Every PGA Championship fact, stat, and record you’ll ever need!
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Get up to speed with everything worth knowing from the PGA Championship’s record book ahead of the action from Quail Hollow Golf Club.
From the most victories and appearances to the best and worst scores, we run through all the facts, figures, and records in the history of the PGA Championship, including the key stats from 2017’s edition held at this year’s host venue, Quail Hollow in North Carolina.
By the time you’ve finished reading this, you’ll be able to impress and annoy your playing partners in equal measure as you recount your encyclopedic knowledge of the PGA Championship.
Without further ado, let’s open the record book and dive straight in…
Who has won the PGA Championship the most times?
The great Jack Nicklaus tops the list of the most prolific PGA Championship winners with five Wanamaker Trophies to his name. Walter Hagan also accumulated five wins in the 1920s, however, the PGA Championship was then played under a matchplay format.
5 – Jack Nicklaus (1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980)
4 – Tiger Woods (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007)
3 – Gene Sarazen (1922, 1923, 1933)
3 – Sam Snead (1942, 1949, 1951)
3 – Brooks Koepka (2018, 2019, 2023)
Which venue has hosted the most PGA Championships?
Quail Hollow Golf Club has only hosted the PGA Championship once before, in 2017.
5 PGA Championships: Southern Hills Country Club – 1970, 1982, 1994, 2007, 2022
4 PGA Championships: Oak Hill Country Club, East Course – 1980, 2003, 2013, 2023
4 PGA Championships: Valhalla Golf Club – 1996, 2000, 2014, 2024
3 PGA Championships: Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course – 1981, 2001, 2011
3 PGA Championships: Firestone Country Club, South Course – 1960, 1966, 1975
3 PGA Championships: Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course – 1972, 1979, 2008
3 PGA Championships: Oakmont Country Club – 1922, 1951, 1978
3 PGA Championships: Whistling Straits, Straits Course – 2004, 2010, 2015
What is the largest PGA Championship winning margin?
Rory McIlroy destroyed the field in 2012 to win by eight strokes at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, eclipsing the previous record of seven strokes held by Jack Nicklaus from Oak Hill in 1980.
Here are Rory McIlroy’s finishes at Quail Hollow in his entire career (all Wells Fargo apart from 2017).
2010: 1, 2011: MC , 2012: T2, 2013: T10, 2014: T8, 2015: 1, 2016: T4, 2017: T22 (PGA), 2018: T16, 2019: T8, 2021: 1, 2022: 5, 2023: T47, 2024: 1
Who is the oldest and youngest winner of the PGA Championship?
Phil Mickelson became the oldest PGA Champion in 2021 (50 years, 11 months), with Gene Sarazen becoming the youngest in 1922 (20 years, 5 months).
How many wire-to-wire PGA Championship winners have there been?
There have been five players who have won the PGA Championship without relinquishing the first-round lead:
1964 – Bobby Nichols, Columbus CC
1971 – Jack Nicklaus, PGA National GC
1982 – Raymond Floyd, Southern Hills CC
1983 – Hal Sutton, Riviera CC
2019 – Brooks Koepka, Bethpage State Park Black Course
What are the lowest PGA Championship scores?
Lowest 72-hole aggregate: 263 (Xander Schauffele, 2024 Valhalla)
Lowest 72-hole in relation to par: 21 under (Xander Schauffele, 2024 Valhalla)
Lowest 18-hole round: 62 (Xander Schauffele, Rd. 1, 2024 Valhalla; Shane Lowry, Rd. 3, 2024 Valhalla)
Who has the most PGA Championship runner-up finishes?
The Golden Bear not only has the most PGA Championship wins, but is also the tournament’s most prolific runner-up with four second places.
4 – Jack Nicklaus (1964, 1965, 1974, 1983)
3 – Byron Nelson (1939, 1941, 1944)
3 – Billy Casper (1958, 1965, 1971)
3 – Arnold Palmer (1964, 1968, 1970)
3 – Lanny Wadkins (1982, 1984, 1987)
3 – Tiger Woods (2002, 2009, 2018)
How many non-Americans have won the PGA Championship?
The PGA Championship has historically been dominated by golfers from the United States, but seven other nationalities can all boast champions of their own, including Australia with three different winners in the event’s strokeplay era, the last being Jason Day in 2015.
How many times has there been a playoff at the PGA Championship?
The destiny of the Wanamaker Trophy has been decided via a playoff on 14 occasions, the last time being in 2022 when Justin Thomas ousted Will Zalatoris for his second PGA Championship.
How many players have successfully defended the PGA Championship?
