PGA Tournament History Information

Golf is a competitive sport played by amateurs and professionals around the world. The winner of the Professional Golf Association Championship tournament receives the Wanamaker Trophy. This prize is named after Rodman Wanamaker, who played an integral role in starting the PGA Championship. The PGA is the world governing association for golf.

The First PGA Championship: The first PGA Championship golf tournament was intended to highlight the skills of professional golfers, as amateur players ran the game at that time. Held in 1916, at Siwanoy in upstate New York, Jim Barnes beat Jock Hutchinson to win the tournament.

1920s: The first American-born person to win the PGA tournament was Walter Hagen, in 1921. Golf great Gene Sarazen won his first PGA tournament in 1922 at the age of 20. These two squared-off at the PGA tournament in 1923, with Sarazen seizing the victory. In 1924, the PGA exempted the standing PGA Champion from performing qualifying rounds to enter the PGA Tournament and in 1925, began to charge a five dollar fee to participate in the qualifying rounds. Walter Hagen wins his fifth PGA Championship in 1927 - his fourth in a row.

1940s: In 1942, the PGA qualifies 32 men to play in the championship game, most of whom are U.S. servicemen on leave from the military. The PGA Championship tournament was cancelled because of World War II and popularity for golf waned during wartime. In 1947, golf made its resurgence when the PGA Championship in Detroit attracted 53,000 spectators - a new attendance record. At the 1948 PGA Championship, a native Australian named Jim Ferrier becomes the fourth international golfer to win the title.

Winningest Players: Several players dominate PGA tournament history and have risen to the top of this competitive sport. The record for the most PGA Championship tournament wins is held by two players: Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus. Both players can boast five wins but Walter Hagen's wins came during the era of match-play, while Jack Nicklaus won his championships after the PGA switched to a game of strokes. Tiger Woods has won the PGA championship four times and both Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead won three a piece.

Women: The Women's Professional Golf Association was founded in 1944 and was replaced by the Ladies Professional Golf Association six years later. In 1945, Babe Zaharias played qualifying rounds against the men to play in the PGA Championship tournament and made the first two out of three cuts. The first U.S. Women's Open for golf was conducted by the WPGA in 1946; Patty Berg won the tournament.

References:

PGA of America History