How Many Players Won Their First PGA Tour Title At The PGA Championship?
With dozens of players in contention heading into the final round of the 2026 PGA Championship, including several without a PGA Tour win, which players claimed their maiden Tour title at the Major?
After three rounds of the PGA Championship, there was little separating dozens of players on the leaderboard, with 30 within five of the lead and others not out of contention.
That didn’t go down well with some of those in the thick of it, with Rory McIlroy among the players suggesting that such a bunched leaderboard is often the sign of a poor course setup.
There is no doubt that the players have needed to work for their positions at Aronimink, with thick rough, undulating greens and windy conditions combining to make the event feel more like a US Open at times.
For fans, it has offered a refreshing change from some recent editions of the PGA Championship, with the grind to gain any advantage in place of the birdie fest some had anticipated.
Whatever the pros and cons, the fact is that the tight nature of proceedings set up a potential classic in the final round.
It also meant superstars such as McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm found it tough to separate themselves from players many fans might have struggled to identify at the start of the week.
Alex Smalley was hoping to claim his maiden PGA Tour title at the PGA Championship
As a result, there remained the real possibility that a player who had yet to win on the PGA Tour could go on to count the PGA Championship as their first official title on the circuit.
One was Alex Smalley, who, as well as never winning professionally, had never held a 54-hole lead before getting his nose in front on Saturday evening.
Others looking to make the PGA Championship their first PGA Tour title included Matti Schmid, Mikael Lindberg, Bud Cauley, Max Greyserman, Ryo Hisatsune and LIV Golfer David Puig.
But how many times has it happened before?
David Puig was looking for his maiden PGA Tour title at the PGA Championship
In the 107 previous editions of the PGA Championship, only eight players claimed their maiden PGA Tour victory at it.
The first time it happened was 1931, when Tom Creavy beat Denny Shute 2&1 in the tournament’s match play days.
That proved the catalyst for more PGA Tour wins, with the American claiming his remaining three by the end of 1934.
The next was Bob Hamilton, who caused a shock in 1944 with a 1-up win over strong favorite Byron Nelson. Hamilton went on to win twice more on the PGA Tour.
Bob Hamilton won the 1944 PGA Championship
In 1953, Will Burkemo beat Felice Torza 2&1 at Birmingham Country Club, just a few miles from Franklin Hills Country Club, where he was the club pro. Just one more PGA Tour win followed for Burkemo, the 1957 Mayfair Inn Open.
The same year Burkemo won his second PGA Tour title, Lionel Herbert won his first at the PGA Championship.
He beat Dow Finsterwald 2&1 in the last edition of the match play era in 1957. Herbert went on to claim five PGA Tour titles, the last of which came in 1966.
It was 31 years until another player made the PGA Championship his first PGA Tour victory, when Jeff Sluman beat reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year Paul Azinger by three at Oak Tree Golf Club in 1988.
Sluman eventually won six times on the PGA Tour, with the last coming at the 2002 Greater Milwaukee Open, but the PGA Championship was his one Major title.
Trust the larger-than-life John Daly to save his first PGA Tour title for a Major.
John Daly's 1991 PGA Championship win game him his first PGA Tour title
Daly beat Bruce Lietzke by three at the 1991 PGA Championship, which was held at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Indiana.
Incredibly, Daly very nearly didn’t play. He was the ninth alternate, only to get a spot after several withdrawals.
Daly went on to claim five official PGA Tour titles, including the 1995 Open.
The only player on this list whose PGA Championship title was his only PGA Tour win is Shaun Micheel.
The American was making his 164th PGA Tour start in the 2003 event at Oak Hill Country Club.
Shaun Micheel's only PGA Tour win came at the 2003 PGA Championship
He beat Chad Campbell by two, earning him over $1m in prize money and a spot at the event for life – a perk he took advantage of in 2026, although, unlike 23 years earlier, he missed the cut.
While Micheel didn’t make it past 36 holes in 2026, one of the many players who was still in contention with a round to play was Martin Kaymer.
The German had several European Tour wins before heading to Whistling Straits for the 2010 PGA Championship. By the end of it, he had his maiden PGA Tour title after beating Bubba Watson in a playoff.
Kaymer, who nowadays plays on LIV Golf, saves his PGA Tour titles for the biggest events. His only other two titles on it to date came at the 2014 Players Championship and the US Open later that year.
Players Whose First PGA Tour Title Came At The PGA Championship
- 1931 - Tom Creavy
- 1944 - Bob Hamilton
- 1953 - Will Burkemo
- 1957 - Lionel Herbert
- 1988 - Jeff Sluman
- 1991 - John Daly
- 2003 - Shaun Micheel
- 2010 - Martin Kaymer
