Ahead of this week’s PGA Championship – have a look at some of the fascinating numbers and statistics from the famous Major.
(2) The number of times a South African has won The PGA Championship. Gary Player was the winning golfer, in 1962 and 1972.
(5) Only Rory McIlroy (2007 and 2014), Ben Hogan (1946), Byron Nelson (1945) and Henry Piard (1939) have won a PGA Tour event the week before going on to win The PGA Championship. Be sure to take that into consideration when doing your fantasy selections for 2021.
(23) Since 1934, there have been 23 occasions that players on the PGA Tour have won the week before winning a Major. The last golfer to do this was the above-mentioned McIlroy (2014). Before that it was Tiger Woods in 2006 and 2007, and Phil Mickelson in 2006. Woods also did the back-to-back in 2000, while Vijay Singh achieved it in 1998 and Ernie Els did it in 1997.
(8) The tournament’s largest winning margin in shots, by Rory McIlroy in 2012. He finished on 13-under 275, followed by England’s David Lynn on 283, with a four-way tie for third. This year’s tournament is at the same Kiawah Island Golf Resort Ocean Course.
(2) The number of years since The PGA Championship last had a repeat winner: Brooks Koepka in 2018-19. Before that it was Tiger Woods in 2006-07. And before then it had been Woods in 1999-2000. This year’s defending champion is world No 4 Collin Morikawa.
(36) Since becoming a strokeplay event in 1958, the third-round leader/co-leader of The PGA Championship has gone on to win 36 times in 63 events, including five of the past seven champions. It augurs well for whoever is on top of the leaderboard after 54 holes this time too.
(63) The record low score of 63 has been achieved by 16 players, from Bruce Crampton in 1975 to Koepka in 2018 and 2019.
(264) The 72-hole scoring record (16 under par) was set by Koepka in 2018 at Bellerive Country Club. Jason Day (2015) holds the record for lowest total to par (20 under) from the 2015 event at Whistling Straits
ABOUT THE COURSE
Designed by Alice and Pete Dye to host the 1991 Ryder Cup, the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort winds naturally through windswept dunes along the coast of South Carolina. The Dyes adapted characteristics of famed links-style tracks of Scotland and Ireland to the subtropical climate of the Lowcountry, resulting in a course that boasts the most seaside holes in North America. From tee to green, the courses is grassed with paspalum. Wide fairways, oversized greens, tricky slopes, and deep bunkers may seem easy enough. However, catch it on a windy day and scores can sky rocket.
HOW 2012 LOOKED
Given that the Ocean Course has a links feel to it – although high ball flight is more effective than bump and run – perhaps it’s no surprise that Europeans excelled the last time The PGA Championship was played on Kiawah Island. There were only three Americans in the top 10. The top 10 were: Rory McIlroy (N Ireland), David Lynn (England), Keegan Bradley (US), Carl Pettersson (Sweden), Ian Poulter and Justin Rose (England), Blake Adams (US), Jamie Donaldson (Wales), Peter Hanson (Sweden) and Steve Stricker (US). Tim Clark of South Africa closed for a 69 for tie-11th.
Photo: PGA Championship
