The US PGA Championship

Instituted in 1916, the US PGA is a professional men's tournament and considered one of golf four Majors. The tournament was first proposed at a meeting in New York which also resulted in the formation of the US PGA itself. The Wannamaker Trophy is awarded to the victor in recognition of Rodman Wannamaker, an American retail magnate, who played a significant part in the creation of the PGA.

Since 1957, the format is four rounds of strokeplay with a cut after the first 36 holes. Sudden death is used to determine the winner in the event of a tie after the 72 holes. A substantial prize fund exceeding US$2m is offered with approximately US$500,000 going to the winner. Qualification is determined by the applicant's performance on the US PGA tour. As such it is mostly an American rather than a world event. However the outstanding calibre of American professional golfers is such that the tournament is guaranteed to be dramatic and awe inspiring. The event has a rich tradition of excellence with Sarazen, Player and Nicklaus all being past winners. Walter Hagen holds the record of four victories which is all the more outstanding since they were consecutive ones dating from 1924.

The quality and difficulty of the many courses chosen to host the PGA Championship plus the quality of the field have helped to promote it's reputation as one of the most challenging golf tournaments in the world.