25 Greatest PGA Championship Moments

The Wanamaker Trophy is given to the winner of the PGA Championship.

While may be seen by golf fans and media as the least prestigious of the four majors, the PGA Championship does have a rich history

It is older than the Masters, as it first began in 1916, 19 years before the Masters as a match-play event featuring many of the great American players of the 1940s and 50s such as Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, and Ben Hogan, who played in the PGA instead of the British Open, because the PGA had a bigger prize money to the winner.

In 1958, the PGA Championship became a four-day stroke play event and was later moved to August as more American players began to participate in the Open Championship.
Then in 2019, the PGA Championship was moved to May becoming the second major of the golf year, taking place a few weeks after the Masters, and just a month before the US Open.
Anyway, I have complied a list of what I think are the 25 greatest moments in the 100-year plus history of the PGA Championship.

Let's begin with #25:

25.1945-Lord Byron Continues His Reign

Byron Nelson put together one of the greatest seasons in the history of golf in 1945 as he won 18 tournaments, including 11 in a row, both PGA Tour records, which included a convincing win in the ‘45 Championship as he defeated Sam Byrd 4&3 in the 36-hole final for his ninth straight win of the year and fifth career major championship.

24. 2011-Dufner’s Nosedive

Going to the 15th tee with four holes to go, Jason Dufner held a five-shot lead when his tee shot landed in the water, starting a string of three consecutive bogeys while Keegan Bradley, who was playing ahead of Dufner, birdied 16 and 17, to force a three-hole playoff in which Bradley defeated Dufner by one stroke to become the first player since Ben Curtis at the 2003 British Open, to win his first major in his first major tournament.

Jason Dufner redeemed himself for his epic collapse in 2011 two years later when he won the 2013 PGA Championship.

23. 1996-Perry Pays The Price For No Practice

After shooting a final round 68(-4), Kenny Perry was the clubhouse leader at 11 strokes under par. Instead of practicing in case of a potential playoff, Perry decided to watch the rest of the field from the CBS 18th hole tower.
This decision came back to haunt Perry when Mark Brooks birdied the par-5 18th hole at Valhalla to tie Perry and force a sudden death playoff, a hour after Perry finished his round.
Perry and Brooks went back to the 18th where Perry’s tee shot ended up in the rough, from which he could not get out of until his 4th shot, while Brooks was able to stay in the fairway and reach the green in two shots, then two-putted for birdie to win his only career major.

Kenny Perry watches with CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz, instead of preparing for a potential playoff in the 1996 PGA Championship.

22. 1977-First Sudden Death Playoff 

In 1976, PGA Championship officials adopted the sudden death playoff format for its tournament and one year later, that format was put to the use for the first time in major golf championship history. The participants in this playoff were Gene Littler, who entered the final round with a four-shot lead but who had five bogeys on the back nine and Lanny Wadkins, who made a birdie at the par-5 18th at Pebble Beach, to finish at six shots under par with Littler.
The championship was not decided until the third hole when Wadkins made his six-foot putt for par while Littler missed his 20-foot par putt, giving the title to Wadkins.

21. 2005-Mickelson Monday

Darkness caused the final holes of the ‘05 Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey to be pushed to Monday morning with only a handful of players left to complete the final round.
One of them was Phil Mickelson, who was tied for the lead as he played the par-5 18th hole when his second shot landed in some very deep rough, 50 feet from the cup.
Needing a birdie to win, Mickelson delivered a flop shot that landed just two feet from the hole, allowing him to tap in for birdie and collect his second career major.

20. 1942-Military Affair

One day before he was to report to the U.S. Navy, Sam Snead defeated Jim Turnesa, a corporal in the U.S. Army, 2&1 in the 36-hole final after trailing by three shots following the first 18 holes.

Snead clinched the first of his seven major championships with a 60-foot birdie on the 35th hole of the final match.

Sam Snead shakes hands with Jim Turnesa, who is in his Army uniform, after their final in the 1942 PGA Championship.

19. 1995-Monty Gets “Elked”
Starting the final round six shots behind leader Ernie Els, Steve Elkington shoots a bogey free round of 64(-7) to take the lead from Els, only to have Colin Montgomerie birdie the last three holes, including a 20-footer at the 18th, to force a sudden death playoff between “Monty” and Elkington.