Since the start of the strokeplay era in 1958, only two players have successfully retained the Wanamaker Trophy – Tiger Woods on two occasions (1999 & 2000; 2006 & 2007), and Brooks Koepka (2018 & 2019).
What are the best PGA Championship finishes by a PGA of America pro?
3 – 1971, Tommy Bolt (PGA National GC)
4 – 1969, Jimmy Wright (NCR CC)
T-4 – 1972, Sam Snead (Oakland Hills)
T-9 – 1973, Sam Snead (Canterbury GC)
T-11 – 1969, Don Bies (NCR CC)
T-11 – 1974, Tommy Aycock (Tanglewood Park GC)
T-11 – 1986, Lonnie Nielsen (Inverness Club)
T-12 – 1973, Denny Lyons (Canterbury GC)
T-15 – 2023, Michael Block (Oak Hill)
T-17 – 1988, Jay Overton (Oak Tree)
T-19 – 1990, Bob Boyd (Shoal Creek)
T-20 – 1972, Larry Wise (Oakland Hills)
Which players have the best cumulative score to par at Quail Hollow?
-102 – Rory McIlroy: 50 rounds
-47 – Ricky Fowler: 45 rounds
-44 – Phil Mickelson: 40 rounds
What is the lowest round recorded at Quail Hollow?
The lowest round score recorded at Quail Hollow Club is 61, recorded by Rory McIlroy in the third round of the 2015 Wells Fargo Championship. The lowest score recorded at the 2017 PGA Championship (at Quail Hollow Club) was 64, recorded by Francesco Molinari and Hideki Matsuyama, both in the second round.
What are the biggest 54-hole comebacks in PGA Championship history?
There have been five occasions where the PGA Championship has been won from more than five shots adrift after 54 holes.
7 shots – John Mahaffey, 1978 at Oakmont
6 shots – Bob Rosburg, 1959 at Minneapolis
6 shots – Lanny Wadkins, 1977 at Pebble Beach
6 shots – Payne Stewart, 1989 at Kemper Lakes
6 shots – Steve Elkington, 1995 at Riviera
How did the 2017 PGA Championship leaderboard finish at Quail Hollow?
1 – Justin Thomas, -8 (73, 66, 69, 68)
T2 – Francesco Molinari, -6 (73, 64, 74, 67)
T2 – Louis Oosthuizen, -6 (70, 67, 71, 70)
T2 – Patrick Reed, -6 (69, 73, 69, 67)
T5 – Rickie Fowler, -5 (69, 70, 73, 67)
T5 – Hideki Matsuyama, -5 (70, 64, 73, 72)
How big is the Wanamaker Trophy?
The Rodman Wanamaker Trophy is 27 inches from handle to head, weighing in at 34 pounds.
How many aces have there been at the PGA Championship?
There have been 49 recorded hole-in-ones in PGA Championship history, with Sebastian Sodeberg achieving the 49th in 2024 at Valhalla. Will Quail Hollow see the milestone 50th?
How long will Quail Hollow play at the 2025 PGA Championship?
Quail Hollow’s par-71 set-up will play 7,626 yards at this year’s championship, comprising 11 par-4s, four par-3s, and three par-5s. The shortest hole is the 184-yard 3rd hole, and the longest is the 592-yard 10th.
What are the largest 18, 36, and 54-hole leads at the PGA Championship?
Largest 18-hole lead: 3 shots (Dick Hart, 1963; Bobby Nichols, 1964; Raymond Floyd, 1982)
Largest 36-hole lead: 7 shots (Brooks Koepka, 2019)
Largest 54-hole lead: 7 shots (Brooks Koepka, 2019)
Who has made the most PGA Championship appearances?
In the strokeplay era, both Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus made 37 PGA Championship appearances each. Including the matchplay era, Sam Snead leads the way on 38.
Which players have the most top-10 finishes at the PGA Championship?
Including his five wins and four runner-up finishes, Jack Nicklaus holds the record for the most top-10 finishes at the PGA Championship.
15 – Jack Nicklaus
10 – Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson
9 – Tiger Woods
8 – Raymond Floyd, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Bill Casper
Who has made the most cuts at the PGA Championship?
Phil Mickelson is one cut away from standing alone as the player to have made the most PGA Championship cuts. The 2005 champion made 21 consecutive cuts between 1996 and 2016.
27 – Raymond Floyd, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson
25- Tom Watson
24 – Arnold Palmer, Hale Irwin
23 – Tom Kite, Jay Haas
Has an Englishman ever won the PGA Championship?
Englishman Jim Barnes won the first two PGA Championships (matchplay era), in 1916 and 1919, however, no player representing Great Britain has won this championship since.
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Rory McIlroy has a fantastic record at Quail Hollow.
