The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) runs the PGA Championship, with Seth Waugh as CEO and Jim Richerson as the President.
Rodman Wanamaker founded the PGA of America, naming the impressive Wanamaker Trophy after himself. Founded in 1916, the PGA of America is an organization of golf professionals established with the aim of elevating the standards of professionalism, while also increasing interest and participation in the sport.
PGA Pros, also known as 'club pros', spend the majority of their time in business roles and teaching golfers, from club members to beginners and touring professionals.
An official money event on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Japan Golf Tour, the PGA Championship is one of the four men's Major Championships. It is played at a new, or different, venue each year, with 2024's PGA Championship taking place at Valhalla Golf Club for the fourth time in Louisville, Kentucky.
Some fans do get the PGA of America and PGA Tour mixed up, and while the PGA Championship does count towards the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup points system, the Tour doesn't run any of the four men's Majors.
The PGA Tour's flagship event is the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, with all of the Majors featuring in its season but run by golf's various stakeholders. The Masters is run by Augusta National Golf Club, the USGA runs the US Open and the R&A runs The Open.
As well as the PGA Championship, the PGA of America also conducts the Women's PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship, PGA Professional Championship, PGA Cup and the Women's PGA Cup. It also co-owns and co-organizes the Ryder Cup along with the DP World Tour.
Its PGA Professional Championship sees the top 20 PGA Pros qualify for the PGA Championship, which is something unique about the men's Major. It is also the only men's Major that is exclusively for professional players, with The Masters, the US Open and the Open all inviting amateurs.
Consequently, fans often regard the field as the strongest in professional golf, reinforced by the Official World Golf Ranking, which routinely gives the PGA Championship the highest ‘strength of field’ rating each year. The tournament regularly features almost all of the world's top 100 players.
Just like the other men's Majors, the perks of winning the PGA Championship are great with a high purse, huge world ranking points on offer and exemptions to the PGA Tour for five years, the DP World Tour for five years and the other three Majors and the Players Championship for five years. The PGA Champion also qualifies for the tournament for the remainder of their career.
Now the second Major in the golfing calendar, the PGA Championship moved from a traditional August event to the currently scheduled May event in 2019.