Playing the par-4 18th hole at Los Angeles’ Riviera Country Club, both men made the green in two shots, with Montgomerie’s ball 20 feet from the cup while Elkington was 25 feet away.

Elkington would drain his birdie putt while Montgomerie’s putt pushed slightly to the right of the cup, giving the championship to Elkington.

Steve Elkington won his only major championship with his comeback win in the 1995 PGA Championship.

18. 1989-Payne Pours It on Reid

Down five shots with five holes to play, Payne Stewart got hot and birdied four of the last five holes to cut leader Mike Reid’s lead to two shots as Stewart went into the clubhouse while Reid still had three holes to play. That is when the pressure got to Reid as bogeyed the 16th hole, then double-bogeyed the 17th, to fall behind Stewart by one shot.

Reid had a chance to force a playoff on the 18th but could not convert a 8-foot birdie putt, giving Stewart the first of his three career major championships.

Payne Stewart started the final round six shots back in a tie for 10th place, but was the 1989 PGA Champion after his furious rally in the last five holes.

17. 1979-Graham’s Roller Coaster Ride

It looked like David Graham was on his way to winning his first major as held a two-shot lead going to the final hole of the ‘79 championship.

But Graham double-bogeyed the par-4 18th, at the Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan, to force a sudden death playoff with Ben Crenshaw.
Graham salvaged a par on the first hole with a 25-foot putt, while Crenshaw made his par putt from 50 feet out, which was followed by both players birding the second hole. The playoff came to an end on the third hole of the playoff at the par-3 3rd as Crenshaw sent his tee shot into a bunker while Graham hit a 4-iron shot that landed eight feet from the cup allowing him to birdie, which he did, to capture the first of his two career major championships.

16. 2003-Micheel’s Moment of Glory

Entering the final hole, Shaun Micheel held a one-shot lead over Chad Campbell as the two players went to the par-4 18th hole at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

Micheel seemed to leave the door open for Campbell after his drive landed in some rough and 175 yards of the hole.

But then Micheel pulled out his 7-iron and drilled a shot that was able to land on the green, take a few bounces, then land two inches of the hole, allowing for Micheel to tap in for birdie to capture not his first career major, but also his first career PGA Tour victory.

15. 2014-Rory In The Dark

Rory McIlroy had to overcome a three-shot deficit and darkness to win his second PGA championship in three years and fourth career major.

McIlroy eagled the par-5 10th at Valhalla to bring within one shot of the lead, then birdies on 13 and 17 gave him a two-shot lead as he headed to the par-5 18th hole.

But because of a two-hour rain delay, McIlroy was playing in almost complete darkness as he reached 18 and hit his first shot within a yard of a hazard on the fairway, then hit his second shot into a greenside bunker.

Phil Mickelson, playing in front of McIlroy, put more pressure with a birdie to cut Rory’s lead to one shot when McIlroy’s third shot got onto the green, 35 feet from the cup, where he two-putted to save par and earn a one-shot victory.

14. 1978-Mahaffey’s Comeback

John Mahaffey pulled off the greatest comeback in PGA Championship history as he overcame a seven-shot deficit to win his only major championship in a sudden death playoff with Tom Watson and Jerry Pate after making a 12-foot birdie on the second hole of the playoff.

John Mahaffey holds the Wanamaker Trophy after making up a seven-shot deficit to win the 1978 PGA Championship.

13. 1999-Eyes Wide Shut

Once down five shots to Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia was making a charge as he was down two shots to Woods as the 19-year-old Spaniard played the par-4 16th at Medinah when his tee shot landed behind a tree, 189 yards from the green.

Instead of laying up and just getting it on the fairway, Garcia decided to go for the green as he grabbed his 6-iron and closed his eyes as he his second shot ended up on the green, 60 yards from the cup. Garcia would par the hole to keep the pressure on Woods, but Tiger would prevail by one stroke to earn his second career major championship. But it is Garcia’s incredible shot and running down the fairway that is remembered most from the ‘99 Championship.

12. 2001-Toms’ Gutsy Decision

Holding a one-shot lead over Phil Mickelson at the par-4 18th hole at the Atlanta Athletic Club, David Toms hits his first shot right of the fairway and into the first cut of rough, 209 yards from the hole.

