Senior PGA Championship

This article is about the Champions Tour major championship. For the European Senior Tour event, see PGA Seniors Championship.

The Senior PGA Championship, established in 1937, is the oldest of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both PGA Tour Champions and the European Senior Tour. It was formerly an unofficial money event on the European Senior Tour, but since 2007 has been an official money event.^[1] Winners gain entry into the next PGA Championship. The winners prior to 1980, the first season of the senior tour, are not considered major champions of this event by the PGA Tour Champions.

KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship

Tournament information
Location	Frisco, Texas (2023)
Established	1937
Course(s)	Fields Ranch East (2023)
Par	72 (2023)
Length	7,193 yards (6,577 m) (2023)
Tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions European Senior Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$3,500,000
Month played	May
Tournament record score
Aggregate	265 Rocco Mediate (2016) 265 Paul Broadhurst (2018)
To par	−20 Sam Snead (1973)
Current champion
Steve Stricker
Location Map
Fields Ranch East Location in the United States Show map of the United States Fields Ranch East Location in Texas Show map of Texas

The lower age limit is 50, which is the standard limit for men's senior professional golf tournaments. Like its PGA Tour counterpart, the Senior PGA Championship allows club professionals to enter. The tournament committee gives former winners of the PGA Professional National Championship a one time invitation upon turning 50 years of age and the top 35 club professionals who qualify through the Senior PGA Professional National Championship.

History

The inaugural event was played 86 years ago in 1937 at Augusta National Golf Club, with 54-year-old Jock Hutchison winning the 54-hole event on Thursday, December 2.^[2][3] The second edition at Augusta was reduced to 36 holes due to rain, but had an 18-hole playoff on December 9 to decide the winner, Fred McLeod.^[4][5] The next edition was moved to Florida in January,^[6] No tournaments were held in 1943 and 1944 due to World War II. The event returned in 1945 at the PGA National Golf Course, where it stayed until 1962. The event moved to different courses in Florida through 2000. Due to scheduling moves, two tournaments were played in 1979 and 1984 and none in 1983, and 1985. It moved from winter to mid-April in 1990 and when it rotated to various sites in 2001, it became a late spring event, played in late May or early June.

It was a 36-hole event until 1954; after four years at 54 holes, it became a 72-hole event in 1958. In the past, the event has had long spells of playing on a single host course, but currently it is played on a different course each year.

Eligibility

Here is who may be eligible to compete in the Senior PGA Championship (provided they meet the age requirement):

• Any past winner of the Senior PGA Championship
• Any past winner of a regular major championship
• Any past member of the United States Ryder Cup team
• The top 15 finishers in the previous year's Senior PGA Championship
• The top 50 on the PGA Tour Champions money list (previous year and current year)
• Any winner of a PGA Tour Champions event since the last Senior PGA Championship
• The top 35 finishers from the Callaway Golf Senior PGA Professional National Championship
• Any winner of the previous five U.S. Senior Opens
• The winner of the previous five Senior Open Championship
• The top eight players from the previous year's European Senior Tour Order of Merit
• The top four players from the previous year's Japanese Seniors Tour Order of Merit
• A one-time exemption for those who have just turned 50 and have won a PGA Tour, Japan Golf Tour, or European Tour event in the last 5 years
• The top 30 on the career money list, both PGA Tour Champions and combined PGA Tour Champions and PGA Tour
• A one-time exemption for former PGA Professional National Champions turning 50
• Invitations for those not meeting criteria above also are made

