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PGA History

  • 2000:
    • PGALinks.com, the web site exclusively for PGA members and apprentices, registers its 10,000th active PGA Professional.
    • Jack Nicklaus is named recipient of The PGA Distinguished Service Award.
    • Tiger Woods defeats Bob May in the first-ever three-hole cumulative score playoff at Valhalla Golf Club, and becomes the first player in the stroke-play era to win back-to-back PGA Championships. Woods is later named PGA Player of the Year for the third time in four years.
    • CBS Sports' final-round coverage of the 82nd PGA Championship is the highest rated since 1986.
    • The Unites States team of PGA Professionals edges Great Britain-Ireland, 13 to 12, to retain the Llandudno Internation Trophy in the PGA Cup Matches at Newport, South Wales.
    • Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper, PGA golf legend and the longest serving PGA Professional, dies Oct. 17, at age 96, in White Plains, N.Y.
  • 2001:
    • The PGA of America honors its past Champions in a PGA Championship exhibit, making its debut in Louisville, Ky., at the Louisville Slugger Museum.
    • Tom Watson edges Jim Thorpe by one stroke to win the 62nd Senior PGA Championship, which is held outside of Florida for the first time since 1938, at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.
    • The Ryder Cup Matches are postponed in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and scheduled to resume in even-numbered years.
    • The PGA Education Center, a 23,650-square-foot facility with more than 11,000 square feet of classroom space, opens at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
    • The PGA donates $500,000 to match Ryder Cup team donations toward a September 11 relief fund.
    • The PGA begins a $2 million Growth of the Game grant program to support local programs aimed at introducing new players to golf.
    • PGA Golf Club at PGA Village hosts the Second National Golf Invitational Special Olympics Tournament with 148 Special Olympians.
  • 2002:
    • Fuzzy Zoeller scores his first victory in more than 15 years by winning the 63rd Senior PGA Championship at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
    • Ex-PGA Assistant Professional Rich Beem of El Paso, Texas, wins the 84th PGA Championship by one stroke over Tiger Woods at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.
    • PGA Professional Suzy Whaley of Farmington, Conn., becomes the first woman to win a PGA Section Championship, earning her a berth in the 2003 Greater Hartford Open.
    • The European Team dominates the final day singles en route to a convincing 15 ½ to 12 ½ victory over the visiting Americans in the 34th Ryder Cup Matches, held at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England.
    • The eighth biennial PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit is held outdoors for the first time at the PGA Learning Center at PGA Village.
    • Celebrating the growth of golf through the years in the U.S., The PGA of America dedicates the PGA Historical Center at PGA Village on December 4th.
  • 2003:
    • The PGA Historical Center at PGA Village opens its doors to the general public on February 27th.
    • John Jacobs wins his first major championship in the 64th Senior PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania. At 58, Jacobs is the oldest player to win the Alfred S. Bourne Trophy in 25 years.
    • PGA Professional Suzy Whaley, the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to qualify for a PGA Tour event, posts rounds of 75 and 78 before missing the cut at the Greater Hartford Open.
    • Tim Thelen, an assistant professional at Bushwood Golf Center in Houston, Texas, wins his second PGA Club Professional Championship in four years at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.
    • Winless in 163 previous starts on the PGA Tour, unheralded Shaun Micheel of Memphis, Tenn., shoots a final round 70 to win the 85th PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.
    • The PGA of America launches "Play Golf America,"" an industry-supported growth of the game initiative aimed at attracting new golfers and bringing back former or occasional golfers through a variety of programs to be guided by PGA Professionals.
  • 2004:
    • The first full-scale Play Golf America campaign debuts to the public, with television and print PSAs directing golfers to visit www.playgolfamerica.com for player development programs in their area.
    • Vijay Singh captures his second PGA Championship, defeating Chris DiMarco and Justin Leonard in a three-hole aggregate score playoff at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis. Singh's dramatic win in the 86th PGA Championship would catapult him to both the PGA Player of the Year Award and the Vardon Trophy.
    • Bernhard Langer captains the European Team to a dominating 18 1/2 to 9 1/2 victory over the United States Team in the 35th Ryder Cup at Oak Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich. The record-setting win is the second consecutive Ryder Cup for the Europeans, and Europe's fourth in the last five matches.
