PGA Championship Records: Tournament Bests and Mosts
The PGA Championship is the second-oldest of the USA-based major championships of men's professional golf, first played in 1916. Below you'll find a rundown of the tournament's all-time records, the bests and worsts and the golfers who set those marks.Plus a Few Match Play Records
The match-play era in the PGA Championship ran from the first tournament in 1916 through 1957. All PGA Championships prior to 1958 used the match-play format. These are records specific to the match-play era:
The PGA Championship began as a match-play tournament. In 1958, it switched to the stroke-play format. At the end of the article you'll find a few records that pertain only to the match-play era.
If a record's category (such as "most wins") appears as a link, you can click that link to go more in-depth and read more about it.
All-Time Bests in the PGA Championship
- Most wins: 5 by Walter Hagen (1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927) and Jack Nicklaus (1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980)
- Most times runner-up: 4, Jack Nicklaus (1964, 1965, 1974, 1983)
- Largest margin of victory: 8 strokes by Rory McIlroy, 2012
- Biggest final-round comeback to win: 7 strokes by John Mahaffey, 1978; and Justin Thomas, 2022
- Youngest winner: Gene Sarazen, 20 Years, 5 months, 22 days old, 1922
- Oldest winner: Phil Mickelson, 50 years, 11 months, 7 days old, 2021
- Lowest winning total: 264, Brooks Koepka, 2018
- Most strokes under par: 20-under, Jason Day, 2015
- Low 18 holes: 63 by Bruce Crampton, Raymond Floyd, Gary Player, Vijay Singh, Brad Faxon, Michael Bradley, Jose Maria Olazabal, Mark O'Meara, Thomas Bjorn, Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Jason Dufner, Hiroshi Iwata, Robert Streb, Brooks Koepka (twice), Charl Schwartzel. Crampton did it first in 1975.
- Low 9 holes: 28, Brad Faxon, front nine in fourth round, 1995
- Best score, first 36 holes: 128, Brooks Koepka, 2019
- Best score, first 54 holes: 196, David Toms, 2001
- Most rounds under par: 53, Jack Nicklaus
- Most consecutive rounds under par: 10, Jason Day (2015-17) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (1995-99)
- Most Top 5 finishes (stroke play only): 14, Jack Nicklaus
- Most Top 10 finishes (stroke play only): 15, Jack Nicklaus
- Most Top 25 finishes (stroke play only): 23, Jack Nicklaus
- Most cuts made: 27, tie between Raymond Floyd, Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson
- Most consecutive cuts made: 21, Phil Mickelson (1996-2016)
- Most PGA Championship appearances: 38, Sam Snead
- Most consecutive PGA Championships played: 37, Arnold Palmer (1958-94)
