career-defining achievement. Winning all four, in any order across a career, is called the career Grand Slam and has been done by only six players in golf history, according to Britannica:
- Gene Sarazen (completed 1935)
- Ben Hogan (1953)
- Gary Player (1965)
- Jack Nicklaus (1966)
- Tiger Woods (2000)
- Rory McIlroy (2025)
Here is how the four majors compare:
| Major | Established | Month | Organiser | Where played | Amateurs allowed? |
| Masters Tournament | 1934 | April | Augusta National Golf Club | Augusta National (same course every year) | Yes |
| PGA Championship | 1916 | May | PGA of America | Different US course each year | No |
| U.S. Open | 1895 | June | USGA | Different US course each year | Yes (via qualifying) |
| The Open Championship | 1860 | July | The R&A | Rotating UK links courses | Yes (via qualifying) |
Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson each hold three of the four major titles but never won the PGA Championship, according to Golf Digest. Among active players, Jordan Spieth is in the same position. He owns wins at the Masters and U.S. Open, along with an Open Championship, but the Wanamaker has eluded him so far.
The Wanamaker Trophy and winner exemptions
The Wanamaker Trophy is the largest trophy of any men’s major, standing nearly 2.5 feet tall and weighing 27 pounds, according to Wikipedia. It is named for Rodman Wanamaker, the businessman who hosted the meeting in 1916 that led to the formation of the PGA of America and who donated the trophy and original prize fund.
The champion keeps the original trophy for one year before returning it for the next tournament. They also receive a smaller replica to keep permanently. Beyond the trophy, the 2026 winner’s package included $3.69 million in prize money, a lifetime exemption into the PGA Championship, and five-year exemptions into the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and The Players Championship, per the PGA of America.
Recent PGA Championship champions
A snapshot of the last five years gives a sense of the modern field:
| Year | Winner | Score | Venue |
| 2026 | Aaron Rai | 274 (−9) | Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square, PA |
| 2025 | Scottie Scheffler | 273 (−11) | Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, NC |
| 2024 | Xander Schauffele | 263 (−21) | Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, KY |
| 2023 | Brooks Koepka | 271 (−9) | Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, NY |
| 2022 | Justin Thomas | 275 (−5) | Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, OK |
Xander Schauffele’s 263 in 2024 is the lowest 72-hole score in PGA Championship history, and his −21 mark is the lowest in relation to par at any of golf’s four majors, per Wikipedia.
Related Golf Terms
- Penalty stroke — An additional stroke added to a player’s score due to a rule infraction.
- Pete Dye design — A golf course designed by the renowned architect Pete Dye, known for challenging features
- Parkland course — An inland course with manicured fairways, mature trees, and lush grass.
- Penalty area — Areas marked by red or yellow stakes where special rules apply (formerly water hazards).
- Perched lie — A ball sitting up high on top of the grass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has won the most PGA Championships?
Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen share the record with five wins each. Nicklaus also holds the record for the most runner-up finishes, with four.
Can amateurs play in the PGA Championship?
No. The PGA Championship is the only major closed to amateurs. The Masters, U.S. Open, and Open Championship all admit qualified amateur golfers.
Who is the youngest player to win the PGA Championship?
Gene Sarazen, who won in 1922 at Oakmont Country Club aged 20 years and 174 days, according to the PGA of America.
Who is the oldest player to win the PGA Championship?
Phil Mickelson, who won at Kiawah Island in 2021, aged 50 years and 11 months. That also made him the oldest player to win any of the four men’s majors.
Why is the PGA Championship sometimes called the US PGA?
Outside the United States, the tournament is often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA to distinguish it from other national PGA bodies and their own events, such as the PGA Professional Championship run by the PGA in Britain.
Sources
- Wikipedia. “PGA Championship.” Accessed May 21, 2026.
- PGA of America. “Aaron Rai wins the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink.” May 17, 2026.
- Britannica. “PGA Championship.” Updated May 19, 2026.
- Britannica. “Gene Sarazen.” Accessed May 21, 2026.
- Golf Digest. “PGA Championship 2026: Answering the most frequently asked questions.” May 6, 2026.
- CBS Sports. “2026 PGA Championship prize money, purse: Payouts for Aaron Rai.” May 18, 2026.
- CBS News. “Aaron Rai wins PGA Championship for his first major title.” May 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia. “Men’s major golf championships.” Accessed May 21, 2026.
