PGA Championship

In line with the other majors, winning the PGA gives a golfer several privileges which make his career much more secure, if he is not already one of the elite of the sport. PGA champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (The Masters, US Open and British Open) for the next five years, and are exempt from qualifying for the PGA Championship through age 65. They also receive membership on the PGA TOUR for the following five seasons and invitations to THE PLAYERS Championship for five years.

Qualification

The PGA Championship was established for the purpose of providing a high profile tournament specifically for professional golfers at a time when they were generally not held in high esteem in a sport that was largely run by wealthy amateurs. This origin is still reflected in the entry system for the Championship. It is the only major which does not invite leading amateurs to compete, and the only one which reserves a large number of places, 25 out of 150, for club professionals. The PGA Tour is now independent of the PGA of America, and it is an elite organisation of tournament professionals, but the PGA Championship is still run by the PGA of America, which is mainly a body for club and teaching professionals. The PGA Championship is the only major that does not explicitly grant entry to the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings, although it invariably invites all top-50 players who are not already qualified.

Related Topics:
PGA of America - Tournament professionals - Official World Golf Rankings

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List of qualification criteria:

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• All former PGA Champions.
• Winners of the last five U.S. Opens.
• Winners of the last five Masters.
• Winners of the last five British Opens.
• The last Senior PGA Champion.
• The low 15 scorers and ties in the previous PGA Championship.
• The 25 low scorers in the last PGA Club Professional Championship.
• The 70 leaders in official money standings.
• Members of the last United States Ryder Cup Team.
• Winners of tournaments co-sponsored or approved by the PGA Tour since the previous PGA Championship (does not include pro-am and team competitions).
• The PGA of America reserves the right to invite additional players not included in the categories listed above.
• The total field is a maximum of 150 players. Vacancies are filled by the first available player from the list of alternates (those below 70th place in official money standings).