9 PGA Championship Trivia Fun Facts You Didn’t Know You Needed!
For many golf fans the PGA Championship might be considered fourth on golf’s major list, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t got it’s fair share of history and fun stories
In May 2025, it returns to Quail Hollow in Carolina, a course that seems to bring out the best in certain players—just ask Rory McIlroy, who holds the course record (a blistering 61) and has won here four times, including his first PGA Tour title in 2010.
This week he’s going for his second major in a row.
While Jordan Speith could join the exclusive Career Grand Slam club if he adds the PGA Championship to his trophy cabinet.
While the world’s best tee it up in Charlotte this week, we’re digging into the quirky, the legendary, and the downright strange side of the PGA Championship.
Whether you’re a trivia night champ or just trying to impress your weekend foursome, here are 9 PGA Championship Trivia Fun Facts to file under “things I never knew I needed to know.” including lost trophies, late night scrambles and surprise winners!
Keep reading to discover the wonders of the PGA Championship Trivia – and find out which golf legend once played 196 holes to win to take the trophy home – and didn’t lose it this time!
Our first PGA Championship trivia facts involves one of the greatest players ever to tee it up.
After Walter Hagen won the PGA Championship in 1925, he supposedly entrusted the trophy to a New York taxi driver and never saw it again.
It was missing for over a decade, before finally turning up in a dusty storage room at L.A.’s Saratoga Golf Club in 1938!
It’s not as if the The Wanamaker Trophy awarded to the champion is easy to mislay.
It iss widely considered the largest trophy in golf.
It stands approximately 2.5 feet tall and weighs approximately 12kg (27 pounds).
The original Wanamaker Trophy was ordered by businessman and golfer Rodman Wanamaker and made of silver.
2. Horror author Stephen King’s link to the brutal closing holes at Quail Hollow.
The closing three holes (16–18) at Quail Hollow regularly rank among the toughest finishing stretches on the PGA Tour.
This finishing trio of holes can measure a combined 1,270 yards with water hazards nestling against each green.
They are known as golf’s “Green Mile” a reference to Stephen King’s novel and the movie of the same name.
In the 2017 Championship, players were a combined +275 on those three holes alone!
As an extra piece of PGA Championship trivia the so-called “Green Mile” is actually just short of being a mile in distance – but who’s counting!
3. Tiger Woods has never won a major in Carolina!
Golf’s greatest player of the modern era tops the All-Time Career PGA Tour Money List and has won 15 mjor titles – four of them at the PGA.
However, he has never lifted a major title in Carolina!
His best finish was T2 at Quail Hollow in 2017 behind Justin Thomas.
This makes Carolina is one of the few states on the US Major circuit where the Tiger hasn’t roared!
4. Maverick cola fuelled golfers all-night dash to the title!
#4 on our PGA Championship Trivia list is an all-time underdog story…
The 1991 tournament was held at Crooked Stick Golf Course in Indiana.
A little known 25 year old golfer known as a bit of maverick, called John Daly, was the 9th and final alternate for a place at the tournament.
Thinking there was now hope of being selected Daly was at home in Memphis when he got the call that Nick Price had withdrawn for the birth of his first child on the eve of the first round!
Daly was in the Championship!
He drove 7 hours through the night to claim his spot showed up with a mullet, played no practice round, hired Price’s caddie and shot 69 in the first round!
Four days later walked away with a major title!
A little known additional note, is that Daly donated $30,000 of his prize money as a college fund for the daughters of a spectator who tragically died after being struck by lightening at the tournament. One of the daughters has gone on to become a doctor!
Daly instantly became firm fan favourite for his grip it and rip style, his taste for a Diet Coke and zero-hero story.
5. Phil Mickelson is the oldest major winner ever—and he did it at the PGA
In 2021, at Kiawah Island (also in the Carolinas), Phil won his sixth major at the PGA Championship aged 50 years, 11 months.
At the time Mickelson was one of the most popular golfers on the Tour.
He went into the final round leading Brooks Koepka by one shot and ended the day with a two stroke victory.
Mickleson became the oldest major champion in history, breaking Julius Boros’ 53-year-old record.
One of the greatest images in golf is “Big Phil” walking down the final fairway following an excellent second shot from the left rough, thousands of fans engulfed him, and marched with him towards the hole.
Watch Some of the Most Memorable Shots from the PGA Championship
(including Jon Rahm’s amazing backhand shot!)