    • Hale Irwin survives five weather-related delays, tornado warnings and more than 7 inches of rain to beat Jay Haas by one stroke at the 65th Senior PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, in Louisville, Ky. Irwin, one week shy of his 59th birthday, earns his fourth Senior PGA title.
    • Shooting a 12-under-par 276, Bob Sowards, of Columbus, Ohio, becomes the first Southern Ohio PGA member to win The PGA Club Professional Championship, holding off runner-up Mike Small by one-stroke. Soward's victory at the 37th CPC, played at Longaberger Golf Club in Nashport, Ohio, is a pre-cursor to him winning his second consecutive PGA Club Professional Player of the Year Award.
    • Masters Champion Phil Mickelson blisters the course during the final round of the 22nd PGA Grand Slam of Golf, shooting an event- and course-record 13-under-par 59, on way to tying the 36-hole event record of 127 at the Poipu Bay Golf Course & Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spa in Kauai, Hawaii.
    • The PGA Certified Professional Program, an online career-enhancing education program designed to elevate opportunities for PGA Professionals in the workplace, launches in July.
    • The 9th biennial PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit is held for more than 1,000 PGA Professionals at The PGA Learning Center at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
  • 2005:
    • PGA Free Lesson Month sets yet another record with more than 122,000 free lessons given and a record 6,889 PGA Professionals participating
    • Down by three strokes with one hole to play, Mike Reid lands an eagle on the 72nd hole to earn a three-way playoff with Dana Quigley and Jerry Pate in the 66th Senior PGA Championship at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa. Reid proceeds to birdie the first extra hole to win his first major title.
    • Phil Mickelson returned on Monday in a rain-delayed 87th PGA Championship and birdies the 72nd hole to win his second major Championship. Mickelson is the first left-hander to win a PGA Championship and the first left-hander to win more than one major.
    • The PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame is unveiled at the PGA Historical Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla., featuring 122 inductees that have made significant contributions to the Association since its origin in 1916. The class is headed by inductees M.G. Orender, PGA honorary president, and Craig Harmon, the 2004 PGA Golf Professional of the Year.
    • The PGA of America teams with major U.S. golf organizations in the creation of the U.S. Golf Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, to provide support for relief efforts in devastated areas of the Gulf Coast. More than $1.3 million is raised by The PGA for hurricane victims.
    • The United States PGA Cup Team stages a dramatic final day comeback, only to come up short to Great Britain & Ireland 15-11 in the 22nd PGA Cup, held on the Smurfit Course at The K Club, Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the first PGA Cup win for Great Britain & Ireland in 21 years.
    • Joe Steranka, who had guided The PGA of America's Communications and Broadcasting divisions and forged invaluable partnerships with the television and sports business communities, is named to succeed Jim Awtrey as chief executive officer.
    • Tiger Woods wins a record seventh PGA Player of the Year Award, breaking a mark he had previously shared with Tom Watson. Woods also captures a record sixth Vardon Trophy, eclipsing the standard he had formerly shared with Billy Casper.
  • 2006:
    • PGA Village, in Port St. Lucie, Fla., which features three world-class golf courses along with the PGA Education, Learning and Historical Centers, marks its 10th anniversary on Jan. 1, 2006.
    • On Jan. 17, 2006, The PGA of America marks the 90th Anniversary of the historic meeting conducted by Rodman Wanamaker with 35 PGA professionals, including Walter Hagen, that led to the formation of The PGA on April 10, 1916.
    • The 53rd PGA Merchandise Show attracts approximately 43,000 attendees. The first-ever Play Golf America Conference is held before a sold-out crowd. Other firsts include the PGA/USA Today Golf Equipment Hotline and Town Hall Meetings with PGA members and manufacturers with PGA President Roger Warren and PGA Chief Executive Officer Joe Steranka.
    • Led by The PGA of America, Play Golf America debuts new events in 2006, including PGA Free Fitting & Trade-Up Month in April and Take Your Daughter to the Course Week in July. In addition, Women's Golf Week becomes a full-fledged Play Golf America event in June. Meanwhile, Play Golf America Days expands to more than 40 events and PGA Free Lesson Month in May sets another record for participation with nearly 7,500 PGA Professionals giving more than 147,000 free lessons!
    • ESPN is tabbed to broadcast live Friday Coverage of the Ryder Cup from 2008-2014, under an agreement with NBC Sports. ESPN also receives the right to re-air NBC coverage and extended highlights of golf's most compelling event. NBC, which has broadcast the Ryder Cup since 1991, will continue to broadcast the final two days of competition.
    • The PGA of America celebrates its 90th Anniversary with a gala event on April 10, 2006, at the Hotel Martinique, in New York City, the exact date and site of its founding in 1916.
