History

10 PGA Championship Records To Know

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August 3, 2020

Brooks Koepka and his caddie on the third hole during the third round of the 101st PGA Championship held at Bethpage Black Golf Course on May 18, 2019 in Farmingdale, NY. Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty images

The 102nd edition of the PGA Championship begins this Thursday at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California where 156 players will tee it up for the chance to make history, and put their name alongside the greats of the game for posterity… as a major champion.

Speaking of history, here are 10 PGA Championship records you may find interesting.

1. YOUNGEST WINNER

Gene Sarazen won his first PGA Championship in 1922 at the Oakmont Country Club. He was just 20 years, 5 months and 22 days old on the day of his victory.

2. OLDEST WINNER

Julios Boros is not only the oldest winner of the PGA Championship but also the oldest winner of any Major. He was 48 years, 4 months and 18 days old when he won at the Pecan Valley Golf Club in 1968.

3. MOST WINS

Both Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen have five victories at the PGA Championship, and hold the record for the most wins at this event. All of Nicklaus’ wins came in the Stroke Play format, while all of Hagen’s wins came in the Match Play format (stroke play became format in 1958). Nicklaus’ five wins came in ’63, ’71, ’73, ’75 and ’80. Hagen’s wins came in ’21, ’24, ’25, ’26 and ’27.

4. HIGHEST MARGIN – STROKE PLAY

Rory McIlroy’s second major victory came in 2012 at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, and was quite a blowout. His 8-shot win is the highest margin of victory at the PGA championship.

5. HIGHEST MARGIN – MATCH PLAY

Often regarded as the greatest short game player of all time, Paul Runyan holds the record for the highest margin of the victory in the Match Play format. In 1938, he beat the great Sam Snead 8 & 7 in the finals at the Shawnee Country Club.

6. LOWEST WINNING SCORE – AGGREGATE

David Toms won the 2001 PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club with a winning score of 265 (-15). He holds the record for the lowest aggregate score at this major. Up until last year’s British Open, Toms’ score of 265 was also the lowest aggregate score at any of the major championships, until Henrik Stenson (264) broke it at Royal Troon.

7. LOWEST WINNING SCORE – AGAINST PAR

Jason Day holds the record for the lowest score in relation to par at the PGA Championship. In 2015, Day won by shooting 20-under par (268) at Whistling Straits. His score is still the lowest score in relation to par at any of the majors, but is now tied with Stenson’s score (-20) set last year at the British Open.

8. BEST 18-HOLE SCORES

Some 13 players have shot 63s at the PGA Championship, although not all 63s are the same. Hiroshi Iwata (2015), Jose Maria Olazabal (2000), and Gary Player shot 63s on a par 72 courses.

(-7) Bruce Crampton, second round, 1975
(-7) Raymond Floyd, first round, 1982
(-7) Mark O’Meara, second round, 2001
(-7) Thomas Bjorn, third round, 2005
(-7) Tiger Woods, second round, 2007
(-7) Steve Stricker, first round, 2011
(-7) Jason Dufner, second round, 2013
(-8) Vijay Singh, second round, 1993
(-8) Michael Bradley, first round, 1993
(-8) Brad Faxon, final round, 1995
(-9) Gary Player, second round, 1984
(-9) Jose Maria Olazabal, third round, 2000
(-9) Hiroshi Iwata, second round, 2015
(-9) Robert Streb, second round, 2016
(-7) Brooks Koepka, second round, 2018
(-7) Charl Schwartzel, second round, 2018
(-7) Brooks Koepka, first round, 2019

9. BEST CAREER SCORING AVERAGES

The biggest names in golf, all have really low scoring averages at this championship.

Minimum 20 Rounds: Brooks Koepka (68.91), Rory McIlroy (69.75)
Minimum 50 Rounds: Tiger Woods (70.50), Steve Stricker (71.13)
Minimum 75 Rounds: Phil Mickelson (70.87), Jim Furyk (71.24)
Minimum 100 Rounds: Jack Nicklaus (71.37), Tom Watson (71.73)

10. WINNING PGA CHAMPIONSHIP IN DEBUT

Eight (8) players have won the PGA Championship in their debut.

Jim Barnes in 1916
Tom Creavy in 1931
Bob Hamilton in 1944
Doug Ford in 1955
Bob Tway in 1986
John Daly in 1991
Shaun Micheel in 2003
Keegan Bradley in 2011

This post originally ran in July 2016 as a lead-in to the 98th PGA Championship, and again in 2017, 2018, and 2019. It has been updated to reflect recent updates as a preview to the 2020 PGA Championship.