Toms decided to play conservative and grab a wedge that landed 88 yards of the hole, followed by a lob wedge that landed 12 feet within the cup while Mickelson got to the green in two shots, 25 feet of the hole with a chance for a birdie and to tie Toms.

However, Mickelson’s birdie putt stopped six inches short and ended up settling for par, giving Toms a chance to win if he could sink his 12-footer, which he did, to give Toms his only career major title and making his decision to lay up the right one.

David Toms shakes hands with Phil Mickelson after winning the 2001 PGA Championship.

11. 1946-Hogan Breaks Through

Ben Hogan was one of the greatest players of his generation, but it took him until he was 34 years old and had accumulated 30 wins on the PGA tour before he collected his first major championship.

Hogan made it to the 36-hole final of the ‘46 Championship against Ed Oliver, with a chance to get that elusive major.
It did not look good for Hogan after the first 18 holes of the final as he trailed Oliver by three shots, but Ben shot 30 on the front nine of the afternoon 18 to take a two-shot lead, and then cruised to the first of his nine career majors as he defeated Oliver 6&4.

Ben Hogan's 31st career PGA Tour win was his first career major championship.

10. 1972-Player’s Miracle Shot

Things were looking bleak for Gary Player as he bogeyed the 14th and 15th holes of the Oakland Hills Country Club , to lose his two-shot lead over Jim Jamieson and only got worse when his tee shot at the par-4 16th hole landed in the rough. Behind some trees and unable to see the green, Player pulled out his 9-iron and drilled a shot that landed four feet of the cup, giving him a chance to birdie the hole which he did.
The remarkable recovery enabled Player his sixth career major as he won by two strokes over Jamieson and Tommy Aaron.

9. 1961-Little Jerry’s Big Comeback

Jerry Barber, who only stood at five feet five inches, was trailing leader Don January by four shots with three holes to play when he caught fire and put together one of the greatest putting displays in major golf championship history. Barber’s performance began with a modest 20-foot birdie on the par-4 16th of the Olympia Fields Country Club to cut the deficit to two shots, which was followed by a 40-footer to save par on the par-4 17th to stay two shots behinds, and then ended with a remarkable 60-footer for birdie on the par-4 18th while January bogeyed the 18th, forcing a 18-hole playoff between January and Barber the next day.
In the playoff, Barber come back from a two-shot deficit on two different occasions to defeat January by one stroke when he drained an 18-foot par putt on 18 while January once again bogeyed the 18th for the second straight day, making Barber the PGA Champion.

8. 2010-Bunkergate

Dustin Johnson was clinging to a one-shot lead as he headed to the final hole of the 2010 championship at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, when before playing his second shot from a sand patch, Johnson grounded his club.

Johnson ended up bogeying the par-4 18th and seemed to be on his way to a playoff with Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson when PGA officials assessed Johnson a two-shot penalty players are not supposed to ground their clubs before playing a shot in sand bunker, which the sand patch was determined by PGA officials to be.

Kaymer would end up defeating Watson by one shot in the three-hole playoff to claim his first career major, but it was the controversial ruling on Johnson that is best remembered from this championship.

7. 1997-Over The Rainbow

The 1997 PGA Championship was rather anticlimactic as Davis Love III shot a 66(-5) to defeat Justin Leonard by five strokes.

But it was the image at the final hole that makes this tournament so memorable as a rainbow appeared over the sky as Love made his birdie putt to clinch the championship.

Many believe the rainbow was a sign from Love's father, who died in a plane crash in 1988.

The rainbow that posted over the sky as Davis Love III won the 1997 PGA Championship.

6. 2009-Silencing Tiger's Roar

It seemed like a forgone conclusion that Tiger Woods was going to win the ‘09 Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota as he held a two-shot lead after 54 holes as Woods had never lost a major championship entering the final 18 holes with a least a share of the lead.

But this time was different, as unheralded player Y.E.Yang from South Korea, who was paired with Woods, stunned the golfing world as he defeated Woods by three shots, thanks in large part to a chip-in eagle on the par-4 14th hole.

Y.E. Yang become the first Asian born player to win a major with his upset win in the 2009 PGA Championship.

