Golf is a weird game. One day you’re a phone salesman, and the next you’re holding off Tiger Woods to win a major. That’s basically the vibe of the PGA Championship. It’s the "glory’s last shot" major, or at least it was until they moved it to May, and the list of PGA Championship golf winners is honestly one of the most eclectic collections of humans in professional sports.
You’ve got the giants. Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen both won this thing five times. Think about that. Winning a major five times is a career for most Hall of Famers, but for them, it was just another week at the office. Hagen did it back when it was match play—a grueling format where you had to physically outlast your opponent over 36 holes in a single day. Then Jack came along in the stroke-play era and just dismantled courses with that high fade of his.
But then, you have the guys who seemingly came out of nowhere.
The Underdogs and the Outliers
Remember 1991? John Daly wasn’t even supposed to be at Crooked Stick. He was the ninth alternate. He literally drove through the night, didn’t have a practice round, and proceeded to "grip it and rip it" past every stunned pro in the field. He won by three. It was pure chaos. People loved it because he looked like a guy who just wandered off a muni course and decided to show the world how to actually hit a golf ball.
Then there’s Rich Beem in 2002.
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Beem was a former car stereo salesman who found himself in a shootout with Tiger Woods at Hazeltine. Tiger birdied the last four holes—four!—and Beem still didn’t blink. He made a par on the 18th to win by one. It’s those kinds of wins that make the PGA Championship special. It’s not always the person you expect.
Recent Dominance and the Scottie Scheffler Era
If you’ve been watching lately, the names at the top are getting a lot more consistent. Brooks Koepka turned the PGA into his personal playground for a while, winning back-to-back in 2018 and 2019, then coming back to grab a third in 2023 at Oak Hill. He just seems to thrive when the rough is thick and the par is a "good" score.
And then we have Scottie Scheffler.
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Honestly, what he did in 2025 at Quail Hollow was just clinical. He won by five strokes. He finished at $11$ under par while everyone else was basically gasping for air. It was his first Wanamaker Trophy and his third major overall. Seeing him celebrate with his family after such a dominant week... it felt like we were watching the start of a very long reign.
The Heavy Hitters of the Stroke-Play Era
Since 1958, the tournament shifted from match play to the stroke-play format we see today. Here is how some of the multi-time winners stack up:
- Jack Nicklaus: 5 wins ($1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980$)
- Tiger Woods: 4 wins ($1999, 2000, 2006, 2007$)
- Brooks Koepka: 3 wins ($2018, 2019, 2023$)
- Rory McIlroy: 2 wins ($2012, 2014$)
- Justin Thomas: 2 wins ($2017, 2022$)
The Curse of the Missing Trophy
Here is a bit of trivia most people forget: the actual trophy was once lost for five years. Walter Hagen, being the legendary partier he was, "lost" the Wanamaker Trophy after winning it in 1925. He claimed he gave it to a taxi driver to take to his hotel. It didn’t show up.
It wasn’t found until 1930 in a basement of the L.A. Young & Company factory in Detroit. They were the people who made Hagen’s clubs. It was just sitting there in an unmarked crate. Nowadays, the winners get a replica to take home because, well, history repeats itself and nobody wants to lose a 27-pound silver cup again.
What it Takes to Win Now
Winning this tournament isn't just about hitting it 330 yards. It’s about mental fatigue. The PGA of America loves to set up courses that are long and punishing. Xander Schauffele’s win in 2024 at Valhalla was a rare exception where the scoring went low—he shot a record-breaking $21$ under par. Usually, it’s more of a grind.
If you’re looking at the list of PGA Championship golf winners, you see a pattern of "grinders." Guys like Dave Stockton or Larry Nelson weren't the biggest names, but they were incredibly tough under pressure.
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you’re trying to predict who will join this list next, keep these factors in mind:
- Total Driving Matters: This isn't the Masters where you can spray it a bit. If you aren't in the fairway at a PGA Championship, you’re dead.
- Scrambling is King: Look at how Justin Thomas won in 2022. He was seven shots back on Sunday. He won because he didn't make mistakes when he missed greens.
- The "May" Factor: Since the move to May, weather plays a much bigger role. Early morning tee times can be cold and damp, which favors the power hitters who can carry the ball through heavy air.
Next time you're watching the final round on Sunday, remember that for every Tiger Woods on that trophy, there's a Shaun Micheel or a Y.E. Yang—someone who caught lightning in a bottle for four days and changed their life forever.
To dive deeper into the history of the game, you can check out the official records at PGA.com or browse the detailed archives of major winners on GolfCompendium.
Keep an eye on the world rankings leading up to the next championship; the momentum from the early season often dictates who has the stamina to lift the Wanamaker. Analyzing "Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee" stats for the two months prior to the event is usually the best indicator of who will be in the mix on Sunday afternoon.