US PGA Championship History

Golfers and spectators make their way down the 5th fareway past the clock tower during a practice round 13 June 2001 in preparation for the 2001 US Open at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event runs 14-17 June . The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament held by the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) as part of the PGA Tour. Usually called the US PGA Championship, this prestigious tournament is the golf season's final major. One of four major men's golf championships, the 2008 PGA Championship is played every August and has been held at a number of different and famous courses over the years.

The PGA Championship has been around for almost a hundred years. First held in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York, the tournament has continued to attract top players with its promise of prestige and an enticing prize. In US PGA Championship history, the event has been held at a large number of venues, some of the early ones now quite obscure. Currently it is staged by one of a small group of celebrated courses, each of which has also hosted several other leading events.

Nicknamed “Glory's last shot”, the PGA Championship is an official money event on the PGA Tour, the European Tour and the Japan Golf Tour with prize money totalling $7 million in 2007. The 2007 winner, Tiger Woods, earned $1.26 million – a big jump from 1916 winner Jim Barnes' prize of $500! The champion is also awarded the Wanamaker Trophy, a much sought after treasure dating back almost nine decades. Read more about the highlights in US PGA Championship history and the many memorable moments spanning the nine decades of this incredible golf championship.

In line with the other majors, winning the PGA Championship gives a golfer several privileges which make his career much more secure, if he is not already one of the elite of the sport. PGA champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (the Masters, U.S. Open, and the Open Championship) for the next five years, and are exempt from qualifying for the PGA Championship for life. They also receive membership on the PGA Tour for the following five seasons and invitations to the Players Championship for five years. Read more about previous winners of the US PGA Championship.

Over the past nine decades, the PGA Championship has developed into one of the premier sporting events in the world. More than 100,000 people line the fairways of the nation's finest golf facilities during PGA Championship week to view the strongest, all-professional international field in major championship golf.

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