List of PGA Championship winners: Every champion from 1916 to present

The month of May brings the second men’s professional major tournament of the year in the PGA Championship.

Since 1916, the PGA Championship has been home to some of golf’s brightest moments in the history of the sport, from Walter Hagen’s four straight wins from 1924-27 to more recently Justin Thomas’ comeback victory in 2022 and Phil Mickelson becoming the oldest golfer to win a major tournament in 2021.

Who won the PGA Championship

In 2023, Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship, shooting 9-under par, while defeating Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler by two strokes at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.

That marked his third PGA Championship win, tying with Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead, and only trailing Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen for more PGA Championship victories.

What is the name of the PGA Championship trophy?

Like some tournaments both in golf and in other sports, trophies have their own name. The Lombardi Trophy. The Stanley Cup. The Commissioner’s Trophy. The Larry O’Brien Trophy.

In golf, the most notable name outside of the PGA Championship trophy is The Claret Jug for the winner of the Open Championship. The PGA Championship trophy also have a name, called the Wanamaker Trophy.

The PGA Championship trophy is named after Rodman Wanamaker, who founded the PGA of America. Wanamaker reached out to some of game’s greats at the time in Francis Ouimet and Walter Hagen about a national organization for professional golf. At the time in the 1910s and the early 20^th century, professional golfers were only hired, and Wanamaker decided to change that, forming the PGA of America in 1916.

And since its inception tournament in 1916, the Wanamaker trophy has been hoisted by the winner of the PGA Championship.  

The Wanamaker trophy is 28 inches high, 27 inches from handle to handle and weighs 27 pounds.

Related: What makes each of the four major tournaments unique?

What was the best score to win the PGA Championship?

In the stroke play era of the PGA Championship from 1958 to the present, the best score was 20-under par by Jason Day in 2015 on the Straits Course at Whistling Straits.

In the match play era of the PGA Championship from 1916 to 1957, the largest margin of victory was 8 and 7 by Paul Runyan in 1938 at Shawnee Country Club.

PGA Championship Winners

From 1916 to 1957, the PGA Championship format was Match Play. Since 1958, the PGA Championship was decided through stroke play.

PGA Championship Winners 1958-Present: Stroke Play Era

Year	Champion	Course	Score
2023	Brooks Koepka	Oak Hill C.C.	-9
2022	Justin Thomas	Southern Hills C.C.	-5*
2021	Phil Mickelson	Kiawah Island	-6
2020	Collin Morikawa	TPC Harding Park	-13
2019	Brooks Kopeka	Bethpage Black	-8
2018	Brooks Kopeka	Bellerive C.C.	-16
2017	Justin Thomas	Quail Hollow C.C.	-8
2016	Jimmy Walker	Baltusrol G.C. (Lower)	-14
2015	Jason Day	Whistling Straits (Straits)	-20
2014	Rory McIlroy	Valhalla G.C.	-16
2013	Jason Dufner	Oak Hill C.C.	-10)
2012	Rory McIlroy	Kiawah Island (Ocean)	-13
2011	Keegan Bradley	Atlanta Athletic Club	-8*
2010	Martin Kaymer	Whistling Straits	-11*
2009	Yang Yong-eun	Hazeltine National G.C.	-8
2008	Padraig Harrington	Oakland Hills (South)	-3
2007	Tiger Woods	Southern Hills C.C.	-8
2006	Tiger Woods	Medinah C.C. (#3)	-18
2005	Phil Mickelson	Baltusrol G.C. (Lower)	-4
2004	Vijay Singh	Whistling Straits (Straits)	-8*
2003	Shaun Micheel	Oak Hill C.C. (East)	-4
2002	Rich Beem	Hazeltine National G.C.	-10
2001	David Toms	Atlanta Athletic Club	-15
2000	Tiger Woods	Valhalla C.C.	-18*
1999	Tiger Woods	Medinah C.C. (#3)	-11
1998	Vijay Singh	Sahalee C.C.	-9
1997	Davis Love III	Winged Foot C.C.	-11
1996	Mark Brooks	Valhalla G.C.	-11*
1995	Steve Elkington	Riviera C.C.	-17*
1994	Nick Price	Southern Hills C.C.	-11
1993	Paul Azinger	Inverness Club	-12*
1992	Nick Price	Bellerive C.C.	-6
1991	John Daly	Crooked Stick G.C.	-12
1990	Wayne Grady	Shoal Creek G.C.C.	-6
1989	Payne Stewart	Kemper Lakes G.C.	-12
1988	Jeff Sluman	Oak Tree G.C.	-12
1987	Larry Nelson	PGA National	-1*
1986	Bob Tway	Inverness Club	-8
1985	Hubert Green	Cherry Hills C.C.	-6
1984	Lee Trevino	Shoal Creek G.C.C.	-15
1983	Hal Sutton	Riviera C.C.	-10
1982	Raymond Floyd	Southern Hills C.C.	-8
1981	Larry Nelson	Atlanta Athletic Club	-7
1980	Jack Nicklaus	Oak Hills C.C.	-6
1979	David Graham	Oakland Hills C.C.	-8*
1978	John Mahaffey	Oakmont C.C.	-8*
1977	Lanny Wadkins	Pebble Beach Golf Links	-6*
1976	Dave Stockton	Congressional C.C.	+1
1975	Jack Nicklaus	Firestone C.C.	-4
1974	Lee Trevino	Tanglewood Park	-4
1973	Jack Nicklaus	Canterbury G.C.	-7
1972	Gary Player	Oakland Hills C.C.	+1
1971	Jack Nicklaus	PGA National	-7
1970	Dave Stockton	Southern Hills C.C.	-1
1969	Raymond Floyd	NCR C.C.	-8
1968	Julius Boros	Pecan Valley G.C.	+1
1967	Don January	Columbine C.C.	-7*
1966	Al Geiberger	Firestone C.C.	E
1965	Dave Marr	Laurel Valley G.C.	-4
1964	Bobby Nichols	Columbus C.C.	-9
1963	Jack Nicklaus	Dallas Athletic Club	-5
1962	Gary Player	Aronomink G.C.	-2
1961	Jerry Barber	Olympia Fields C.C.	-3*
1960	Jay Hebert	Firestone C.C.	+1
1959	Bob Rosburg	Minneapolis G.C.	-3
1958	Dow Finsterwald	Llanerch C.C.	-4

