| Pga Championship |
Article Index for Pga |
Website Links For Pga Championship |
Information AboutPga Championship |
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 , 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. The PGA Championship has been held at a large number of venues, some of the early ones now quite obscure, but currently 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 held in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville , New York . The winner, Jim Barnes , received $ 500. The 2007 winner, Tiger Woods , earned $ 1.26 million. The champion is also awarded the Wanamaker Trophy, which was donated by Rodman Wanamaker . Initially a Match Play event, the tournament changed to Stroke Play in 1958. Network broadcasters, preferring a large group of well-known contenders on the final day, are sometimes accused of pressuring tournament organizers to make the format change. 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 Amateur s to compete, and the only one which reserves a large number of places, 20 of 156, for club professionals. These slots are determined by the top finishers in the Club Pro Championship , which is held in July. Since 1968 , the PGA Tour has been independent of the PGA Of America . The PGA Tour is an elite organization 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:
WINNERS Strokeplay era winners Playoff losers: Matchplay era winners ^ 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:
If these British-born players are excluded, then the PGA Championship is the only one of the four majors never to have been won by a European. Multiple winners The following men have won the PGA Championship more than once through 2007. 5 wins:
4 wins:
3 wins:
2 wins:
National summary MATCHPLAY ERA DETAILS The table below lists the field sizes and qualification methods for the match play era. All rounds were played over 36 holes except as noted in the table. {Link without Title}
RECORDS
FUTURE TOURNAMENT SITES
EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|