Senior PGA Championship

The Senior PGA Championship is one of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour. It was formerly an unofficial money event on the European Seniors Tour, but since 2007 has been an official money event.^[1] Winners gain entry into the same season's PGA Championship. The winners prior to 1980 are not considered major champions of this event by the Champions Tour.

It was founded in 1937, and the inaugural event was played at Augusta National Golf Club. The lower age limit is 50, which is the standard limit for men's senior professional golf tournaments. In the past the event has had long spells of playing on a single host course, but currently it is played on a different course each year. Two tournaments were played in 1979 and 1984, and no tournaments were held in 1939, 1943, 1944, 1983, and 1985. The tournament has gone by several different names:

Eligibility

Here is who may be eligible to compete in the Senior PGA Championship (provided they meet the age requirement):

• Any past winner of the Senior PGA Championship
• Any past winner of a regular major championship
• Any past member of the United States Ryder Cup team
• The top 15 finishers in the previous year's Senior PGA Championship
• The top 50 on the Champions Tour money list (previous year and current year)
• Any winner of a Champions Tour event since the last Senior PGA Championship
• The top 35 finishers from the Callaway Golf Senior PGA Professional National Championship
• Any winner of the previous five U.S. Senior Opens
• The winner of the last Senior British Open
• The top eight players from the previous year's European Seniors Tour Order of Merit
• The top four players from the previous year's Japanese Seniors Tour Order of Merit
• A one-time exemption for those who have just turned 50 and have won a PGA Tour, Japan Golf Tour, or European Tour event in the last 5 years
• The top 30 on the career money list, both Champions Tour and combined Champions Tour and PGA Tour
• A one-time exemption for former PGA Professional National Champions turning 50
• Invitations for those not meeting criteria above also are made

Tournament hosts

Winners

Multiple winners

The following men have won the Senior PGA Championship more than once, through the 2011 tournament:

• 6 wins: Sam Snead
• 4 wins: Hale Irwin
• 3 wins: Eddie Williams, Al Watrous, Gary Player
• 2 wins: Jock Hutchison, Gene Sarazen, Paul Runyan, Julius Boros, Don January, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Jay Haas, Tom Watson

Winners of both PGA Championship and Senior PGA Championship

The following men have won both the PGA Championship and the Senior PGA Championship, the majors run by the PGA of America:

Future tournament sites

• 2012 The Golf Club at Harbor Shores, Benton Harbor, Michigan
• 2013 Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, Missouri
• 2014 The Golf Club at Harbor Shores, Benton Harbor, Michigan

References

External links

• Official website