PGA Championship List of Winners: The Heavyweights and Surprises

Golf is a weird game. One day you’re flushing every iron, and the next, you’re shank-adjacent in a fairway bunker. But at the PGA Championship, the margins for "weird" vanish. This is where the Wanamaker Trophy—that 34-pound beast of a cup—separates the legends from the guys who just had a good week.

If you’re looking at the pga championship list of winners, you aren't just looking at names. You’re looking at eras. You’re looking at a tournament that started as a grueling match-play marathon in 1916 and transformed into the "Glory’s Last Shot" stroke-play drama we know now. Honestly, the shift in 1958 changed everything. It went from a "don't lose the hole" mentality to a "don't blink for 72 holes" grind.

The Modern Kings: From Scheffler to Schauffele

Let’s talk about right now. Scottie Scheffler took home the title in 2025 at Quail Hollow. He shot an 11-under 273, basically clinical, though Jon Rahm gave him a serious scare on Sunday. Scheffler’s win wasn't just another trophy; it solidified him as the guy to beat in this decade. He joins the likes of Tiger and Nicklaus as one of the few to snag three majors and 15+ wins before hitting 29.

Before him, we had Xander Schauffele’s record-breaking performance in 2024. He went 21-under at Valhalla. 21-under! That is the lowest score in relation to par in major championship history. People used to say Xander couldn't close the big ones. Then he went out and did that.

Then there’s Brooks Koepka. The guy is a machine in the PGA. He won in 2018, 2019, and 2023. Brooks treats the PGA Championship like it's his backyard. While others overthink the rough or the green speeds, he just bullies the course into submission.

Recent Winners at a Glance

• 2025: Scottie Scheffler (-11) at Quail Hollow
• 2024: Xander Schauffele (-21) at Valhalla
• 2023: Brooks Koepka (-9) at Oak Hill
• 2022: Justin Thomas (-5) at Southern Hills
• 2021: Phil Mickelson (-6) at Kiawah Island

That 2021 win by Phil? Absolute insanity. He was nearly 51. Nobody that old is supposed to win a major. He broke Julius Boros’ 1968 record (age 48) and did it by out-dueling Koepka in the South Carolina wind. It’s arguably the most "I can’t believe that just happened" moment in the last twenty years of golf.

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The All-Time Leaders: Nicklaus and Hagen

When you dive into the pga championship list of winners, two names sit at the top of the mountain with five wins each: Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen.

Hagen was the king of the match-play era. He won four in a row from 1924 to 1927. Imagine playing 36 holes a day, match after match, and not losing for four straight years. He was a showman. He’d show up in a tuxedo, drink until dawn, and then beat you by five holes.

Nicklaus, on the other hand, was the master of the stroke-play era. His 1980 win at Oak Hill was a masterpiece—he won by seven strokes.

1. Jack Nicklaus (5 wins: 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980)
2. Walter Hagen (5 wins: 1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927)
3. Tiger Woods (4 wins: 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007)
4. Gene Sarazen (3 wins: 1922, 1923, 1933)
5. Sam Snead (3 wins: 1942, 1949, 1951)
6. Brooks Koepka (3 wins: 2018, 2019, 2023)

Tiger's run in 2000 was peak dominance. He won at Valhalla in a playoff against Bob May. It was high-drama golf, the kind where every putt felt like it was worth a million bucks. And honestly, it almost was—the prize money has jumped from $500 in 1916 to over $3.4 million for the winner today.

Why the PGA Championship Venue Matters

The PGA of America likes to move this thing around. Unlike the Masters, which is always at Augusta, the PGA visits the "blue-collar" tough courses. Southern Hills in Oklahoma has hosted five times. That’s more than any other club.

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The heat there is usually brutal. In 2022, Justin Thomas came back from seven shots down on Sunday to win. It tied the record for the largest comeback in PGA history (set by John Mahaffey in 1978). If you’re betting on the PGA, look for the grinders. This isn't a tournament for the faint of heart or the guys who can't handle a little sweat.

New York has hosted 13 times, the most of any state. Ohio is right behind with 11. These courses—Oak Hill, Bethpage Black, Firestone—they are designed to punish you if you miss the fairway by six inches.

Records You Should Know

• Lowest 72-Hole Score: David Toms shot a 265 in 2001 at Atlanta Athletic Club.
• Youngest Winner: Gene Sarazen was just 20 years old in 1922.
• Oldest Winner: Phil Mickelson at 50 in 2021.
• Largest Margin of Victory: Rory McIlroy won by 8 shots in 2012.

The Underdogs and the Heartbreaks

Not every name on the pga championship list of winners is a household icon. Remember Shaun Micheel in 2003? He hit one of the greatest 7-irons in history on the 72nd hole at Oak Hill to seal the deal. It was his only PGA Tour win. Ever.

Then there's Y.E. Yang. In 2009, he did the unthinkable: he took down Tiger Woods on a Sunday. Tiger had never lost a 54-hole lead in a major before that day. Yang just kept hitting hybrids into greens and stayed cool while the world waited for Tiger to pounce. He didn't. Yang won, and it changed the trajectory of Asian golf forever.

On the flip side, you’ve got guys like Greg Norman. The Shark lost the 1993 PGA in a playoff to Paul Azinger. It was just another chapter in Norman's "how did he not win more" book.

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Actionable Insights for Golf Fans

If you're tracking the pga championship list of winners to understand future trends, pay attention to the venue. The PGA isn't a "one-size-fits-all" major.

• Check the Rough: When the PGA goes to courses like Bethpage or Oak Hill, driving accuracy becomes the only stat that matters.
• Look for "Major Brooks": Brooks Koepka has a specific gear for this tournament. Until he retires, he's a factor.
• The "Phil" Factor: Never count out the veterans. The PGA has a history of older players hanging around the leaderboard longer than at the U.S. Open or The Open.

Whether it’s Scottie Scheffler's dominance or a random longshot like Rich Beem (2002), the Wanamaker Trophy has a way of finding the golfer who can handle the most pressure when the shadows get long on Sunday afternoon.

Go back and watch the 2000 playoff between Tiger and Bob May if you want to see what this tournament is actually about. It's not just about the birdies; it's about the guts to match them.

To dig deeper into the history, you should compare the winning scores of the last ten years against the course yardages. You'll see that as courses get longer, the scores aren't necessarily getting higher—the athletes are just getting better. Keep an eye on the 2026 venue; the layout will dictate whether we see another -21 or a grind-it-out -1.