2017 PGA Championship Frequently Asked Questions
PGA of America
It's not often that the short-term future of a major championships is uncertain. Yet that's the situation facing the PGA Championship, where officials with the PGA of America are mulling whether to move the tournament from its usual August dates to May as part of a broader overhaul of the PGA Tour's calendar. If the event does move from the date it has held since 1973, it will no long be the final major of the calendar year but will move up to the No. 2 position after the Masters and before the U.S. Open. A decision is anticipated some time soon with any change not likely to occur until 2020.
In the meantime, there are a handful of specific storyline surrounding this year's event that offer intrigue: Can Rory McIlroy catch fire at a course he's been known to dominate when it has hosted the PGA Tour's Wells Fargo Championship? Can Jordan Spieth, fresh off his win at the British Open, claim the career grand slam with a victory? Can former PGA Championship winner Jason Day salvage his 2017 season? Will Dustin Johnson return to the form he found before his freak injury at the Masters?
Beside these storylines are a host of more frequently asked questions regarding the PGA Championship that we're ready to answer with certainty.
When and where is the PGA Championship being held in 2017?
The 99th PGA Championship is being held at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., on Aug. 10-13. It will be the first time Quail Hollow, regularly the site of the PGA Tour's Wells Fargo Championship, is hosting a major. The course will play as a par 71 at 7,600 yards.
Did Quail Hollow host the Wells Fargo Championship this season?
No, Quail Hollow did not host the Wells Fargo this season. It was held in May at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C., and won by Brian Harman.
Who conducts the PGA Championship?
The Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) of America conducts the event.
Are the PGA Tour and the PGA of America different?
Yes, the PGA Tour and the PGA of America have been independent of one another since 1968. The PGA Tour is an elite organization of tournament professionals, while the PGA of America is made up of club and teaching professionals.
When is the PGA Championship traditionally played?
The PGA Championship is typically played in mid-August. However, officials with the PGA of America are thinking about moving the championship to May as part of an arrangement with the PGA Tour to overhaul the entire tour calendar.
When and where was the first PGA Championship? And who won?
The first PGA Championship was played in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, N.Y. England's Jim Barnes won, 1 up, over Jock Hutchinson.
That's a match-play score. When did the PGA use a match-play format?
From 1916 to 1957, the PGA Championship was a match-play event with a stroke-play qualifier, and it was not uncommon for players to play more than 200 holes in seven days. Starting in 1958, the PGA Championship switched to the standard 72-hole, stroke-play format. America's Dow Finsterwald won the first stroke-play version of the event in 1958 at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pa.
How many players are in the field?
There are 156 players in the field at the PGA Championship, with 20 of those spots reserved for club professionals.
How do club professionals earn one of the 20 spots?
The 20 spots reserved for club professionals in the PGA Championship are determined by the top finishers in the PGA Professional Championship, which is held in June.
How are the other 136 spots in the PGA Championship determined?
For a list of ways to qualify for the PGA Championship, here's a link.
Can amateurs play in the PGA Championship?
The PGA Championship is limited to professionals only, meaning amateurs cannot qualify.
If players are tied after 72 holes, how is a winner determined?
In the event of a tie, the PGA of America employs a three-hole aggregate format for the championship's playoff. If players are tied after three holes it becomes a sudden-death playoff.
How many playoffs have there been in PGA Championship history? When was the last?
Since 1958, there have been 13 playoffs in the PGA Championship, the last coming in 2011 at Atlanta Athletic Club, where Keegan Bradley defeated Jason Dufner in the three-hole aggregate playoff.
Who won the 2016 PGA Championship?
Jimmy Walker won the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.
Who has won the most PGA Championships?
Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen hold the record for most PGA Championship victories with five. Nicklaus also holds the record for most runner-up finishes at the PGA Championship, with four.
What site has hosted the most PGA Championships?
Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., has hosted the most PGA Championships—four—the most recent in 2007, when Tiger Woods won.
What state has hosted the most PGA Championships?
New York has hosted the most PGA Championships with 12, including three at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., which hosted the 2013 PGA Championship and is scheduled to host again in 2023.
What is the PGA Championship scoring record?
The record for lowest 72-hole score in a PGA Championship is held by David Toms, who shot total of 15-under 265 at Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth, Ga., in 2001.
What is the PGA Championship scoring record in relation to par?
Jason Day holds the record for scoring in relation to par not only in PGA Championship history, but in major championship history. The Australian was 20-under-par (268) when he won at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis., in 2015.
What is the highest winning score of a PGA Championship? In relation to par?
The highest total score of a PGA champion is one-under 287, shot by Larry Nelson in 1987 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
The highest score by a winner in relation to par is one over, held by four players: Jay Hebert in 1960, Julius Boros in 1968, Gary Player in 1972 and Dave Stockton in 1976.
What is the lowest round in PGA Championship history?
Fourteen players hold the record for lowest round (63) in PGA Championship history: Bruce Crampton, Raymond Floyd, Gary Player, Vijay Singh, Michael Bradley, Brad Faxon, Jose Maria Olazabal, Mark O'Meara, Thomas Bjorn, Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Jason Dufner, Hiroshi Iwata and Robert Streb.
Who holds the record for largest margin of victory in a PGA Championship?
The record for largest margin of victory in a PGA Championship is held by Rory McIlroy, who won the 2012 PGA Championship by eight strokes at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, S.C.
Who are the oldest and youngest winners of the PGA Championship?
The oldest winner of the PGA Championship is Julius Boros, who won in 1968 at 48 years and 142 days of age.
The youngest winner is Gene Sarazen, who won in 1922 at 20 years and 174 days of age.
Jordan Spieth is going for the career Grand Slam with a win at Quail Hollow. What other pros could have won the career Grand Slam if they had only one the PGA Championship?
Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson were both denied earning the career Grand Slam by never winning the PGA title.
Americans have won the vast majority of PGA Championships, but which country is responsible for the next most?
Australia is next closest to America in terms of PGA Championship victories with five: Jim Ferrier in 1947, David Graham in 1979, Wayne Grady in 1990, Steve Elkington in 1995 and Jason Day in 2015.
What type of conditions is the PGA Championship played in?
Being held in late August and rarely out west (only 10 times in history) means the PGA Championship almost always faces sweltering heat and weather issues that halt play. The rough is typically long but the PGA sets up the course so that low scores can be had.
What are the confirmed future sites of the PGA Championship?
Future sites have been confirmed through 2023. They are as follows:
Bellerive Country Club - St. Louis (2018)
Bethpage State Park, Black Course - Farmingdale, N.Y. (2019)
TPC Harding Park - San Francisco (2020)
Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Ocean Course - Kiawah Island, S.C. (2021)
Trump National Golf Club - Bedminster, N.J. (2022)
Oak Hill Country Club - Rochester, N.Y. (2023)
Who broadcasts the PGA Championship?
Since 1992, TNT hosts first- and second-round coverage and third- and fourth-round morning coverage of the PGA Championship, with CBS taking over for afternoon coverage on the weekend. The contract runs through 2019.