Largest Margin of Victory in a PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy has the largest winning margin in a PGA Championship
The PGA Championship was first played in 1916, and it is the only of the men's major championships that has used two different formats of play over its history: first match play, then stroke play. Below are the biggest winning margins in tournament history for both those eras.

Biggest Winning Margins in Stroke Play

The PGA Championship switched to a stroke play format in 1958 and has used stroke play ever since.
  • 8 shots by Rory McIlroy in 2012: This was McIlroy's second win in a major championship after the 2011 U.S. Open, and just like in that one, he won the 2012 PGA Championship by eight strokes. McIlroy had a three-stroke lead after the third round, but his closest competitors stumbled in the final round while he shot 66.

  • 7 shots by Jack Nicklaus in 1980: His win in the 1980 PGA Championship was Nicklaus' second major victory of the year and his 17th overall win in a major championship. It was also his fifth win in the PGA, tying Walter Hagen for the tournament record. Nicklaus led by three over second-place Lon Hinkle after 54 holes, but by six over anyone else. He shot 69 in the final round.

  • 6 shots by Nick Price in 1994: Price became the first golfer to win this tournament with a score below 270 in the 1994 PGA Championship, finishing at 269. His lead after three rounds was three strokes, and he posted a 67 in the final round.

Biggest Winning Margins in Match Play

Prior to 1958, the PGA Championship used a match play format. These are the largest margins of victory in the championship match during the tournament's match play era:

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Photo credit: "File:Rory McIlroy finishes long iron stroke.jpg" by TourProGolfClubs is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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