photo credit: minds-eyeEvery sport has an event that promises to pare down the top athletes in the field to a single champion, whether it is an individual or a team. The Super Bowl is this event for the National Football League, where the two best football teams that year compete for supremacy in an event that draws millions of viewers and millions of dollars in advertising. The PGA Championship is one of the four major golf championships during the golf season, and as the last major, the event is sometimes referred to as “glory’s last shot”. Over the years, the event has grown from its humble origins to a high-profile golf tournament that boasts a large purse for the winner, as well as myriad other benefits to the lucky golfer, and worldwide media coverage as people from all over tune in to follow the prestigious event.
The Professional Golfers’ Association, or PGA, was established in 1916 when Walter Hagen and thirty four other golf professionals came together to establish a unifying organization to provide rules and set up competitions. Today, the PGA is the world’s largest sports organization, consisting of the biggest names in golf and managing many events all over the world, among other things. One of the first missions of the PGA was to create a national championship where professional golfers from all over the country could come together and compete for monetary prizes and the Wanamaker Trophy, named after Rodman Wanamaker. The first PGA Championship took place at the Siwanoy Country Club in New York and it was won by James Barnes. Along with the trophy, Jim Barnes won all of $500 dollars. The following two years, the event was canceled because of World War I, and when it was held again in 1919, Jim Barnes emerged victorious once again. The 1920s and the 1930s saw numerous victories from now-legendary figures.
War once again interrupted the event in 1943, when World War II was in full force for the United States, but from then until 1958 the event remained unchanged. In 1958, the event changed from match play to stroke play, which means that instead of directly competing against each other, competitors would instead compete to have the lowest number of strokes at the end of the game. This change is often said to be a result of network broadcasting pressure because they desired the final day of the event to be played by a large group of well-known golfers. Regardless of the change, the event continued to be very popular and, as was the intention of the network broadcasters, began to make the winners and the popular contenders more notable in the sports world. Throughout the history of the event, American golfers have been the most successful, winning the vast majority of the time. Although there have been notable winners from South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Fiji, the United States is, by far, the most consistent winner of the event.
The PGA created the PGA Championship during a time when wealthy amateurs were the leading force in the sport of golf and professional golfers were not held in high esteem. Because of this, the event historically does not accept leading amateurs and it reserves 20 out of 156 spots for club professionals. It is the only major that does either of those things to such a degree. For those reserved slots, the individuals who fill them are usually determined by the top finishers in the pro club championship, which is held in June. The other competitors are derived from another set of qualifications which include: former PGA champions, winners of any of the last five major championships, the last Senior PGA Championship, low scorers in the last PGA Championship, leaders in the official money standings, members of the most recent United States Ryder Cup Team, winners of PGA Tour-sponsored events held since the last PGA Championship, and other qualifications that are only met by the best professional golfers.
photo credit: mandj98
Because of the nature of the PGA Championships, many winners and contenders of the event have reached national prominence as talented athletes. These golfers become part of pop culture during their heyday, being featured in television advertisement, among other things. Tiger Woods is one of these golfers, whose massive success has made him the highest-paid professional athlete in the world. He is credited with creating a surge of interest for the sport of golf and has won the PGA Championships four times, which is a record only surpassed by two other golfers. Jack Nicklaus is one of these golfers, an iconic figure largely thought to be the best professional golfer of all time. While Tiger Woods created a surge of interest for the sport, Nicklaus is said to have turned golf into a major spectator sport during his career. Throughout the history of the PGA Championship, many other golfers have defined themselves as forces to be reckoned with in subsequent tournaments.
This year’s event is the 90th incarnation of the PGA Championship and will be held from August 4th to August 10th. The event will take place in Detroit, Michigan, at the Oakland Hills Country Club south course. First played in 1924, the course earned the nickname “The Monster” in 1951 because of Ben Hogan’s proclamation that, as winner of the US Open that year, he had brought “the monster to its knees”. He has also been quoted as saying that the course is the toughest he had ever played, so one can be sure that the participants in the 2008 PGA Championships will be challenged not only by each other. Spectators are encouraged to attend the event, but they are encouraged to navigate to the official PGA website in order to procure a copy of the spectator’s guide. They can also find information about the surrounding area, Bloomfield Township, especially about the various things one can do as a tourist in the area. Because of the nature of the event, there are plenty of rules and regulations to follow as a spectator, so it is important that one be prepared. Of course, the event will be broadcast in its entirety on television, which, for most people, will be the best way to keep track of the developments on the course.
The PGA Championship is one of the true tests for professional golfers and, as the nickname “glory’s last shot” hints, the last chance for these golfers to reach champion status in one of the majors. From all over the world, competitors come to test themselves against the course and against each other, hoping to bring their best game to the table in order to walk away with a sizeable share of the purse, a prestigious trophy, and the adoration of golf lovers everywhere. Most of all, though, the PGA Championship is a time for professional golfers to put themselves to the test, because at this point in competition, victory is not only for the money or the fame. So make sure to keep on eye on the proceedings at the PGA Championships as golf history unfolds and champions are born, because it only comes one a year.
