List of PGA Championship winners: What golfer has the most wins?
Following a dramatic birdie on the 18th, the American secured his place on the list of winners of one of golf’s oldest tournaments, but who has the most?
Originally a match play event, the PGA Championship format was changed to a stroke play event in 1958 and has given fans annual excitement when the tournament comes around each May. Indeed, this year was no different as Xander Schauffele brought the curtain down on a more than eventful tournament to win the first major of his career.
What is the PGA Championship
An annual golf competition held in the middle of May - was held in mid-August until 2019 - the PGA Championship was established in 1916 and stands as one of the four major championships played every year. The others include the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the Open Championship (British Open). It’s worth noting, however, that the Championship has some particular aspects. Firstly, the champion of the competition earns automatic qualification for the three tournaments mentioned above and for the following five years. Said champion is also exempt from qualifying for the PGA Championship for life.
If that wasn’t enough, the defending champion also receives membership on the PGA Tour for the following five years and invitations to the Players Championship for the same period. Unlike many other tournaments on the Tour, the champion can keep the prize - the Wanamaker Trophy - until the following year. To give you some perspective on how important the event is, the only time it was not staged since its inception was between 1917 and 1918, as well as 1943 due to the First and Second World Wars, respectively.
Who has won the PGA Championship the most times?
Given the conditions surrounding the event, a repeat victory at the PGA Championship is quite a feat. That being said, some have been skilled enough to do that and even more. Below you can see the list of those men who were made of sterner stuff such that they won multiple Championships as well as the complete list of winners over the years:
Below you will see the list of golfers who have won multiple PGA Championship titles followed by the complete list of all winners throughout the tournament's history. Please note that no tournament was held between 1917 and 1918, as well as 1943 due to the onset of World War 1 and 2 respectively.
Golfer - Counry -Total Titles - Year of Victory
Walter Hagen (USA) 5, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927
Jack Nicklaus (USA) 5, 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980
Tiger Woods (USA) 4, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007
Gene Sarazen (USA) 3, 1922, 1923, 1933
Sam Snead (USA) 3, 1942, 1949, 1951
Brooks Koepka (USA) 3, 2018, 2019, 2023
Jim Barnes (England) 2, 1916, 1919
Leo Diegel (USA) 2, 1928, 1929
Denny Shute (USA) 2, 1936, 1937
Paul Runyan (USA) 2, 1934, 1938
Byron Nelson (USA) 2, 1940, 1945
Ben Hogan (USA) 2, 1946, 1948
Gary Player (RSA) 2, 1962, 1972
Dave Stockton (USA) 2, 1970, 1976
Raymond Floyd (USA) 2, 1969, 1982
Lee Trevino (USA) 2, 1974, 1984
Larry Nelson (USA) 2, 1981, 1987
Nick Price (ZWE) 2, 1992, 1994
Vijay Singh (FJI) 2, 1998, 2004
Phil Mickelson (USA) 2, 2005, 2021
Rory McIlroy (NIR) 2, 2012, 2014
Justin Thomas (USA) 2, 2017, 2022
Complete list of PGA Championship Winners
Match Play: Year - Golfer
1916: Jim Barnes
1919: Jim Barnes
1920: Jock Hutchison
1921: Walter Hagen
1922: Gene Sarazan
1923: Gene Sarazan
1924: Walter Hagen
1925: Walter Hagen
1926: Walter Hagen
1927: Walter Hagen
1928: Leo Diegel
1929: Leo Diegel
1930: Tommy Armour
1931: Tom Creavy
1932: Olin Dutra
1933: Gene Sarazen
1934: Paul Runyan
1935: Johnny Revolta
1936: Denny Shute
1937: Denny Shute
1938: Paul Runyan
1939: Henry Picard
1940: Byron Nelson
1941: Vic Ghezzi
1942: Sam Snead
1944: Bob Hamilton
1945: Byron Nelson
1946: Ben Hogan
1947: Jim Ferrier
1948: Ben Hogan
1949: Sam Snead
1950: Chandler Harper
1951: Sam Snead
1952: Jim Turnesa
1953: Walter Burkemo
1954: Chick Harbert
1955: Doug Ford
1956: Jack Burke Jr.
1957: Lionel Herbert
Stroke play
1958: Dow Finsterwald
1959: Bob Rosburg
1960: Jay Hebert
1961: Jerry Barber
1962: Gary Player
1963: Jack Nicklaus
1964: Bobby Nichols
1965: Dave Marr
1966: Al Geiberger
1967: Don January
1968: Julius Boros
1969: Raymond Floyd
1970: Dave Stockton
1971: Jack Nicklaus
1972: Gary Player
1973: Jack Nicklaus
1974: Lee Trivino
1975: Jack Nicklaus
1976: Dave Stockton
1977: Lanny Wadkins
1978: John Mahaffey
1979: David Graham
1980: Jack Nicklaus
1981: Larry Nelson
1982: Raymond Floyd
1983: Hal Sutton
1984: Lee Trevino
1985: Hubert Green
1986: Boby Tway
1987: Larry Nelson
1988: Jeff Sluman
1989: Payne Stewart
1990: Wayne Grady
1991: John Daly
1992: Nick Price
1993: Paul Azinger
1994: Nick Price
1995: Steve Elkington
1996: Mark Brooks
1997: Davis Love III
1998: Vijay Singh
1999: Tiger Woods
2000: Tiger Woods
2001: David Toms
2002: Rich Beem
2003: Shaun Micheel
2004: Vijay Singh
2005: Phil Mickelson
2006: Tiger Woods
2007: Tiger Woods
2008: Padraig Harrington
2009: Yang Yong-eun
2010: Martin Kaymer
2011: Keegan Bradley
2012: Rory McIlroy
2013: Jason Dufner
2014: Rory McIlroy
2015: Jason Day
2016: Jimmy Walker
2017: Justin Thomas
2018: Brooks Koepka
2019: Brooks Koepka
2020: Collin Morikawa
2021: Phil Mickelson
2022: Justin Thomas
2023: Brooks Koepka
2024: Xander Schauffele