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The Biggest PGA Championship Comebacks in Past 50 Years

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There's nothing quite as spectacular as a big comeback, especially at a Major Championship. Moving day takes on a whole new meaning when a player comes from far behind. These are the movers and shakers from the PGA Championship.
The biggest moving-day (36-hole) comebacks by eventual PGA Championship winners over the past 50 years are:
  1. Bob Tway — 9 shots back (1986)
  2. Dave Stockton — 8 shots back (1976)
And even more exciting, the final round comeback!
Here are the largest final-round (54-hole) comebacks by winners of the PGA Championship in the last 50 years:
  1. John Mahaffey — 7 shots back (1978)
  2. Justin Thomas — 7 shots back (2022)
  3. Lanny Wadkins — 6 shots back (1977)
  4. Payne Stewart — 6 shots back (1989)
  5. Steve Elkington — 6 shots back (1995)
Largest first-round deficit for the eventual winner: 8 shots. John Mahaffey in 1978, Payne Stewart in 1989 and Keegan Bradley in 2011.