Most Strokes Under Par in a PGA Championship

What is the PGA Championship tournament record for lowest winning score in relation to par? That record is 20-under-par and it was set at the 2015 PGA Championship played at Whistling Straits.

Australian Jason Day is the golfer who holds this tournament record. Whistling Straits was set up as a par-72 golf course that year. In the first round, Day scored 4-under 68; in the second, 5-under 67; then 6-under 66 followed by 5-under 67. Add it up and Day won the 2015 PGA with a total of 268, which was 20-under the course's 72-hole par of 288.

These are all the golfers so far in PGA Championship history who have finished the tournament more than 15-under-par:

  • 20-under — Jason Day in the 2015 PGA Championship. At par-72 Whistling Straits, Day scored 68-67-66-67 for a total of 268.
  • 18-under — Bob May in the 2000 PGA Championship. At par-72 Valhalla, May scored 72-66-66-66 for a total of 270.
  • 18-under — Tiger Woods in the 2000 PGA Championship. At par-72 Valhalla, Woods scored 66-67-70-67 for a total of 270.
  • 18-under — Tiger Woods in the 2006 PGA Championship. At par-72 Medinah (No. 3 Course), Woods scored 69-68-65-68 for a total of 270.
  • 17-under — Steve Elkington in the 1995 PGA Championship. At par-71 Riviera Country Club, Elkington scored 68-67-68-64 for a total of 267.
  • 17-under — Colin Montgomerie in the 1995 PGA Championship. At par-71 Riviera Country Club, Montgomerie scored 68-67-67-65 for a total of 267.
  • 17-under — Jordan Spieth in the 2015 PGA Championship. At par-72 Whistling Straits, Spieth scored 71-67-65-68 for a total of 271.
  • 16-under — Rory McIlroy in the 2014 PGA Championship. At par-71 Valhalla, McIlroy scored 66-67-67-68 for a total of 268.
  • 16-under — Brooks Koepka in the 2018 PGA Championship. At par-70 Bellerive Country Club, Koepka scored 69-63-66-66 for a total of 264.
Note that there are several instances of more than one golfer making the list from the same PGA Championship. From Day's 2015 tournament, Jordan Spieth also makes the list, although he finished second, three strokes behind Day.

Bob May and Tiger Woods both make the list from the 2000 PGA, where Woods defeated May in a playoff. And a playoff was also in order at the 1995 PGA, where Steve Elkington (the winner) and Colin Montgomerie both made the list above.

Another interesting thing to note is that there are par-72, par-71 and par-70 golf courses represented on the list. One course on the list even shows two different par ratings: Valhalla played as a par-72 in 2000, but as a par-71 for Rory McIlroy in 2014. That's why McIlroy is behind Woods and May on the list, even though McIlroy had a lower aggregate score (268 to 270). It's a good reminder that tournament organizers can set par at any number they want.

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