Category: PGA Championship

2031 PGA Championship headed to Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, site of Phil Mickelson’s win in 2021, will host a third men’s major.

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, will be the host of another major.

The venue, site of then-50-year-old Phil Mickelson’s PGA Championship triumph in 2021 to become the oldest player to win a men’s major, will again host the PGA Championship in 2031.

The PGA of America also announced Wednesday that the 2029 Girls and Boys Junior PGA Championships will be at the Ocean Course.

The 113th PGA Championship is scheduled for May 2031. It will be the third time the Wanamaker Trophy is up for grabs along South Carolina’s coast. The Ocean Course previously hosted the 2012 (won by Rory McIlroy) and 2021 PGA Championships. It’s the ninth course to host three or more PGA Championships.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Future sites through 2034

Other significant events at the Ocean Course include the 1991 Ryder Cup won by the American side, the 2005 PGA Professional Championship (Mike Small) and the 2007 Senior PGA Championship (Denis Watson).

Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course in South Carolina (Courtesy Kiawah Island Golf Resort)

The Ocean Course rankings

“We are ecstatic to bring the Junior PGA Championships and PGA Championship to the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in 2029 and 2031,” said PGA of America President John Lindert, who is PGA director of golf at the Country Club of Lansing in Michigan. “Past PGA Championships at Kiawah Island have provided no shortage of memorable moments and historic performances, all taking place along a breathtaking coastal setting. The Ocean Course’s challenging layout and rich history make it an ideal destination for our championships.”

The Ocean Course was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1991, shortly before the Ryder Cup. At the suggestion of his wife, Alice, he engineered fairways and greens closer to the tops of the dunes alongside the Atlantic Ocean instead of on lower grades, as is common on many traditional links layouts. This increases exposure to frequent winds while providing incredible views from just about any vantage.

PGA Championship future sites: Valhalla will host its fourth PGA in 2024

The PGA Championship is scheduled out through 2034.

The PGA of America has most of its PGA Championships scheduled out through the next decade.

The sites for 2032 and 2033 are still to be determined but there are eight venues on the docket through 2034.

Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, is on deck. In 2024, it will host its fourth PGA Championship. The Jack Nicklaus-design opened in 1986.

The last time it was held there, Rory McIlroy hoisted the Wanamaker trophy. It remains his most recent major championship.

Tiger Woods (2000) and Mark Brooks (1996) also won the PGA at Valhalla.

The golf club hosted the Ryder Cup in 2008. The U.S. won the biennial battle that year, 16½-11½ over Europe.

Here are the future sites of the PGA Championship.

LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann given special invitation to 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla

Niemann is now in three of the four major championships in 2024, and he plans to qualify for the fourth.

LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann has teed it up across the world over the last year in an attempt to earn enough Official World Golf Ranking points to qualify for the 2024 major championships.

He earned a spot in the Open Championship via the Open Qualifying Series thanks to his win at the ISPS Handa Australian Open back in December. Two weeks ago he received a special invitation to the Masters, and now the PGA of America has followed suit.

Golfweek has confirmed the 25-year-old has received a special invitation to the 2024 PGA Championship, May 16-19, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

Niemann broke the news in a Monday interview with GolfWRX and also confirmed that he would try to qualify for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, June 13-16. That said, he might not need to qualify. The Chilean has been one of, if not the, hottest players in the world over the last five months and could earn enough OWGR points with high finishes in the Masters and PGA Championship. He could also pick up points in Asian Tour events around the LIV Golf schedule.

The USGA invites players inside the top 60 in the OWGR as of the tournament date and also two weeks before. Niemann is currently No. 76 in the OWGR.

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This Florida city is hoping to lure a major in 2031 or soon after. What’s the plan?

Since the PGA Championship moved from August to May, the state of Florida has become much more palatablen.

The PGA of America has the majority of its PGA Championships scheduled out through the next decade, but there are still empty holes in the docket. And since the major tournament moved from August to May, the state of Florida has become much more palatable as a destination.

As the sites for 2031, 2032 and 2033 are still to be determined, a group from the Sarasota, Florida, area is hoping to put together an attractive bid that could persuade the powers that be to give the Sunshine State just its third PGA Championship in history. Jack Nicklaus won at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens during the 1971 season while Larry Nelson won on the same course in 1987.

Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, is on deck. In 2024, it will host its fourth PGA Championship. The Nicklaus design opened in 1986.

