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In line with the other majors, winning the PGA 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 , US Open and British Open ) 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. The Championship has been held at a large number of venues, some of the early ones now quite obscure, but nowadays it is usually staged by one of a small group of celebrated courses, each of which has also hosted several other leading events. HISTORY The first PGA Championship was in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville , New York . The trophy was donated by Rodman Wanamaker , and is known as the Wanamaker Trophy. It was initially a match play event, and it moved to a stroke play format in 1958 . It is sometimes said that this was a result of pressure from televsion, which prefers to see as many famous players as possible in contention on the final day. The first winner, Jim Barnes , received $500 (US) in 1916 , while 2005 winner Phil Mickelson received $1.17 million (US). QUALIFICATION The PGA Championship was established for the purpose of providing a high profile tournament specifically for professional golfers at a time when they were generally not held in high esteem in a sport that was largely run by wealthy amateurs. This origin is still reflected in the entry system for the Championship. It is the only major which does not invite leading amateurs to compete, and the only one which reserves a large number of places, 25 out of 156, for club professionals. The PGA Tour is now independent of the PGA Of America , and it is an elite organisation of Tournament Professionals , but the PGA Championship is still run by the PGA of America, which is mainly a body for club and teaching professionals. The PGA Championship is the only major that does not explicitly grant entry to the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings , although it invariably invites all top-50 players who are not already qualified. List of qualification criteria:
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS Strokeplay era winners Playoff losers: ^ These players were British born, but they were based in the United States when they won the PGA Championship, and they became U.S. citizens:
Multiple winners The following men have won the PGA Championship more than once through 2005. 5 wins:
4 wins: None. 3 wins:
2 wins:
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