PGA Championship Winners 1916-1957: Match Play Era

Year	Champion	Course	Score
1957	Lionel Hebert	Miami Valley G.C.	2 and 1
1956	Jack Burke Jr.	Blue Hill C.C	3 and 2
1955	Doug Ford	Meadowbrook C.C	4 and 3
1954	Chick Harbert	Keller G.C.	4 and 3
1953	Walter Burkemo	Birmingham C.C.	2 and 1
1952	Jim Turnsea	Big Spring C.C.	1 up
1951	Sam Snead	Oakmont C.C.	7 and 6
1950	Chandler Harper	Scioto C.C.	4 and 3
1949	Sam Snead	Belmont Golf Course	3 and 2
1948	Ben Hogan	Norwood Hills C.C.	7 and 6
1947	Jim Ferrier	Plum Hollow C.C.	2 and 1
1946	Ben Hogan	Portland G.C.	6 and 4
1945	Byron Nelson	Moraine C.C.	4 and 3
1944	Bob Hamilton	Manito G.C.C.	1 up
	No tournament in 1943 due to WWII
1942	Sam Snead	Seaview C.C.	2 and 1
1941	Vic Ghezzi	Cherry Hills C.C.	38 holes*
1940	Byron Nelson	Hershey C.C.	1 up
1939	Henry Picard	Pomonok C.C.	37 holes*
1938	Paul Runyan	Shawnee C.C.	8 and 7
1937	Denny Shute	Pittsburgh Field Club	37 holes*
1936	Denny Shute	Pinehurst Resort #2	3 and 2
1935	Johnny Revolta	Twin Hills G.C.C.	5 and 4
1934	Paul Runyan	The Park C.C.	38 holes*
1933	Gene Sarazen	Blue Mound C.C.	5 and 4
1932	Olin Dutra	Keller G.C.	4 and 3
1931	Tom Creavy	Wannamoisett C.C.	2 and 1
1930	Tommy Armour	Fresh Meadow C.C.	1 up
1929	Leo Diegel	Hillcrest C.C.	6 and 4
1928	Leo Diegel	Baltimore C.C.	6 and 5
1927	Walter Hagen	Cedar Crest C.C.	1 up
1926	Walter Hagen	Salisbury C.C.	5 and 3
1925	Walter Hagen	Olympia Fields C.C.	6 and 5
1924	Walter Hagen	French Lick Springs G.C.	2 up
1923	Gene Sarazen	Pelham C.C.	38 holes*
1922	Gene Sarazen	Oakmont C.C.	4 and 3
1921	Walter Hagen	Inwood C.C.	3 and 2
1920	Jock Hutchinson	Flossmoor C.C.	1 up
1919	Jim Barnes	Engineers C.C.	6 and 5
	No tournament in 1917-18 due to WWI
1916	Jim Barnes	Siwanoy C.C.	1 up

Also read: Players on the all-time major tournament wins list

Who has won the most PGA Championships?

Hagen would go on to win the PGA Championship a record five times, that would eventually be tied with Jack Nicklaus later in the century.

Here is the list of the winners of the PGA Championship who have hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy multiple times.

Player	PGA Championship Wins	Years won
Walter Hagen	5	1921, 1924-27
Jack Nicklaus	5	1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980
Tiger Woods	4	1999-00, 2006-07
Gene Sarazen	3	1922-23, 1933
Sam Snead	3	1942, 1949, 1951
Brooks Koepka	3	2018-19, 2023
Ben Hogan	2	1946, 1948
Gary Player	2	1962, 1972
Lee Trevino	2	1974, 1984
Phil Mickelson	2	2005, 2021
Byron Nelson	2	1940, 1945
Jim Barnes	2	1916, 1919
Raymond Floyd	2	1969, 1982
Rory McIlroy	2	2012, 2014
Denny Shute	2	1936-37
Larry Nelson	2	1981, 1987
Nick Price	2	1992, 1994
Vijay Singh	2	1998, 2004
Leo Diegel	2	1928-29
Paul Runyan	2	1934, 1938
Dave Stockton	2	1970, 1976
Justin Thomas	2	2017, 2022