According to a story produced by the Community News Collaborative, a non-profit that works with news organizations in the area, local politicians are trying to line up funding for the event.

Sarasota County Commissioners on Tuesday voted to direct county staffers to return on Sept. 26 with funding options for a $3 million sponsorship of The PGA Championship. If the location were to be selected, the event would be played at The Concession Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch in May of 2031 or 2033.

In two weeks, commissioners would likely be briefed on where the money could be found through the Tourist Development Tax fund, which draws revenue from short-term rentals and hotel rooms in Sarasota County. A vote to move ahead could follow.

County Administrator Jonathan Lewis told commissioners on Tuesday that Manatee County is proceeding with a primary sponsorship package of $6 million, if the location is chosen. According to a letter to commissioners from Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County, the PGA of America’s board is expected to make a decision on the tournament location in November.

“This is a massive opportunity,’’ Commissioner Mike Moran said. “It cannot be ignored the economic driver and stimulus it can create for a community. I hope we’re sending a strong, hard message that we’re in full support of this.’’

Haley wrote that 2023 PGA Championship, played in Rochester, N.Y., was responsible for a $190 million economic impact. Greater Rochester Enterprise estimated 225,000 spectators attended, with about 39% arriving from more than 100 miles away.

Collin Morikawa
Collin Morikawa celebrates with the Gene Sarazen Cup during the trophy ceremony after winning the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession on February 28, 2021, in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Concession hosted the WGC-Workday Championship in 2021. Normally held in Mexico and named the WGC-Mexico Championship, that year’s event had a new title and location due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concession, designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin, was aptly named for Nicklaus’ famous concession of the final putt that Jacklin faced in their singles match in the 1969 Ryder Cup.

More: PGA Championship future sites through 2034

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Photos: Michael Block through the years

View photos of Michael Block throughout his golfing career.

Michael Block took the golf world by storm at the 2023 PGA Championship after a T-15 finish at Oak Hill.

The club pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, in Mission Viejo, California, had a week to remember in Rochester, New York. Between playing with Rory McIlroy in the final round of a major, a hole-in-one and one of the best up-and-downs we’ve seen in recent history, Block is one of the biggest names in the game at the moment.

After his performance at Oak Hill, the sponsor invites came flooding in and resulted in Block changing his flight back home to California to Fort Worth, Texas, to play at Colonial.

The golf world should know that Block is no flash in the pan. He’s played in over 25 PGA Tour events including two U.S. Opens and five PGA Championships. Block also won Southern California PGA Player of the Year honors nine times between 2012 and 2022.

His T-15 at Oak Hill not only netted him a couple of sponsor invites, but it also gave him an exemption into the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Until then, let’s all enjoy the Block party.

Lynch: Brooks Koepka’s major victory is being hijacked by hangers-on

For all that has changed in golf, one thing has remained constant whenever Brooks Koepka wins a major.

For all that has changed in golf, one thing has remained constant whenever Brooks Koepka wins a major championship: his ornery refusal to submit to the customary show and tell tour of television talk shows. A few hours after winning the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday, he headed home to Florida, where he spent Monday celebrating with his buddies on a boat before taking the silverware to a Panthers game. Meanwhile, a man who tied 15th appeared on the Today show, Good Morning America and CNN.

If Koepka was uninterested in using his PGA Championship victory as a platform for point scoring, there was no shortage of scavengers eager to do so in his stead.

His swing instructor, Claude Harmon III, was first out of the blocks, exploiting the moment to air his grievances about those in media (chiefly Brandel Chamblee, with a drive-by caress of yours truly) whose criticisms of LIV Golf are at odds with his avaricious burrowing into the Saudi trough. Harmon has been an occasional friend for 20 years, but even his pals know he’s peerless in marketing himself on the accomplishments of others, a skill honed from the cradle. His attack featured all the whataboutery you’d expect from one more apt to flatter royalty than to inquire after those they torture. (In CH3’s defense, no one should be subjected to a Chamblee reply that is ungoverned by Twitter character limits).

Alert to any opportunity to remind his Saudi overlords that he’s a loyal supplicant, Phil Mickelson leapt on the Brooks bandwagon and sought to portray the win not as proof of Koepka’s brilliance but as evidence of the superiority of the circuit he helped engineer. “Love LIV or hate it, it’s the best way/Tour to be your best in the majors,” he tweeted. “Enough events to keep you sharp, fresh and ready, yet not be worn down from too many tournaments or obligations. 14 LIV events, 34 weeks left open to prepare for the 4 majors. Fact.”