Tournament hosts

Year	Venue	Location
2023	Fields Ranch East	Frisco, Texas
2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022	The Golf Club at Harbor Shores	Benton Harbor, Michigan
2021	Southern Hills Country Club	Tulsa, Oklahoma
2008, 2019	Oak Hill Country Club	Rochester, New York
2017	Trump National Golf Club	Potomac Falls, Virginia
2015	French Lick Resort	French Lick, Indiana
2013	Bellerive Country Club	St. Louis, Missouri
2004, 2011	Valhalla Golf Club	Louisville, Kentucky
2010	Colorado Golf Club	Parker, Colorado
2009	Canterbury Golf Club	Beachwood, Ohio
2007	Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Ocean Course	Kiawah Island, South Carolina
2006	Oak Tree Golf Club	Edmond, Oklahoma
2005	Laurel Valley Golf Club	Ligonier, Pennsylvania
2003	Aronimink Golf Club	Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
2002	Firestone Country Club	Akron, Ohio
2001	The Ridgewood Country Club	Paramus, New Jersey
1982–2000	PGA National Golf Club	Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
1979 (Dec.) −1981	Turnberry Isle Country Club	North Miami Beach, Florida
1975–1979 (Feb.)	Walt Disney World	Orlando, Florida
1974	Port St. Lucie Country Club	Port St. Lucie, Florida
1964, 1966–1973	PGA National Golf Club (old)	Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
1965	Fort Lauderdale Country Club	Fort Lauderdale, Florida
1963	Port St. Lucie Country Club	Port St. Lucie, Florida
1945–1962	PGA National Golf Course	Dunedin, Florida
1942	Fort Myers Country Club	Fort Myers, Florida
1940–41	Bobby Jones Golf Complex Sarasota Bay Country Club	Sarasota, Florida
1937–38 (Dec.)	Augusta National Golf Club	Augusta, Georgia