6. The PGA Championship used to be a matchplay tournament!
From 1916 to 1957, with three years missed due to World War I and World War II, the PGA Championship was a knockout matchplay tournament.
Thirty-two players formed the first-ever field, building to 128 contestants for the 1957 competition.
This format made for a very long tournament. In fact Byron Nelson once played 196 holes in a single PGA Championship.
No, that’s not a typo!
The last match-play version of the PGA Championship was won by Lionel Herbert in 1957 after playing nine rounds in five days.
Three years later Lionel’s brother Jay won the 1960 PGA Championship making the Herbert brothers one of only five sets of siblings to have won major golf tournaments.
In 1957 Herbert won $8000. By comparison 2024 Champion Xander Schauffele took home $3.3 million!
7. 17 players shared USPGA low score record for 49 years until…?
In the 49 years prior to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla 17 different players held the Championship low score record of 63.
Notable players sharing the accolade included Gary Player, Raymond Floyd, Vijay Singh, Jose Maria Olazabal, Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka (twice) and Bubba Watson.
However, in the 2024 Championship both eventual Champion Xander Schaufelle and Shane Lowry shot 62’s to claim joint top spot!
8. The youngest ever winner of the PGA Championship
Golfing great Gene Sarazen is still the youngest winner of the PGA Championship.
In 1922 when the tournament was still played in matchplay format, he defeated Emmet French 4 and 3 at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania.
The American was 20 years of age when he lifted the famous Wanamaker Trophy for the first time.
He went go on to defend his crown in 1923 by beating fellow golfing icon Walter Hagen in New York and won a total of three PGA Championship titles.
Hagen however got his revenge by winning the next four PGA Championships in a row the best winning streak in the tournaments history.
9. Most surprise winners in all majors
Ben Curtis holds the record as the lowest ranked player to win a golf major after his victory at The Open in 2003 when ranked 396th in the World!
But the PGA Championship is the major that seems to give the outsiders the best chance of jumping the line to golfing greatness.
Some argue this is because the PGA often has the weakest field of all the majors. But try telling that some of these guys on the list below who have their names in the record books and Wanamaker trophies to prove it!
Most Surprising Golf Major Winners at the PGA Championship:
Jay Hebert, US PGA, 1960 – only major of his career – see above
Al Geiberger, US PGA, 1966 – only major of his career
John Mahaffey, US PGA, 1978 – one time major winner
Jeff Sluman, US PGA, 1988 – one time major winner
John Daly, US PGA, 1991 – see above
Rich Beem, US PGA, 2002 – only top 14 major finish
Shaun Micheel, US PGA, 2003 – ranked 169 in World – only top 20 major finish and only PGA Tour win
YE Yang, US PGA, 2009 – first Asian major winner and first player to beat Tiger after Woods held 54 hole lead!
BONUS PGA CHAMPIONSHIP TRIVIA FACT!
20 Starting places saved for club pro’s
Every year the PGA Championship reserves 20 places in the starting line-up for club professionals based in the USA.
To qualify through this channel players must finish in the top 20 at the PGA Professional Championship.
The PGA Professionals Championship is an event held for club professionals and teachers.
To play in the tournament, the player must be a member of the PGA of America.
Players who finish in the top 20 receive an coverted invite to play in the following year’s major tournament.
Watch Rory’s reaction to Micheal Block hitting an ace at the PGA Championship!
California pro Blocks out a big payday
In 2023 California Micheal Block qualified for the PGA at Oak Hill through this route.
He shot to fame by becoming the first club pro to make the cut in decades.
Block was 2nd after two rounds and eighth going into the final round.
For the final round Block was paired with Rory McIlroy and scored a straight in no bounce hole-in-one on the par 3 15th.
Block eventually finished 15th on the leaderboard earning him $288,000 in prize money and automatic entry to the 2024 PGA Championship.
The only club professionals to previously finish higher at the tournament were Tommy Aycock in 1974 and Lonnie Nielsen in 1986, both of whom finished 11th.
Block has also qualified for this year Championship and will be hoping for a repeat of his 2023 adventure!
Want More Major Madness?
If these PGA Championship Trivia Fun Facts got you in the major golf mood, check out our similar deep dives on:
The 2025 Masters Fascinating Facts & Stats
Enjoy the drama at Quail Hollow — can Rory make it two in a row? Will Bryson or Justin Rose get revenge for the Masters, Will Scottie Scheffler avoid getting arrested this year or will the PGA Championship live up to it’s reputation for shock winners?
It’ll be fun finding out!
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