Who Runs The PGA Championship?

The PGA of America created the first PGA Championship in 1916

PGA Championship Wanamaker Trophy pictured
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Who Runs The PGA Championship?

The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) runs the PGA Championship, with Seth Waugh as CEO and Jim Richerson as the President. 

Rodman Wanamaker founded the PGA of America, naming the impressive Wanamaker Trophy after himself. Founded in 1916, the PGA of America is an organisation of golf professionals established with the aim of elevating the standards of professionalism, while also increasing interest and participation in the sport.

An official money event on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Japan Golf Tour, the PGA Championship is one of the four men's Major Championships. It is played at a new, or different, venue each year, with 2022's PGA Championship taking place at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

As well as the PGA Championship, the PGA of America also conducts the Women's PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship, PGA Professional Championship, PGA Cup and the Women's PGA Cup. It also co-owns and co-organises the Ryder Cup along with the DP World Tour.

Its PGA Professional Championship sees the top 20 PGA Pros qualify for the PGA Championship, which is something unique about the men's Major. It is also the only men's Major that is exclusively for professional players, with The Masters, the US Open and the Open all inviting amateurs.

Consequently, fans often regard the field as the strongest in professional golf, reinforced by the Official World Golf Ranking, which routinely gives the PGA Championship the highest ‘strength of field’ rating each year. The tournament regularly features all of the world's top 100 barring any injuries.

Just like the other men's Majors, the perks of winning the PGA Championship are great with a high purse, huge world ranking points on offer and exemptions to the PGA Tour for five years, the DP World Tour for seven years and the other three Majors and the Players Championship for five years. The PGA Champion also qualifies for the tournament for the remainder of their career.

Now the second Major in the golfing calendar, the PGA Championship moved from a traditional August event to the currently scheduled May event in 2019. 

Elliott Heath
Senior Staff Writer

Elliott Heath is our Senior Staff Writer and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news, features, courses and travel sections as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Elliott has interviewed some huge names in the golf world including Sergio Garcia, Thomas Bjorn, Bernd Wiesberger and Scotty Cameron as well as a number of professionals on the DP World and PGA Tours. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as four Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays at West Byfleet Golf Club in Surrey, where his handicap index floats anywhere between 2-6. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Max

Hybrid: TaylorMade SIM Max

Irons: Mizuno MP5 4-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x