Rory McIlroy kicked off the 2023 golf season in the best possible way by winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on January 30. He held off a late-charging Patrick Reed, who shot a final round 65 to bring himself into contention. But the Northern Irish world number one held his nerve, shooting back-to-back birdies on the final two holes to seal victory by one stroke.
The beginning of the new golf campaign means one thing, the majors season is just around the corner. The first major of the year begins on April 6 with the Masters from Augusta, then the following month brings us the PGA Championship, which gets underway in mid-May. Then in the summer months, we have the US Open and The Open Championship.
This year’s favourite
To many, the Masters is the jewel in golf’s crown, but it’s the competition’s sibling that we will be looking into, the PGA Championship. Following his victory in Dubai, online bookie Bovada, which provides golf odds and offers, has made McIlroy the favourite for success in three months’ time.
As mentioned, the 33-year-old is the current world number one and is in fantastic form, but he hasn’t won a major in nine years. But his pedigree at the PGA Championship is unrivalled. Two of his four major victories have come in the illustrious tournament, with the Northern Irishman going all the way in 2012 and 2014. He will be hoping to make it a hat trick of victories this year.
The reigning champion
American Justin Thomas is the current reigning champion. Last year, a final round 67 (three under par) tied him with compatriot Will Zalatoris on five under par overall. The pair then duelled in a playoff, but it was the 29-year-old Thomas who kept his cool and picked up the trophy, some five years on from his first success at the PGA Championship, which came in 2017.
The PGA Championship is one of golf’s most prestigious tournaments and is the annual competition for professional golfers. It has been held since October 1916 and over the years some of the greatest golfers have competed for the title. But which players have lifted the famous trophy the most?
Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus holds the record for the most PGA Championship wins with five. He won his first title in 1963. Then the American great would win three titles in five tournaments, winning in 1971, 1973 and 1975. His final success came in 1980. Nicklaus also held the record for the most runner-up finishes with nine, the last in 1987 when he lost in a three-way playoff to Larry Nelson.
Also, the 17 years between Nicklaus’ first success in 1963 and his final success in 1980 is the longest gap between titles by any golfer at the PGA Championship. That could be broken by Tiger Woods, however, should he manage to lift the crown in years to come.
Walter Hagen
Walter Hagen is tied with Nicklaus with five PGA Championship victories, but he has had the most runner-up finishes with a total of 13. His first victory came in 1921, followed by three more in 1924, 1925 and 1927.
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods is second on the list with four wins. He won the tournament in 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007, with an additional runner-up finish in 1998. Woods is renowned for his come-from-behind victories and winning in 1999 was no exception. He came from seven strokes back in the final round to force a playoff with Bob May, with Woods eventually coming out on top.
Tiger’s fall from grace was well documented and made not only back-page headlines but also front-page headlines the world over. The iconic sports figure dominated the golfing world throughout the 2000s, however, his last PGA Championship success came back in 2007. He would pick up the US Open the following year but then would have to wait over a decade for more major glory.
He finished as runner-up to compatriot Brooks Koepka, who held off the late-charging Woods to seal his first of back-to-back victories by two strokes. His Major drought ended the following year though, as he would win the 2019 Masters Tournament in Augusta, much to the delight of his legion of fans the world over.
Honourable mentions
The next three golfers have each won the title three times and all of their victories have been memorable. Gene Sarazen won in 1922, 1923 and 1933 and was the first golfer to achieve a career grand slam. Ben Hogan claimed his three wins in 1946, 1948 and 1953. He also had six runner-up finishes. The last is Gary Player who claimed his three titles in 1962, 1972 and 1978. His win in 1978 was the most dramatic as he birdied the final hole to edge out Tom Watson.
The PGA Championship has seen some of the greatest golfers battle it out, with some memorable victories that have gone down in history. Whether it was Jack Nicklaus’ record-setting five victories or Gary Player’s last-second birdie to tie the tournament, the PGA Championship has always been a thrilling event to watch.
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