With the PGA Championship set to tee off May 19 at the Southern Hills Championship Course, that can only mean one thing: the next golf odds major is nearly here.
The only golf major that doesn’t allow amateurs to enter the field, the PGA Championship has had some big names win the Wanamaker Trophy, with both Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus doing so the most, winning it five times each.
Big names or small, following is a list of all the winners who have hoisted the trophy at the PGA Championship since 2000.
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2000: Tiger Woods
Woods won his second PGA Championship in 2000, edging Bob May. After winning the U.S. Open and British Open by 12 and eight strokes respectively, Woods needed a playoff to earn his third major win of 2000.
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2001: David Toms
The following year provided another close win that saw Toms defeat Phil Mickelson. With a one-stroke lead over Mickelson heading to the 18th, Toms decided to lay up to avoid a water hazard and finished the hole with a par to beat Mickelson by one.
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2002: Rich Beem
With two rounds done in the major, Beem was in a tie with four others for first. However, Justin Leonard took a three-shot lead heading into the fourth round until Beem came from behind to knock off both Leonard and runner-up Woods.
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2003: Shaun Micheel
Micheel picked up his first major win when he defeated Chad Campbell at the PGA Championship. With a one-shot lead over Campbell, Micheel used a 7-iron on the 18th hole from 175 yards out to land within inches of the hole. The shot allowed him an easy putt to secure a two-stroke win over Campbell.
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2004: Vijay Singh
Another tournament that required a playoff, this one involved three people. After Leonard, Singh and Chris DiMarco were all tied following the conclusion of the fourth round, the three competed in a playoff, with Singh emerging victorious.
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2005: Phil Mickelson
Mickelson captured his second major win of his career when he defeated Thomas Bjern and Steve Elkington. A little over halfway into the fourth round, Mickelson found himself down two shots to Elkington after bogeying four holes. However after he birdied on the final hole and his two opponents did not, Mickelson had won by a stroke.
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2006: Tiger Woods
Woods picked up another PGA Championship in 2006 by defeating another former winner in Micheel. This time, it wasn’t close. Woods got to as much as 19-under after 11 holes in the final round before he finished with a 68 and came away with a five-stroke victory.
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2007: Tiger Woods
Woods followed up his 2006 win with another the next year, this time over Woody Austin and by not quite as many strokes. Though Woods got off to a rough start in the first round shooting a 71, he quickly bounced back in the second round with a 63. A pair of solid rounds on the weekend gave Woods a two-stroke win.
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2008: Padraig Harrington
Grabbing his second major title in a row, Harrington broke a record when the Irishman won the championship, becoming the first European to do so in 78 years. Shooting a four-under par on the final round, Harrington defeated Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis by two strokes.
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2009: Y.E. Yang
Yang made history in 2009 when he became the first Asian-born player to win a major golf tournament. He did so by defeating the top player in the game in Woods, who had a two-stroke lead in the final round before Yang overcame it to win by three.
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2010: Martin Kaymer
Kaymer made noise in 2010 when he won his first major tournament at the PGA Championship. Overcoming a four-stroke deficit, Martin Kaymer tied Bubba Watson after the 72nd hole to force a playoff. There, the two remained tied through two until Kaymer outlasted Watson to secure the victory after three holes.
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2011: Keegan Bradley
In his rookie year on the PGA Tour, Bradley won the PGA Championship, helping earn him the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. With three holes remaining and five shots behind, Bradley somehow forced a three-hole playoff with Jason Dufner, where Bradley won by one shot.
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2012: Rory McIlroy
McIlroy’s first PGA Championship came two years after he joined the PGA Tour and helped him secure the PGA Tour Player of the Year title that year. Though he ended the first three rounds up three shots, McIlroy extended his lead in the final round to win by eight strokes, the largest margin of victory in PGA Championship history.
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2013: Jason Dufner
Despite losing in a playoff two years prior, Dufner found victory at the championship in 2013. He did so in solid fashion, tying the record for the lowest round in a major in the second round with a 63 before losing his lead to runner-up Jim Furyk in the third. However, Dufner held steady in the final round to defeat Furyk by two strokes.
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2014: Rory McIlroy
Although he didn’t defend his championship title in 2012, McIlroy won it once more in 2014 and was named PGA Tour Player of the Year once again. This time, McIlroy’s win was a bit closer, as he beat Mickelson by one stroke after Mickelson led by one earlier in the day.
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2015: Jason Day
Day claimed his first major in 2015 when he won the PGA Championship over Jordan Spieth. The major seemed to be in Day’s hands the whole final round, as he entered the round with a two-stroke lead and maintained it, beating runner-up Spieth by three. Day also broke the tournament record for strokes under par previously set by Woods, finishing with 20-under.
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2016: Jimmy Walker
Walker’s first major championship win came in 2016, and it came in a dramatic finish. After tying the record for the lowest opening 36-hole score in PGA Championship history, Walker was one of 10 golfers to play the final two rounds on Sunday, along with runner-up and defending champion Day. Walker ended up beating Day by one stroke.
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2017: Justin Thomas
Two years after joining the PGA Tour, Thomas both won his first major with the PGA Championship and went on to earn the PGA Tour Player of the Year. Though as many as five players shared the lead at one point during the final round, it was Thomas who came out on top, beating out three runners-up by two strokes.
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2018: Brooks Koepka
Koepka had a strong 2018, winning both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship to earn him PGA Tour Player of the Year. Heading into the final round at the championship, Koepka held the lead, and although Woods and Adam Scott kept the competition close, Koepka held them off and posted a two-stroke victory over Woods.
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2019: Brooks Koepka
Koepka defended his PGA Championship win the following year, becoming the first player to win both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in back-to-back years. Going wire-to-wire at the tournament, Koepka appeared to have the tournament in hand the whole way, as he was up seven strokes after three rounds. Runner-up Dustin Johnson made things interesting late in the final round, however Koepka held him off to finish with a two-stroke win.
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2020: Collin Morikawa
Turning pro just a year before and making his second start in a major, Morikawa became the ninth player to win the PGA Championship in his debut. Though Morikawa ended the third round tied for fourth, he rose to the top in the final round, making his move on the 16th hole to take a two-stroke lead that eventually held up.
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2021: Phil Mickelson
Mickelson rose to the top in 2021, becoming the oldest major champion when he won the PGA Championship at 50. Going into the fourth round, Mickelson and Koepka were battling for the lead. Koepka overtook Mickelson after Lefty bogeyed the first hole. However, Mickelson bounced back and secured the win on the 18th hole, beating out Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen in a two-stroke win.
