THE 106th US PGA Championship will be played at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky from May 16-19.
It will be the fourth time the course has hosted the event, with Rory McIlroy winning on the most recent staging in 2014.
Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the Valhalla course opened in 1986.
The Australian connection
IN 2015, Jason Day became the fifth Australian to lift the Wanamaker Trophy when he won the 97th US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
Day set a major championship scoring record en-route to a three-stroke victory over American Jordan Spieth.
The Queenslander fired a 67 (five-under) in the final round to finish 20-under par breaking the previous major scoring record by Tiger Woods and Bob May at the 2000 Open Championship. Tiber and May finished 18-under par. Woods won the playoff.
Australians locked in to contest the 2024 event include Day, Cameron Smith and Cameron Davis, with Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott also likely to take part due to their current 2024 PGA Tour money list position or Official World Golf ranking.
Aussie Steve Elkington beat Scot Colin Montgomerie to win the PGA Championship in 1995.
29 years ago
Steve Elkington won his only major when he defeated Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie in a playoff at Riviera Country Club in 1995.
The sudden-death playoff began on the par-4 18th hole where both found the fairway and reached the green in regulation. Elkington was away and birdied from six metres. Montgomerie missed his putt to extend the playoff.
Both played the par-71 layout in 267 strokes – 17-under par.
34 years ago
Wayne Grady scored a three-stroke victory over American Fred Couples to win his only major in 1990.
In the final round, Couples led by a stroke after a birdie at the 12th hole, but then had four consecutive bogeys, while Grady shot par for the rest of the round at Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club.
Grady finished with a score of 282 – six-under par.
45 years ago
David Graham, the only Australian to win two majors in the US, captured the 1979 US PGA at Oakland Hills Country Club.
Going into the final round, Graham was four shots back and had a two-shot lead teeing off the 72nd hole. He should have won it comfortably, but double bogeyed the 72nd hole and was forced into a playoff with Ben Crenshaw. Graham rallied and won at the third extra hole.
In the same event, Sam Snead, a three-time champion, set the record for the oldest player to make the cut in a major. He was 67 years, 2 months and seven days of age and finished 42nd.
77 years ago
The first Australian to win the US PGA Championship was Jim Ferrier. In 1947 he edged out American Chick Harbert 2/1 in the matchplay final.
From 1916 to 1957, the US PGA was a matchplay tournament.
In 1947, the matchplay format called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days. The first two days were stroke play with the defending champion Ben Hogan and the top 63 pros advancing to matchplay.
Played at Plum Hollow Country Club, Ferrier defeated Lloyd Mangrum 4/3 in the quarter-final and Art Bell 10/9 in the semi-final. Toney Penna beat Ben Hogan 3/1 in the first round.
David Graham, a two-time major champion, was the winner of the PGA Championship in 1979.
AUSSIE RUNNERS-UP
FIVE Australians have finished runner-up in the US PGA Championship.
In 2016, Jason Day was second behind American Jimmy Walker.
In 2005, Steve Elkington and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn finished runners-up to Phil Mickelson.
Greg Norman was twice runner-up – in 1986 to Bob Tway and 1993 to Paul Azinger.
Bruce Crampton also finished second on two occasions. He was runner-up to Jack Nicklaus in 1973 and 1975.
In 1960, 13 years after his only major victory, Jim Ferrier was runner-up to Jay Herbert.
THOMMO NO SHOW
FIVE-TIME Open Championship winner Peter Thomson never played a single US PGA Championship, but he did win the US PGA Seniors’ Championship.
In a career spanning more than four decades, Thommo played 43 majors – 30 Open Championships, eight US Masters and five US Opens.
His best result at the Masters was fifth in 1959 and his best finish in the US Open was a tie for fourth in 1956.
He won 11 Senior PGA Tour titles including the Senior PGA Championship in 1984.
In 1985, he won nine times on the Senior US PGA Tour and finished top of the money list. His last tournament victory came at the 1988 British PGA Seniors Championship.
PRIZEMONEY GROWTH
IN 1947, Jim Ferrier received a cheque for $US3,500 after winning the US PGA Championship.
David Graham banked $US60,000 for winning in 1979 and Wayne Grady collected $US225,000 in 1990.
Five years later, Steve Elkington picked up a cool $US360,000 for winning in 1995 and in 2015 Jason Day banked $US1.8m.
This year’s winner will win around $US3.15m.