5. 1923-Sarazen’s Shot Through The Heart

Gene Sarazen seemed to be letting the ‘23 Championship slip away as he lost a three-shot lead over Walter Hagen on the final eight holes of the 36-hole final, forcing the final to go to sudden death, where on the second hole of sudden death, Sarazen’s tee shot landed in deep rough just inches from the out-of-bounds-line. As he was preparing to hit his second shot, Sarazen said “I’ll put this one up so close to the hole that it will break Walter’s heart.”
Sarazen did just that as his shot from the rough landed just two feet away from the hole and then tapped in for birdie to give Sarazen his second straight PGA championship.

It took a miraculous shot on the second playoff hole for Gene Sarazen(left) to defeat Walter Hagan in the 1923 PGA Championship.

4. 2021-Phil Defeats Father Time

That is what CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz said right after Phil Mickelson, one month shy of his 51st birthday, tapped in his par putt on the final hole at the Kiawah Island Ocean Course to become the oldest player to ever win a major championship as he won by two strokes over Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen for his sixth major championship and second PGA Championship.

Phil Mickelson holds the Wanamaker Trophy after becoming the oldest player to win one of the four major golf championships. 

3. 1986-Tway's Bunker Shot

For the fourth time in four majors in 1986, Greg Norman was leading a major championship after 54 holes, this time leading the PGA by four shots over Bob Tway at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Norman’s lead was still four shots as the two headed toward the back nine when the Shark double bogeyed the par-4 11th and bogeyed the par-4 14th, to fall into a tie with Tway, who had birdied the par-5 13th.
The two were still tied entering the 18th hole, another par 4, when Tway’s second shot landed in a greenside bunker while Norman’s second landed just short of the green, 25 feet out.
That is when Tway made perhaps the greatest shot in PGA championship history as he was able not only out of the bunker and onto the green, but into the hole for an improbable birdie, forcing Norman to try and chip in to force a birdie, only to have his chip land 10 feet short of the cup, giving the championship to Tway as Norman was only able to walk with one major title, the British Open, despite leading all four majors after 54 holes, which become known as the “Saturday Slam”.

2. 2000-Tiger vs Bob May?!

After blowout victories at the US Open and the British Open, many expected Tiger Woods to roll to the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville and win the PGA Championship, especially when he grabbed a one-shot lead after 54 holes and his playing partner on that Sunday would be Bob May, the 48th ranked player in the world who had never won a PGA tour event in his six seasons as a professional.
However, May was able to snatch the lead from Woods after the second hole and led by as many as two shots as he had at least a share of the lead throughout the day.
Woods and May went to the par-5 18th hole tied for the lead when May made a 15-foot birdie from the back fringe of the green to take a one-shot lead and put pressure on Woods to make a 5-footer to force a three-hole playoff, which he did.

The playoff began on the par-4 16th when Woods drained a 20-footer for birdie, that saw him famously run up to the cup and point it at when the ball went it, to give Tiger a one-shot lead.

The lead was still one shot as the two went back to 18 when Woods found the front bunker with his third shot while May was on the green in three shots, with a chance to tie Woods if he could sink in a birdie.

But May’s birdie fell one foot short of the cup and had to settle for par while Woods was able to get out of the bunker and have his fourth shot land two feet of the cup, where he tapped in for par and a much-earned second straight PGA championship.

1. 1991-Not Bad For A Ninth Alternate

John Daly wasn’t even supposed to play in the 1991 PGA Championship at the Carmel Stick Golf Club, north of Indianapolis, as he was the ninth alternate, meaning nine players had to withdraw before the tournament began for Daly to play.

But when Nick Price pulled out because of the birth of his first child and the first eight alternates were not available, Daly was called in to participate.

Without the benefit of a practice round, Daly shot 69(-3) to finish in a tie for eighth place after the first round, then took the lead after 36 holes after a second round 67(-5).

Many believe Daly, who was a PGA tour rookie, would fall apart, but he didn’t as he averaged 303 yards per tee shot and hit 54 greens in regulation as he went on to win by three strokes over Bruce Lietzke, in perhaps the most unlikely victory in major golf championship history.

With his long drives, John Daly put together one of the greatest Cinderella stories in golf history at the 1991 PGA Championship.