Winners

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)	Venue
KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship
2023	Steve Stricker	270	−18	Playoff	Pádraig Harrington	630,000	Fields Ranch East
2022	Steven Alker	268	−16	3 strokes	Stephen Ames	585,000	Harbor Shores
2021	Alex Čejka	272	−8	4 strokes	Tim Petrovic	585,000	Southern Hills
2020	Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic^[7]
2019	Ken Tanigawa	277	−3	1 stroke	Scott McCarron	585,000	Oak Hill
2018	Paul Broadhurst	265	−19	4 strokes	Tim Petrovic	585,000	Harbor Shores
2017	Bernhard Langer	270	−18	1 stroke	Vijay Singh	540,000	Trump National
Senior PGA Championship
2016	Rocco Mediate	265	−19	3 strokes	Colin Montgomerie	504,000	Harbor Shores
2015	Colin Montgomerie (2)	280	−8	4 strokes	Esteban Toledo	495,000	French Lick Resort
2014	Colin Montgomerie	271	−13	4 strokes	Tom Watson	378,000	Harbor Shores
2013	Kōki Idoki	273	−11	2 strokes	Jay Haas   Kenny Perry	378,000	Bellerive
2012	Roger Chapman	271	−13	2 strokes	John Cook	378,000	Harbor Shores
2011	Tom Watson (2)	278	−10	Playoff	David Eger	378,000	Valhalla
2010	Tom Lehman	281	−7	Playoff	Fred Couples   David Frost	360,000	Colorado
2009	Michael Allen	274	−6	2 strokes	Larry Mize	360,000	Canterbury
2008	Jay Haas (2)	287	+7	1 stroke	Bernhard Langer	360,000	Oak Hill
2007	Denis Watson	279	−9	2 strokes	Eduardo Romero	360,000	Kiawah Island
2006	Jay Haas	279	−5	Playoff	Brad Bryant	360,000	Oak Tree
2005	Mike Reid	280	−8	Playoff	Jerry Pate   Dana Quigley	360,000	Laurel Valley
2004	Hale Irwin (4)	276	−8	1 stroke	Jay Haas	360,000	Valhalla
2003	John Jacobs	276	−4	2 strokes	Bobby Wadkins	360,000	Aronimink
2002	Fuzzy Zoeller	278	−2	1 stroke	Hale Irwin   Bobby Wadkins	360,000	Firestone
2001	Tom Watson	274	−14	1 stroke	Jim Thorpe	360,000	The Ridgewood
PGA Seniors' Championship
2000	Doug Tewell	201^[a]	−15	7 strokes	Hale Irwin   Tom Kite   Larry Nelson   Dana Quigley	324,000	PGA National
1999	Allen Doyle	274	−14	2 strokes	Vicente Fernández	315,000	PGA National
1998	Hale Irwin (3)	275	−13	6 strokes	Larry Nelson	270,000	PGA National
1997	Hale Irwin (2)	274	−14	12 strokes	Dale Douglass   Jack Nicklaus	216,000	PGA National
1996	Hale Irwin	280	−8	2 strokes	Isao Aoki	198,000	PGA National
1995	Raymond Floyd	277	−11	5 strokes	John Paul Cain   Larry Gilbert   Lee Trevino	180,000	PGA National
1994	Lee Trevino (2)	279	−9	1 stroke	Jim Colbert	115,000	PGA National
1993	Tom Wargo	275	−13	Playoff	Bruce Crampton	110,000	PGA National
1992	Lee Trevino	278	−10	1 stroke	Mike Hill	100,000	PGA National
1991	Jack Nicklaus	271	−17	6 strokes	Bruce Crampton	85,000	PGA National
1990	Gary Player (3)	281	−7	2 strokes	Chi-Chi Rodríguez	75,000	PGA National
General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship
1989	Larry Mowry	281	−7	1 stroke	Miller Barber   Al Geiberger	72,000	PGA National
1988	Gary Player (2)	284	−4	3 strokes	Chi-Chi Rodríguez	63,000	PGA National
1987	Chi-Chi Rodríguez	282	−6	1 stroke	Dale Douglass	47,000	PGA National
1986 (Feb)	Gary Player	281	−7	2 strokes	Lee Elder	45,000	PGA National
1985: No tournament
1984 (Dec)	Peter Thomson	286	−2	3 strokes	Don January	40,000	PGA National
1984 (Jan)	Arnold Palmer (2)	282	−6	2 strokes	Don January	35,000	PGA National
PGA Seniors' Championship
1983: No tournament
1982 (Dec)	Don January (2)	288	E	1 stroke	Julius Boros	25,000	PGA National
1981	Miller Barber	281	−7	2 strokes	Arnold Palmer	20,000	Turnberry Isle
1980	Arnold Palmer	289	+1	Playoff	Paul Harney	20,000	Turnberry Isle
1979 (Dec)	Don January	270	−18			15,000	Turnberry Isle
1979 (Feb)	Jack Fleck	289	+1			8,000	Walt Disney World
1978	Joe Jimenez	286	−2			8,000	Walt Disney World
1977	Julius Boros (2)	283	−5			7,500	Walt Disney World
1976	Pete Cooper	283	−5			7,500	Walt Disney World
1975	Charlie Sifford	280	−8			7,500	Walt Disney World
1974	Roberto De Vicenzo	273	−15			4,000	Port St. Lucie
1973	Sam Snead (6)	268	−20			4,000	PGA National
1972	Sam Snead (5)	286	−2			4,000	PGA National
1971	Julius Boros	285	−3			4,000	PGA National
1970	Sam Snead (4)	290	+2			4,000	PGA National
1969	Tommy Bolt	278	−10			4,000	PGA National
1968	Chandler Harper	279	−9			4,000	PGA National
1967	Sam Snead (3)	279	−9			4,000	PGA National
1966	Fred Haas	286	−2			3,000	PGA National
1965	Sam Snead (2)	278	−10			3,500	Fort Lauderdale
1964	Sam Snead	279	−9			2,500	PGA National
1963	Herman Barron	272	−16			2,500	Port St. Lucie
1962	Paul Runyan (2)	278	−10			2,000	PGA National
1961	Paul Runyan	278	−10			1,500	PGA National
1960	Dick Metz	284	−4			1,500	PGA National
1959	Willie Goggin	284	−4			1,200	PGA National
1958	Gene Sarazen (2)	288	E			1,200	PGA National
1957	Al Watrous (3)	210	−6			1,000	PGA National
1956	Pete Burke	215	−1			1,000	PGA National
1955	Mortie Dutra	213	−3			1,000	PGA National
1954	Gene Sarazen	214	−2			1,000	PGA National
1953	Harry Schwab	142	−2				PGA National
1952	Ernie Newnham	146	+2				PGA National
1951	Al Watrous (2)	142	−2				PGA National
1950	Al Watrous	142	−2				PGA National
1949	Marshall Crichton	145	+1				PGA National
1948	Charles McKenna	141	−3				PGA National
1947	Jock Hutchison (2)	145	+1				PGA National
1946	Eddie Williams (3)	146	+2				PGA National
1945	Eddie Williams (2)	148	+4				PGA National
1943–44: No tournament due to World War II
1942	Eddie Williams	138	−6				Fort Myers
1941	Jack Burke Sr.	142	E				Bobby Jones Golf Complex Sarasota Bay
1940	Otto Hackbarth	146	+4				Bobby Jones Golf Complex Sarasota Bay
1939: No tournament
1938	Fred McLeod	154	+10				Augusta National
1937	Jock Hutchison	223	+7				Augusta National

