What does the US PGA Championship winner receive?
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How much will the US PGA Championship winner receive in prize money – and what else do they get?
The PGA Championship is one of the biggest events on the golf calendar, typically boasts the strongest field in professional golf, and comes with a caliber of prizes to match. Here’s everything you get for winning the US PGA Championship.
The Wanamaker Trophy
The champion takes home the largest trophy of the four Majors. The Wanamaker Trophy stands at 28in high and weighs 27lbs (just under two stone). “I was shocked by the weight when I picked it up,” said 2008 champion Padraig Harrington.
If you’re wondering… according to 2013 winner Jason Dufner, it holds 43 beers!
The winner gets to keep a full-size replica for a year, before receiving a smaller replica which is theirs to keep for good.
The PGA of America named the trophy after Rodman Wanamaker, a Philadelphia native and department store owner who was instrumental in the formation of the PGA of America in 1916.
Walter Hagen lost the original trophy in 1925, blaming a taxi driver he’d asked to take it back to his hotel. It turned up in 1930, in a crate, and now resides at PGA HQ.
A big cheque
2023 PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka banked a cool $3.15 million, the standard 18 percent from the total prize fund of $17.5 million. The 2024 champion will receive at least that amount (exact figures are yet to be announced).
Points mean prizes
The champion receives 100 World Ranking points and 600 FedEx Cup points, which can open doors to big-money signature events, as well as helping towards Ryder Cup qualification if eligible, and entry into the end-of-season PGA Tour playoffs (if not excluded by virtue of being a LIV player).
Due to the prestige of the events, each of the year’s men’s Majors gives 100 Official World Golf Ranking points to the winner. For context, the Players Championship winner receives 80 points while all other tour events can offer a maximum of 80, depending on the standard of the field.
An invite for life
For as long as he lives, or as long as he can physically swing a club, every past PGA Champion has an automatic pass into the event.
It’s why 2002 winner Rich Beem still plays in the event each year.
Five-year Major entry
For the next half a decade, the winner earns an invite to the Masters, Open Championship, US Open, and Players Championship, as well as a PGA Tour card for the same period.
He also gets an invite to next year’s Tournament of Champions.
A DP World Tour membership is also granted for the next seven years.
A seat at the table
Like the Masters Champions Dinner, the PGA Championship has its own past champions’ get-together on the Tuesday of tournament week. It’s been running since 1965 and is open to family members and spouses, too.
The previous year’s winner plays the role of host and not only picks the menu but also dolls out gifts to attendees.
Rich Beem gifted ostrich-leather cowboy boots, while Harrington went with Irish drums.
And, of course, becoming a Major champion also provides the winner with a place in the history books, countless bonuses, a host of new sponsorship opportunities, and increased coverage at future events.
Wondering how the PGA Championship prizes compare to the other Majors? Here’s what you get for winning The Masters, the US Open, and The Open Championship,
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About the Author
Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.
He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge when it comes to golf balls, golf shoes, golf trolleys, and golf bags, testing thousands down the years.
Rob uses a Callaway Paradym driver, TaylorMade M5 5-wood, TaylorMade P790 driving iron, Callaway Paradym irons (4-AW), TaylorMade MG3 wedges (52º, 58º), Odyssey Tri-Hot 5k Double Wide putter, and Callaway Chrome Soft X golf ball.
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The Wanamaker Trophy is just one of the prizes the champion receives for winning the PGA Championship
