With the year’s 2nd major teeing off at Aronimink next week, I thought it would be a good time to dig into the recent history of the PGA Championship.
Once considered the ugly duckling of the major roster, the PGA Championship has regained some lustre after the PGA Tour moved it forward in the golfing calendar (a rare instance of the PGA Tour completely nailing a decision). There have been plenty of exhilarating renewals over the years, and I have decided to rank my personal picks for the best of the 21st century (a bit of recency bias never hurt anyone).
5. Phil Mickelson (2021)- Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean Course)
Lefty’s last hurrah
It’s incredible to think that this was the last tournament- of any kind- that Phil Mickelson won. If it turns out to be the very last; it makes for a fitting end to Lefty’s glittering career. At the ripe old age of 50, Mickelson defied all conventions to become the oldest ever major champion at Kiawah Island. He wasn’t on anybody’s radar going into the PGA Championship, with only three top-10 finishes in the preceding two years. But he produced one of those real-life Rocky moments, holding off the likes of Koepka and Oosthuizen en route to a 6th career major title.
4. Brooks Koepka (2018)- Bellerive Country Club
A PGA Championship titan emerges
Fresh off winning his 2nd US Open at Shinnecock Hills, Koepka cemented his reputation as the new don of major championship golf with his PGA Championship victory at Bellerive. It was the start of a true love affair with the Wanamaker Trophy, which Koepka would lift three times in the space of six years. The tension during the final round of this renewal was palpable, as Tiger Woods and Adam Scott both threatened to usurp the two-time US Open champ. Koepka and Scott were tied for the lead with four holes to go while a charging Woods was just one shot behind and two holes ahead. Anything was possible. Koepka went into beserker mode down the stretch, making birdies on the 15th and 16th to power him to a two-shot victory. He became just the 5th player in history to win the US Open and PGA Championship in the same year.
3. Rory McIlroy (2014)- Valhalla Golf Club
Dancing in the dark with Rory
This will not be the first time that famed Valhalla gets a mention on this list. Who can forget Rory’s incredible, somewhat controversial victory at the 2014 US PGA Championship? A massive thunderstorm delayed play on championship Sunday, making a Monday finish a very real possibility for the final pairings. McIlroy went into merciless mode, speeding up considerably in the face of the ever-darkening Kentucky sky. He showed his ruthless streak on the 18th, playing into Mickelson and Fowler’s group to get his round done. Mickelson was visibly miffed by the pressure of having to accelerate his play. I like to think that Rory knew- on some spiritual level- that he had an 11-year major drought in the pipeline. He simply had to get it done that Sunday evening.
2. Yang Yong-eun (2009)- Hazeltine National Golf Club
A historic day for Asian golf
This is one of those wins that reverberated throughout the golfing world. South Korean Yang Yong-eun became the first Asian-born player to ever win a major title, laying the foundation for Hideki Matuyama’s later heroics at Augusta National. But it also marked a significant turn in Tiger’s legendary career. marking the first time he lost a major after holding the 54-hole lead. Yang broke Tiger’s mystique that Sunday, producing some truly memorable golf while Tiger uncharacteristically stumbled. It was just the beginning of Tiger’s agony, with the infamous sex scandal breaking just three months later. Yang struggled in the aftermath of that victory, losing his full PGA Tour status in 2015. He will always have the privilege of being the man who shattered Tiger’s major championship aura.
1. Tiger Woods (2000)- Valhalla Golf Club
A shot-making duel for the ages
I know it says Tiger Woods on the bye-line, but this spot belongs equally to journeyman pro Bob May. Widely considered one of the greatest head-to-head tussles in golf history, this was just two players pushing each other to the limit of their scoring potential. Incredibly, both players shot 31 on the back nine, with Tiger needing four birdies in the last seven holes to just force the playoff. May left a bit of his soul out there, sinking a huge double-breaker on the 72nd hole to force Tiger to hole out for a playoff. The two traded blows in a remarkable three-hole playoff, with Tiger winning by one shot. History will remember this as the 3rd leg of Tiger’s so-called Tiger Slam. But those who witnessed it will also remember the regular man who pushed a golfing god- operating at the peak of his powers- to greater heights.