That Mickelson cannot distinguish between statements of fact and opinion comes as no shock since he has long since blurred the line between fact and fiction too.

Greg Norman cheered the victory as one for LIV and organized a welcoming party for the champ at Trump National in Washington, D.C., that had all the spontaneity and genuine warmth of a Pyongyang parade honoring Dear Leader. No such theater greeted Jon Rahm when he arrived at the RBC Heritage fresh off his Masters win, but then no one was desperate to leverage the Spaniard’s success for their own interests.

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Even Bryson DeChambeau has been drafting on his former nemesis. “It validates everything we’ve said from the beginning. That we’re competing at the highest level, and we have the ability to win major championships,” he said, making two points, only one of which is demonstrably true, and even then only for a handful of his colleagues.

Koepka’s fifth major no more belongs to Norman or LIV than his previous four did to Jay Monahan or the PGA Tour, and in the immediate afterglow Koepka bristled at what he knew was coming. Have you heard from Norman? he was asked. “I called my wife, and that’s it,” he replied. “That’s the only person I’m really interested in talking to.”

“I definitely think it helps LIV, but I’m more interested in my own self right now,” he went on. “It’s a huge thing for LIV, but at the same time I’m out here competing as an individual at the PGA Championship.”

Koepka makes a poor patsy for LIV’s lickspittles. He was openly dismissive of regular PGA Tour events so the notion that he’s invested in 54-hole shotgun starts against the Andy Ogletrees of the world is fanciful. He was not a plaintiff in the Saudi-funded litigation, has chosen not to badmouth the tour he left, and has not been a particularly enthusiastic propagandist for the tour he joined. He gives the impression of a man checking the boxes required of him, nothing more.

But while Koepka goes about his business, his triumph is used as a smokescreen by charlatans. Criticisms about Saudi sportswashing, or about the viability of the LIV product, are not nullified because he can still deliver in majors. Sunday reminded us that Koepka is a formidable predator who chooses to swim in a shallow pond, but the days since have revealed the extent to which he is surrounded by pilot fish trying to subsist on his success.

83rd KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship: Fields Ranch yields plenty of red numbers in debut

Padraig Harrington carded a bogey-free 8-under 64 to pace the field.

FRISCO, Texas — The PGA of America welcomed the golf world into its new home as Fields Ranch East Course at PGA Frisco plays host to the 83rd KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.

While the state-of-the-art office space that serves as the new home of the PGA of America has been occupied since 2022, the Senior PGA serves as the christening of the Fields Ranch East course, a Gil Hanse design that has impressed plenty of pros as they have tried to meander their way through his strategic bunkering and subtle but taxing green complexes.

While Fields Ranch isn’t an easy test, two aces were recorded in the first-ever tournament round at the course.

Yet another PGA Professional made history in Thursday’s opening round as Dave McNabb lays claim to the first hole-in-one at Fields Ranch. Similar to Michael Block’s iconic shot at Oak Hill, McNabb never saw it go in the hole.

“I saw one bounce and I sort of picked my tee up,” McNabb told pool reporters. “My caddie, Donny (Wessner), says, ‘It went in!’ Good stuff.”

While McNabb’s ace on the 165-yard 8th will forever be known as the first in course history, former Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin made an ace of his own on No. 4.

Out of his 15 career aces, the one at Fields Ranch ranks up there with the 1 he had at No. 16 in the 1992 Masters. Coincidentally, Pavin’s playing partner, Kenny Perry, was witness to both.

“Kenny is my good luck charm apparently,” Pavin chuckled.

Aside from the two aces, plenty of red numbers dot the leaderboard.

As a second shot golf course, Fields Ranch plays into the hands of ball strikers. As one of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour Champions, Padraig Harrington carded a bogey-free 8-under 64 to pace the field.

A key part to scoring at Fields Ranch? The wind.

“Because every hole nearly has a hazard down one side of it, the wind direct has a big effect on this course, it really, really does,” Harrington said.

“In some ways the reason it was an easy 64 is because when you’re playing with somebody like Rocco there’s always a bit of chat and there’s always a bit of fun going on, so you’re quite relaxed. And that really does make a difference to how you feel about your shots and things like that. So it’s something as professionals we always need to keep reminding ourselves.”

