History of the PGA & LPGA Championships

Friday, August 3, 2007 -- The Professional Golfer's Association, also known as the PGA, was established in 1916 and currently hosts thousands of members. Headquartered in Florida, the PGA was responsible for the development of the PGA Tour, which entails the sport's best players traveling the country in order to compete for the PGA Championship.

The PGA Championship is a competition exclusively for male golfers, and is known to be one of the most prestigious tournaments in the sport. Together with the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open, the PGA Championship is one of the four competitions that make up the 'grand slam' of men's golf. Because this competition is open only to professional golfers, the PGA Championship is truly a battle of the best. To date, Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus are the only two PGA golfers to have ever won the PGA Championship five times.

It's easy to appreciate the PGA Championship for what it is today, but getting to this point has taken some time. During the organization's first 42 years, the tournament was held in such a way that required the competitors to play in a one-on-one format. Today, players compete against the entire field in a process that was first adopted in 1958 by the PGA.

The Ladies Professional Golf Association, also known as the LPGA, held it's inaugural championship in 1955 and today continues to host only female golfers. Like the PGA Championship, the LPGA Championship is open only to professionals and offers fans an opportunity to see the 'best of the best' in live competition. Mickey Wright, the woman credited with leading the LPGA Championship wins, has walked away victorious on four occasions.

When it comes to location, both the PGA Championship and LPGA Championship have a different approach. The PGA typically travels to different courses each year, while the LPGA typically remains on the same course for several consecutive years before making the move to a new course. Today, fans around the nation enjoy seeing their favorite golfers compete in person for the organization's most prestigious title. Despite all the years that have passed since the PGA and LPGA came into existence, the ultimate goal remains the same. From Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh to Annika Sörenstam, the players of today are still chasing the championship.