Still holding down the second spot?
Correct. The PGA Championship moved from the major finale in August to the second of the season in May, in 2019. Then 2020 came and the golf calendar was reorganized because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PGA was contested again in August, after the U.S. Open and ahead of the Masters. Things returned to order in ’21 and, for the foreseeable future, the PGA of America’s crown jewel sits in its spring spot.
Wait, isn’t this the championship of the PGA Tour?
Skip
Sigh. No, this is not the championship of the PGA Tour. That would be considered The Players Championship. This is the championship of the PGA of America.
Why the need to designate “of America”? What else would it be – the PGA of Timbuktu?
Obviously we need a history lesson here. We’ll keep it as brief as possible. There used to be one PGA – the “of America” one, which was founded in 1916. In 1968, action was begun that resulted in an eventual split into the PGA of America and the PGA Tour.
Why the split?
The original golf pros were the people who work at golf clubs. You know, the ones who sell us logoed ball markers and take our green fees when they’re not trying to cure our slices by giving us lessons. The better players among them also played the national tournament circuit.
As golf grew in popularity and tournaments became more lucrative, a class of pros evolved who were tournament players first and foremost. If they held a club job, it was often ceremonial.
Over time, more of these pros discarded the idea of working at a club at all, instead devoting full time to tournament play.
OK, I follow you so far.
So now you had one organization, the PGA of America, trying to represent the interests of two entirely different types of “golf pros.” No surprise that the root of the dispute was money, specifically what to do with what was becoming a windfall in rights fees from the TV networks. The tournament players, a group that included Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, wanted that money to go to increased tournament purses, while the club pros wanted it to go into the PGA’s general fund. Eventually the touring pros broke off on their own. The PGA of America remained in place, representing the traditional “club” pros.
If the PGA of America was no longer going to represent the interests of tournament players, why does it still have a championship? And why is it a major?
It wanted to keep the PGA Championship alive for many reasons, not the least of which is that it generates considerable revenue. As for your second question, that is a big ol’ can of worms for another day. We will say this, however. For most of the PGA Championship’s existence, it has had a justifiable status as a major. Whether that will ever change, whether it will ever be replaced in the major rotation by The Players Championship is anyone’s guess. But golf is a game that respects – and clings to – tradition.
The most obvious thing is that from its inception in 1916 through 1957, the PGA was a match-play tournament. It has been periodically suggested that it return to match play, but that is not considered likely. Prior to the shift to May in 2019, it was previously held during this month in 1949, when Sam Snead won.