Rocco Mediate shared the same sentiment.

“Going around here in the pro-am you’re not seeing low, you don’t see ’em because then — but then when the things change, the golf course is perfect. Wind wasn’t that bad today. I don’t think it’s going to be that bad. You give these guys some different irons into some of these greens they’re going to tear the grass off it. That’s how it’s always been.”

With wind typically a factor this time of year in North Texas, Fields Ranch offers a fair test whether the wind is ripping or not. Luckily for the players this week, the winds should stay at or around 10 miles per hour for the rest of the tournament.

With the wind remaining calm, we’ll get a preview of just how low players can go at the home of the PGA of America. With 25 more championships scheduled through 2034, it will be interesting to see the pace set this week.

Fields Ranch has allowed players to take advantage of well executed shots but has also gotten the better of players who weren’t committed to every single shot. PGA Professional, Bob Sowards, was one of a handful of players thrown off of his game plan.

“Oh, it was very frustrating,” Sowards told reporters following his first round 1-under 71. 

Three under at the turn, Sowards lost all progress with a double bogey-bogey start on the back nine.

“I got pretty angry out there. I told KB, I got to be the dumbest guy on this whole property. Because if you’re going to make a game plan you might as well follow it. I chose not to and paid the price. So, oh, well. At least I still shot under par and gives me a chance going forward.”

Through round one, over 30 players are in red figures with over a dozen more at even par. Ideal weather and fast and firm playing conditions could result in one of the lowest scoring senior majors in recent history.

Defending champion Steven Alker shot a 2-under 70 and is tied for 18th after 18 holes.

Michael Block wasn’t the only one who had his biggest payday at the 2023 PGA Championship. His caddie did too

Caddie John Jackson did some math on the calculator app on his phone after Block finished T-15.

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Club pro Michael Block wasn’t the only one who cashed the biggest check of his life at the 105th PGA Championship on Sunday.

His caddie, John Jackson, did the math on the calculator app of his phone  Sunday evening after Block finished T-15, the best result by a club pro since 1986, and earned $288,333. Jackson’s take home: $20,183.31.

In a video that was posted on social media, Block looks at the figure (7 percent of Block’s winnings) on Jackson’s phone, smiles widely, slaps him five and gives him knuckles.

“It’s been unreal, surreal, literally a dream, a movie, whatever,” Jackson said Sunday as Block was honored at the 18th green for being the low finisher among the club pros. “Mike and I were pinching ourselves going down the fairways. It was weird. The whole thing is crazy.”

Jackson’s regular job is caddying for resort guests at Spyglass Hill in Pebble Beach, California, where he’s looped full-time since 2017. In college, Jackson played for the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters and was part of the NCAA Division II National Championship team in 2011.

Block was one of 20 PGA professionals to qualify for the PGA Championship. He is a 10-time Southern California PGA Player of the Year and the reigning PGA Professional of the Year. Jackson and Block met as competitors at a California State Open around 10 years ago. Block played at the TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational one year and Jackson got on his bag and they almost won.

Jackson had previously worked a few majors, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – but only for amateurs – and the PGA Tour Champions Pure Insurance Open for the last 15 years. Jackson caddied for Block at the PGA at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last year during the practice rounds but got promoted to full status at Oak Hill.

“He called me and said, ‘Do you want to do the whole week this year?’ And we made it the whole week,” Jackson said.

Of Block’s hole-in-one, Jackson noted that he hadn’t made a putt all day. “I said, ‘Just hit it closer,’ ” Jackson recalled.

He did, flying a 7-iron at 15 directly into the cup.

“I wasn’t helping much because I was pumping him up,” Jackson said.

Initially, Jackson planned to decompress on Monday and Tuesday and get back to reality. He said he had some vacationers who had requested work. That all changed when Block was offered a sponsor exemption into the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, which got underway Thursday. Jackson is back on the bag for another Tour start and a chance for another gigantic payday.

“I’d do it again right now if I could,” Jackson said Sunday.

It turns out he didn’t have to wait that long.

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Prize money payouts for each player at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill

It pays to play well in major championships.

It pays to play well at major championships, folks. Just ask the latest winner, Brooks Koepka.

The 33-year-old formerly on the PGA Tour who now plays for the LIV Golf League claimed his fifth major title Sunday at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, earning a cool $3.15 million for his two-shot victory over runners-up Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland, who will each take home $1.54 million.