    • Two-time PGA Champion Byron Nelson, the fifth-oldest PGA member, passes away at the age of 94, at his home in Roanoke, Texas. Two days after his death, Nelson is awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in an unanimous declaration by the United States Congress.
    • The PGA Golf Club reopens its newly renovated courses in October 2006. The North Course is renamed the Ryder Course, in honor of Samuel Ryder, namesake for the Ryder Cup. The South Course is renamed the Wanamaker Course, in tribute to Rodman Wanamaker, the founder of The PGA of America, creator of the PGA Championship and donator of the Trophy that bears his name.
    • Brian Whitcomb, Bend, Ore., is elected the 35th PGA President at the 90th PGA Annual Meeting at Kiawah Island (S.C.) Resort. Jim Remy, Ludlow, Vt., is elected PGA Vice President and Allen Wronowski, Phoenix, Md., is elected PGA Secretary. Roger Warren, Kiawah Island, S.C., becomes PGA Honorary President after serving a two-year term as PGA President.
    • The Mid Ocean Club and The Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda is named as host of the 25th PGA Grand Slam of Golf, to be played in October 2007. The event will mark the first time that the PGA Grand Slam is played outside of the United States.
    • The PGA of America is honored by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Resolution, introduced by Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), passed unanimously. The Resolution commends The PGA and its members for their contributions to the game of golf.
    • The PGA of America announces The PGA McGladrey Team Championship, the Association's first venture into managing a national grassroots amateur golf championship.
  • 2007:
    • The first-ever PGA Global Economic Summit, which featured PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka, PGA of Great Britain Chief Executive Sandy Jones and PGA of Australia CEO Max Garske, opens the PGA Merchandise Show. The trio addressed global golf trends and the economic significance of the game. The Show was also highlighted by the PGA Merchandisers Roundtable and the second annual PGA Play Golf America Conference.
    • LPGA legend Peggy Kirk Bell is named as PGA First Lady of Golf and is honored at the 2007 Senior PGA Championship at Kiawah Island (S.C.) Resort.
    • Jack Burke Jr., the 1956 PGA Champion, is named as the 2007 PGA Distinguished Service Award winner and is honored at the 89th PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.
    • The Royal Bank of Scotland Group becomes the first PGA of America Official Patron, the highest level of partnership and designation ever given by The PGA. Shortly thereafter, American Express follows as a PGA of America Official Patron.
    • The inaugural Patriot Golf Day, inspired by PGA Professional and Capt. Dan Rooney, results in donations of more than $1.1 million to support the families of veterans who have been injured or perished in the line of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Supported by The PGA of America and the United States Golf Association, more than 3,200 golf facilities nationwide participate.
    • Brent Krause is named the 54th recipient of the PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award.
    • Newport National Golf Club, representing the New England PGA Section, captures the inaugural PGA McGladrey Team Championship conducted at Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort.
    • Tiger Woods captures a ninth PGA Player of the Year award and a seventh Vardon Trophy.
  • 2008:
    • The PGA of America unveils its new logo and brand strategy at its 91st Annual Meeting, the first to be held in conjunction with the PGA Merchandise Show. The new identity is rooted in the organization's revised brand strategy articulated as "Experts in the Game and Business of Golf." The logo was last updated in 1990.
    • The University of Maryland Eastern Shore becomes the 20th and first historically black college/university to join the PGA Professional Golf Management Program.
    • World Golf Hall of Fame member and PGA Professional Carol Mann is named the recipient of the 2008 PGA First Lady of Golf Award. She is to be honored during the 69th Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.
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PGA of America Leaders

Brian Whitcomb

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Vice President

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Tickets

2008 PGA Grand Slam of Golf

Watch the most exclusive field in golf, the winners of the four major championships, compete from The Mid Ocean Course in Bermuda at the 2008 PGA Grand Slam of Golf.

2008 PGA Championship

Don't miss your chance to see the 90th PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, MI on Aug. 4-10th, 2008.

More From the PGA of America

The PGA Foundation

The PGA Foundation is the charitable arm of The PGA of America. This philanthropic organization was founded in 1954 and is a licensed 501 (c) (3 foundation.

PGA Fall Expo

The PGA Fall Expo is the industry's premier Fall pre-book and apparel buying event.

Play Golf America

Helping To Grow The Game

One of the most important missions for the PGA of America is to promote and grow the game of golf.

 
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