PGA Championship winners by year: List of past champions, payouts, major history

Jacob Janower

PGA Championship winners by year: List of past champions, payouts, major history image

The PGA Championship's status as a major tournament has attracted the best of the best in golf. 

It's etched through a scan of the all-time winners. Nicklaus. Woods. Player. The 2019 PGA Championship may seem like the forgotten major when compared to the other three, but it still possesses its share of history. It doesn't hurt that its move up the calendar from August to May will draw more attention toward it.

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Its prestigious payout history also backs up its status as a major. The winner earns seven figures, which is also occasionally the case for the runner-up.

Here is a full list of every PGA Championship winner since 1958, as well as a breakdown of the payouts and a look at the tournament's history.

PGA Championship winners by year

From 1916 to 1957, the PGA Championship was a match play event, with stroke play permanently taking over as the format in 1958. Jack Nicklaus' five stroke play tournament wins give him the most by any golfer, but Woods will have a chance to match him this year.

Year Winner Score
2019 TBD ...
2018 Brooks Koepka −16
2017 Justin Thomas −8
2016 Jimmy Walker −14
2015 Jason Day −20
2014 Rory McIlroy −16
2013 Jason Dufner −10
2012 Rory McIlroy −13
2011 Keegan Bradley −8
2010 Martin Kaymer −11
2009 Yang Yong-eun −8
2008 Pádraig Harrington −3
2007 Tiger Woods −8
2006 Tiger Woods −18
2005 Phil Mickelson −4
2004 Vijay Singh −8
2003 Shaun Micheel −4
2002 Rich Beem −10
2001 David Toms −15
2000 Tiger Woods −18
1999 Tiger Woods −11
1998 Vijay Singh −9
1997 Davis Love III −11
1996 Mark Brooks −11
1995 Steve Elkington −17
1994 Nick Price −11
1993 Paul Azinger −12
1992 Nick Price −6
1991 John Daly −12
1990 Wayne Grady −6
1989 Payne Stewart −12
1988 Jeff Sluman −12
1987 Larry Nelson −1
1986 Bob Tway −8
1985 Hubert Green −6
1984 Lee Trevino −15
1983 Hal Sutton −10
1982 Raymond Floyd −8
1981 Larry Nelson −7
1980 Jack Nicklaus −6
1979 David Graham −8
1978 John Mahaffey −8
1977 Lanny Wadkins −6
1976 Dave Stockton +1
1975 Jack Nicklaus −4
1974 Lee Trevino −4
1973 Jack Nicklaus −7
1972 Gary Player +1
1971 Jack Nicklaus −7
1970 Dave Stockton −1
1969 Raymond Floyd −8
1968 Julius Boros +1
1967 Don January −7
1966 Al Geiberger E
1965 Dave Marr −4
1964 Bobby Nichols −9
1963 Jack Nicklaus −5
1962 Gary Player −2
1961 Jerry Barber −3
1960 Jay Hebert +1
1959 Bob Rosburg −3
1958 Dow Finsterwald −4

How much does the PGA Championship winner make?

The purse for this year's PGA Championship is $11 million. The Masters purse, which was also $11 million in 2018, saw an increase of $500,000 this year. 

All payouts below are based off the 2018 results and purse and are always subject to change depending on ties. 

1st: $1.98 million
2nd: $1.188 million
3rd: $748,000
4th: $528,000
5th: $450,500
6th: $380,000
7th: $343,650
8th: $319,600
9th: $295,600
10th: $272,380
11th: $251,590
12th: $242,400
13th: $214,800
14th: $199,050
15th: $184,280
16th: $170,700
17th: $161,000
18th: $152,000
19th: $143,000
20th: $134,000
21st: $125,000
22nd: $116,000
23rd: $107,000
24th: $100,000
25th: $93,000
26th: $87,000
27th: $82,000
28th: $77,000
29th: $74,000
30th: $71,000
31st: $68,000
32nd: $65,000
33rd: $62,000
34th: $59,000
35th: $56,000
36th: $53,000
37th: $50,000
38th: $48,000
39th: $46,000
40th: $44,000
41st: $42,000
42nd: $40,000
43rd: $38,000
44th: $36,000
45th: $34,000
46th: $32,000
47th: $30,250
48th: $28,500
49th: $27,500
50th: $26,500
51st: $25,500
52nd: $25,000
53rd: $24,500
54th: $24,000
55th: $23,500
56th: $23,000
57th: $22,500
58th: $22,200
59th: $21,900
60th: $21,600
61st: $21,400
62nd: $21,200
63rd: $21,000
64th: $20,800
65th: $20,600
66th: $20,400
67th: $20,200
68th: $20,000
69th: $19,800
70th: $19,600

PGA Championship history

Having previously been played in August in most years since 1969, the tournament will now take up residency in May as part of a revamped PGA tour schedule. What started as a match play event all the way back in 1916 changed to the traditional stroke play format for good in 1958. 

The first tournament was held at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York, and it has rotated courses around the country ever since. Jim Barnes, the 1916 champion, won $500 in prize money that year. For comparison, Brooks Koepka got $1,980,000 for his win last year.

Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma has hosted the PGA Championship four times, more often than any other course.

Although the exact history of when it was given major status is unclear, it's believed to be around 1960, shortly after the format change. In addition to his record five wins, Nicklaus has also been the runner-up on four separate occasions. Woods is the only golfer to win the tournament in consecutive years, a feat he has accomplished twice.

Jacob Janower