Source:^[8]

Multiple winners

The following men have won the Senior PGA Championship more than once, through 2021:

• 6 wins: Sam Snead (1964, 1965, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1973)
• 4 wins: Hale Irwin (1996, 1997, 1998, 2004)
• 3 wins: Eddie Williams (1942, 1945, 1946), Al Watrous (1950, 1951, 1957), Gary Player (1986, 1988, 1990)
• 2 wins: Jock Hutchison (1937, 1947), Gene Sarazen (1954, 1958), Paul Runyan (1961, 1962), Julius Boros (1971, 1977), Don January (1979, 1982), Arnold Palmer (1980, 1984), Lee Trevino (1992, 1994), Jay Haas (2006, 2008), Tom Watson (2001, 2011), Colin Montgomerie (2014, 2015)

Winners of both PGA Championship and Senior PGA Championship

The following men have won both the PGA Championship and the Senior PGA Championship, the majors run by the PGA of America:

Player	PGA Championship	Senior PGA Championship
Jock Hutchison	1920	1937, 1947
Gene Sarazen	1922, 1923, 1933	1954, 1958
Paul Runyan	1934, 1938	1961, 1962
Sam Snead	1942, 1949, 1951	1964, 1965, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1973
Chandler Harper	1950	1968
Julius Boros	1968	1971, 1977
Don January	1967	1979, 1982
Gary Player	1962, 1972	1986, 1988, 1990
Jack Nicklaus	1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980	1991
Lee Trevino	1974, 1984	1992, 1994
Raymond Floyd	1969, 1982	1995

Final round ratings

2019: 1.190 million on NBC^[9]

Future tournament sites

Year	Host site	City	Dates
2024	The Golf Club at Harbor Shores	Benton Harbor, Michigan	TBD
2025	Congressional Country Club	Bethesda, Maryland	TBD

• PGA Frisco is also slated to host in 2029.
• Congressional Country Club is also slated to host in 2033.

Source^[10]

See also

• Golf in the United States

Notes

1. Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

References

1. "Strong Seniors contingent head to the United States". PGA European Tour. May 21, 2007.
2. "Jock Hutchison wins inaugural senior tourney". Sarasota Herald. Florida. Associated Press. December 3, 1937. p. 5.
3. "Hutchison named for golf job here". Sarasaota Herald-Tribune. Florida. July 7, 1940. p. 6.
4. "Two golfers tie for first place in senior event". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. December 9, 1938. p. 6.
5. "M'Leod defeats Hackbarth in seniors' golf". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. December 10, 1938. p. 22.
6. "Hackbarth wins seniors golf crown". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. January 17, 1940. p. 7.
7. "Senior PGA Championship, scheduled for May, canceled". ESPN. Associated Press. April 2, 2020.
8. "Senior PGA Championship Media Guide" (PDF). PGA of America. 2016. pp. 6–64.
9. Metcalf, Mitch. . ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
10. "KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship Future Sites". Senior PGA Championship. Retrieved March 23, 2022.

External links

• Official website