LostGolfBalls.com BLOG

Information and tips on everything golf ball related from the largest recycler of used golf balls in the world

The PGA Championship Rundown: Who, What, When and Where

Read More →

Posts by Tag

see all
All Posts

The PGA Championship Rundown: Who, What, When and Where

PGA-2015-ChampiosnhipImage Source: http://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/course/2015/tour/1

“I know I am getting better at golf because I am hitting fewer spectators.” – Gerald R. Ford

It's the last Major of the season! Are you ready for it?

The countdown to the PGA Championship 2015 is in full swing (pardon the pun!). Scores of fans are about to descend upon Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, to witness the excitement live, while thousands more around the world will follow every stroke on their television set, Aug. 10-16.

If you don't get a chance to see some live action, get this picture: Whistling Straits is an undisguised homage to the raw and beautiful seaside links of Ireland. And this year, the Straits Course in Haven, Wisconsin, welcomes the greatest names in golf at the 97th PGA Championship. 

What makes this, the last major competition of the season, so special? The PGA Championship is the jewel in the crown of the four top tournaments. It brings together the greatest golfers in the game in one of the most exciting golfing events of the year.

Truth be told, it's the stuff legends are made of. 

US-PGA-Championship-2014
Image Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/golf/pga-champion-rory-mcilroy-parade-4034584

Masters of the Links

  • Jim Barnes left big shoes to fill when he won the very fist Championship and went on to win one more, as well as the U.S. Open and The British Open.
  • Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus have both won the most PGA Championships with five each. Forget the polite clap here--a roaring round of applause is in order for these two masters of the links.  
  • Arnold Palmer set a record with rounds of 68-68-69-69. This made him the first player to post four rounds in the 60s in a major tournament, yet a PGA win eluded him. Poor Arnold! We think he deserves a vigorous nod anyhow. He set new standards for the tourney, after all. 

Who's your money on this year? Tiger bowed out, but how about that Jordan Spieth? Or are you more on par with last year's winner, Rory McIlroy? Other fore-walkers include Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, and Justin Rose. 

History in the Making

pga_whistling
Image Source: http://news.cals.wisc.edu/2015/07/21/eyes-on-the-green-cals-scientists-help-whistling-straits-golf-course-get-ready-for-the-pga-championship/

Fasten your wedges and hold on to your irons before the book closes on another year of golf. This year's PGA Championship winner will go down in the annals of golfing history alongside his admirable predecessors, but with a much fatter wallet. 

  • The first Championship was held in 1916 in October at the Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York.
  • Jim Barnes won the tournament and received a gold diamond-studded medal that Rodman Wanamaker donated and a purse of $500.
  • The 2012 winner, Rory McIlroy, won the Championship earning $1.445 million. That is a huge jump in prize money, and although we have no doubt that, in 1916, $500 was serious spending power, by the 2012 equivalency it is a mere $10,954.95.  

The total purse for the 2015 tournament is a whopping $10 million, with $1.8 million going to the Championship winner.

For the rest of us--try as we might--golf will never be this lucrative. Not even close. That's why we play it smart with recycled balls from Lost Golf Balls--at the top of our game, but at a fraction of the cost.

Outbound link:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/us/pga-championship-fast-facts/

Source links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PGA_Championship
http://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/history
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/us/pga-championship-fast-facts/
Heather Plyler
Heather Plyler
Heather Plyler is a golf enthusiast and has recently joined the E-Commerce team at Lost Golf Balls. She graduated from University of Houston-Downtown in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree for Corporate Communications. Heather is passionate about golf whether it is playing a round on the course or communicating with others about their last Round. She has been involved in the sport for 10 years that has given her an insight into the commercial value of the products associated with the sport.

Related Posts

Genesis Invitational Gives Us The Reality Of Sports

I’ve written this before and I’m repeating it because it never ceases to amaze me how televised sports is the ultimate reality show, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, as the now-defunct ABC Wild Word of Sports used as its intro. On the final hole of the Pebble Beach Open, Jacob Bridgeman (TaylorMade TP5x) was hitting a shot off of pebbles on the beach on the 18th hole. His ball ended up in the ocean and resulted in a bogey, tying him for eighth place when he was close enough starting the hole for a much better finish. I thought his spirits were crushed and dismissed him for the Genesis Invitational. So what does he do? Goes on a tear and headed into the final day, chasing a tournament record score. But he nearly frittered away the win, coming undone on the back half of the back nine and eking out a single stroke victory, and only because he parred a four-foot putt that must have seemed much longer because of the pressure. That’s drama, real drama, not manufactured reality. He won the event for the first time in his 66th tournament on the PGA Tour and only 65 days after marrying.

It's Time To Talk About Tiger Woods Again

Some thoughts on the world of golf with the Masters less than eight weeks away: When Tiger Woods (Bridgestone Tour B XS) speaks, we all listen. As the host of the Genesis Invitational this week, Woods held his annual address about his health, career, playing in the Masters and the PGA Tour at large. Woods is gradually returning to swinging his clubs from his latest back surgery last fall, which naturally had reporters asking him about his playing status. He did not specify when he will return to playing again, yet he tersely and emphatically did not rule out playing in the Masters. “No,” he said. Woods has always tried to play in the Masters, no matter his physical condition.

Chris Gotterup Making A Name For Himself

Who is Chris Gotterup (Bridgestone Tour B X), and why is he tearing it up early in the 2026 PGA Tour season? If you had asked golf fans heading into this year’s season, some may have known him and success he has had, but I don’t think there would be many who would say he was slated for a breakthrough season. But now the word is out: Not only is he a long-ball hitter off the tee and someone who can keep it in the fairway, but he also has a complete game and championship mettle. With two victories in only three tournaments in 2026, most recently last weekend beating two-time winner Hideki Matsuyama (Srixon Z-Star XV) in a playoff in the WM Phoenix Open, Gotterup is on a heater. Matsuyama, the tournament leader heading into the final round, was spraying his ball all over the course and was scrambling most of the day. Gotterup was quietly doing his own thing. In fact, while Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1) was making a serious run for the lead that just fell one shot short after a seven-under par, Gotterup was putting together a similar round. He had the tournament lead after round one with an eight-under par – Scheffler was just hoping to make the cut after opening two-under par – but shot one-under par in his next two rounds. Gotterup really turned it on in the final round. He was two-under after the front nine, but five-under on the back nine, including birdying five of the last six holes.