Cam Davis, Kurt Kitayama and Bryson DeChambeau each finished T-4 at 3 under to claim $720,000 a piece.

Check out the prize money payouts for each player below at the 2023 PGA Championship.

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2023 PGA Championship money

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Brooks Koepka -9 $3,150,000
2 Scottie Scheffler -7 $1,540,000
3 Viktor Hovland -7 $1,540,000
T4 Cam Davis -3 $720,000
T4 Kurt Kitayama -3 $720,000
T4 Bryson DeChambeau -3 $720,000
T7 Sepp Straka -2 $555,000
T7 Rory McIlroy -2 $555,000
T9 Cameron Smith -1 $465,000
T9 Patrick Cantlay -1 $465,000
T9 Justin Rose -1 $465,000
T12 Shane Lowry E $365,000
T12 Victor Perez E $365,000
T12 Corey Conners E $365,000
T15 Tyrrell Hatton 1 $288,333
T15 Eric Cole 1 $288,333
T15 Michael Block 1 $288,333
T18 Mito Pereira 2 $214,400
T18 Xander Schauffele 2 $214,400
T18 Min Woo Lee 2 $214,400
T18 Patrick Reed 2 $214,400
T18 Tommy Fleetwood 2 $214,400
T23 Alex Smalley 3 $165,000
T23 Matt NeSmith 3 $165,000
T23 Ryan Fox 3 $165,000
T26 Collin Morikawa 4 $135,000
T26 Hayden Buckley 4 $135,000
T26 Justin Suh 4 $135,000
T29 Callum Tarren 5 $90,136
T29 Patrick Rodgers 5 $90,136
T29 Denny McCarthy 5 $90,136
T29 K.H. Lee 5 $90,136
T29 Adam Scott 5 $90,136
T29 Jordan Spieth 5 $90,136
T29 Harold Varner III 5 $90,136
T29 Keegan Bradley 5 $90,136
T29 Chris Kirk 5 $90,136
T29 Taylor Pendrith 5 $90,136
T29 Hideki Matsuyama 5 $90,136
T40 Adrian Meronk 6 $46,900
T40 Thomas Detry 6 $46,900
T40 J.T. Poston 6 $46,900
T40 Adam Hadwin 6 $46,900
T40 Lucas Herbert 6 $46,900
T40 Beau Hossler 6 $46,900
T40 Chez Reavie 6 $46,900
T40 Thomas Pieters 6 $46,900
T40 Adam Svensson 6 $46,900
T40 Sahith Theegala 6 $46,900
T50 Padraig Harrington 7 $37,625
T50 Nicolai Hojgaard 7 $37,625
T50 Jon Rahm 7 $37,625
T50 Stephan Jaeger 7 $37,625
54 Dean Burmester 8 $36,000
T55 Lee Hodges 9 $35,000
T55 Max Homa 9 $35,000
T55 Dustin Johnson 9 $35,000
T58 Phil Mickelson 10 $33,250
T58 Zach Johnson 10 $33,250
T58 Tom Hoge 10 $33,250
T58 Keith Mitchell 10 $33,250
T62 Rikuya Hoshino 11 $31,250
T62 Sihwan Kim 11 $31,250
T62 Thriston Lawrence 11 $31,250
T65 Taylor Montgomery 12 $31,250
T65 Justin Thomas 12 $29,500
T65 Matt Wallace 12 $29,500
T65 Pablo Larrazabal 12 $29,500
T69 Ben Taylor 13 $28,000
T69 Joel Dahmen 13 $28,000
T69 Yannik Paul 13 $28,000
T72 Taylor Moore 15 $26,500
T72 Tony Finau 15 $26,500
T72 Sam Stevens 15 $26,500
75 Mark Hubbard 18 $25,500
76 Kazuki Higa 20 $25,000

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How each LIV Golf player fared at the 2023 PGA Championship

Of the 16 players to tee it up, 11 made the weekend cut.

One of the big questions facing the players who took their talents to LIV Golf was how would the different schedule and competition level impact their preparation for major champions.

So far, so good.

Three LIV players finished in the top six at the Masters, and of the 16 players who competed at the 2023 PGA Championship, 11 made the weekend cut at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. Brooks Koepka even went on to win the thing, and he was joined by four other LIV players inside the top 20 on the leaderboard.

Check out how each of the LIV Golf League players fared this week at the 2023 PGA Championship.

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