The PGA Championship (sometimes referred to as the U.S. PGA Championship outside of the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in professional golf, and it is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August (customarily four weeks after The Open Championship, but it was advanced a week in 2007 and 2008 because of local scheduling conflicts). Due to its distinction as the season's final major, the PGA Championship is nicknamed "Glory's last shot". It is an official money event on the PGA Tour, the European Tour, and the Japan Golf Tour, with a purse of $7.5 million in 2008. In line with the other majors, winning "The PGA" gives a golfer several privileges which make his career much more secure, if he is not already one of the elite players of the sport. PGA champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (Masters, U.S. Open, and the Open Championship) for the next five years, and are exempt from qualifying for the PGA Championship for life. They also receive membership on the PGA Tour for the following five seasons and invitations to The Players Championship for five years. The PGA Championship has been held at a large number of venues, some of the early ones now quite obscure, but currently it is usually staged by one of a small group of celebrated courses, each of which has also hosted several other leading events.
Past Winners 2009 Yang Yong-eun 2008 Pádraig Harrington 2007 Tiger Woods 2006 Tiger Woods 2005 Phil Mickelson 2004 Vijay Singh 2003 Shaun Micheel 2002 Rich Beem 2001 David Toms 2000 Tiger Woods 1999 Tiger Woods 1998 Vijay Singh 1997 Davis Love III 1996 Mark Brooks 1995 Steve Elkington 1994 Nick Price 1993 Paul Azinger 1992 Nick Price 1991 John Daly 1990 Wayne Grady 1989 Payne Stewart 1988 Jeff Sluman 1987 Larry Nelson 1986 Bob Tway 1985 Hubert Green 1984 Lee Trevino 1983 Hal Sutton 1982 Raymond Floyd 1981 Larry Nelson 1980 Jack Nicklaus 1979 David Graham 1978 John Mahaffey 1977 Lanny Wadkins 1976 Dave Stockton 1975 Jack Nicklaus 1974 Lee Trevino 1973 Jack Nicklaus 1972 Gary Player 1971 Jack Nicklaus 1970 Dave Stockton 1969 Raymond Floyd 1968 Julius Boros 1967 Don January 1966 Al Geiberger 1965 Dave Marr 1964 Bobby Nichols 1963 Jack Nicklaus 1962 Gary Player 1961 Jerry Barber 1960 Jay Hebert 1959 Bob Rosburg 1958 Dow Finsterwald
