The PGA Championship was first played in 1916 at the Siwanoy Country Club, Bronxville, NY and was won by Englishman Jim Barnes ("Long Jim" as he was known on account of his prodigious hitting) who beat Jock Hutchison in the final. Thirty one golfers entered this first US PGA Championship and the trophy and prize money were the gift of the wealthy department store owner Rodman Wanamaker (hence the name of the trophy awarded to the winner of the PGA Championship, the Wanamaker Trophy). The PGA Championship was not held for the next two years on account of World War I but when it resumed in 1919 "Long Jim" Barnes was the winner again. This time he defeated Fred McLeod at the Engineers Country Club, Roslyn, NY. Prolific winners of the PGA Championship in those early years included Walter Hagen (the first American born player to win the PGA Championship) with five wins and Gene Sarazen who had three victories. In the early years of the PGA Championship the tournament was a match-play event but in 1958 the American love of "card and pencil" golf turned the fourth major into stroke play. In this first stroke play PGA Championship held at the Llanerch Country Club, Havertown, Pennsylvania, Dow Finsterwald produced the best card to beat Billy Casper by two strokes and Sam Snead by four. Since that first stroke play PGA Championship some of the world′s leading golfers have been added to the winners roll and a few have also been successful more than once including Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Larry Nelson, Raymond Floyd, Nick Price, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods. |
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Venue Course |
| 1916 | Jim Barnes | Jock Hutchison | Siwanoy Country Club, Bronxville, NY |
| 1917 | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| 1918 | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| 1919 | Jim Barnes | Fred McLeod | Engineers Country Club, Roslyn, NY |
| 1920 | Jock Hutchison | J. Douglas Edgar | Flossmoor Country Club, Flossmoor, IL |
| 1921 | Walter Hagen | Jim Barnes | Inwood Country Club, Far Rockaway, NY |
| 1922 | Gene Sarazen | Emmet French | Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, PA |
| 1923 | Gene Sarazen | Walter Hagen | Pelham Country Club, Pelham, NY |
| 1924 | Walter Hagen | Jim Barnes | French Lick Country Club, French Lick, IN |
| 1925 | Walter Hagen | William Mehlhorn | Olympia Fields Country Club, Olympia Fields, IL |
| 1926 | Walter Hagen | Leo Diegel | Salisbury Golf Club, Westbury, NY |
| 1927 | Walter Hagen | Joe Turnesa | Cedar Crest Country Club, Dallas |
| 1928 | Leo Diegel | Al Espinosa | Five Farms Country Club, Baltimore |
| 1929 | Leo Diegel | Johnny Farrell | Hillcrest Country Club, Los Angeles |
| 1930 | Tommy Armour | Gene Sarazen | Fresh Meadow Country Club, Flushing, NY |
| 1931 | Tom Creavy | Denny Shute | Wannamoisett Country Club, Rumford, RI |
| 1932 | Olin Dutra | Frank Walsh | Keller Golf Club, St. Paul |
| 1933 | Gene Sarazen | Willie Goggin | Blue Mound Country Club, Milwaukee |
| 1934 | Paul Runyan | Craig Wood | Park Country Club, Williamsville, NY |
| 1935 | Johnny Revolta | Tommy Armour | Twin Hills Country Club, Oklahoma City |
| 1936 | Denny Shute | Jimmy Thomson | Pinehurst Country Club, Pinehurst, NC |
| 1937 | Denny Shute | Harold McSpaden | Pittsburgh FC, Aspinwall, PA |
| 1938 | Paul Runyan | Sam Snead | Shawnee Country Club, Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA |
| 1939 | Henry Picard | Byron Nelson | Pomonok Country Club, Flushing, NY |
| 1940 | Byron Nelson | Sam Snead | Hershey Country Club, Hershey, PA |
| 1941 | Vic Ghezzi | Byron Nelson | Cherry Hills Country Club, Denver |
| 1942 | Sam Snead | Jim Turnesa | Seaview Country Club, Atlantic City |
| 1943 | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| 1944 | Bob Hamilton | Byron Nelson | Manito Golf & Country Club, Spokane, WA |
| 1945 | Byron Nelson | Sam Byrd | Morraine Country Club, Dayton |
| 1946 | Ben Hogan | Ed Oliver | Portland Golf Club, Portland, OR |
| 1947 | Jim Ferrier | Chick Harbert | Plum Hollow Country Club, Detroit |
| 1948 | Ben Hogan | Mike Turnesa | Norwood Hills Country Club, St. Louis |
| 1949 | Sam Snead | Johnny Palmer | Hermitage Country Club, Richmond |
| 1950 | Chandler Harper | Henry Williams Jr. | Scioto Country Club, Columbus, Ohio |
| 1951 | Sam Snead | Walter Burkemo | Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, PA |
| 1952 | Jim Turnesa | Chick Harbert | Big Spring Country Club, Louisville |
| 1953 | Walter Burkemo | Felice Torza | Birmingham Country Club, Birmingham, MI |
| 1954 | Chick Harbert | Walter Burkemo | Keller Golf Club, St. Paul |
| 1955 | Doug Ford | Cary Middlecoff | Meadowbrook Country Club, Detroit |
| 1956 | Jack Burke | Ted Kroll | Blue Hill Country Club, Boston |
| 1957 | Lionel Hebert | Dow Finsterwald | Miami Valley Country Club, Dayton |
| 1958 | Dow Finsterwald | Billy Casper | Llanerch Country Club, Havertown, PA |
| 1959 | Bob Rosburg | Jerry Barber, Doug Sanders | Minneapolis Golf Club, St. Louis Park, MN |
| 1960 | Jay Hebert | Jim Ferrier | Firestone Country Club, Akron |
| 1961 | Jerry Barber | Don January | Olympia Fields Country Club, Olympia Fields, IL |
| 1962 | Gary Player | Bob Goalby | Aronimink Golf Club, Newton Square, PA |
| 1963 | Jack Nicklaus | Dave Ragan Jr. | Dallas Athletic Club, Dallas |
| 1964 | Bobby Nichols | Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer | Columbus Country Club, Columbus, Ohio |
| 1965 | Dave Marr | Billy Casper, Jack Nicklaus | Laurel Valley Country Club, Ligonier, PA |
| 1966 | Al Geiberger | Dudley Wysong | Firestone Country Club, Akron |
| 1967 | Don January | Don Massengale | Columbine Country Club, Littleton, CO |
| 1968 | Julius Boros | Bob Charles, Arnold Palmer | Pecan Valley Country Club, San Antonio |
| 1969 | Ray Floyd | Gary Player | NCR Country Club, Dayton |
| 1970 | Dave Stockton | Arnold Palmer, Bob Murphy | Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa |
| 1971 | Jack Nicklaus | Billy Casper | PGA National Golf Course, Palm Beach Gardens, FL |
| 1972 | Gary Player | Tommy Aaron, Jim Jamieson | Oakland Hills Country Club, Birmingham, MI |
| 1973 | Jack Nicklaus | Bruce Crampton | Canterbury Golf Club, Cleveland |
| 1974 | Lee Trevino | Jack Nicklaus | Tanglewood Golf Club, Winston-Salem, NC |
| 1975 | Jack Nicklaus | Bruce Crampton | Firestone Country Club, Akron |
| 1976 | Dave Stockton | Ray Floyd, Don January | Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, MD |
| 1977 | Lanny Wadkins | Gene Littler | Pebble Beach, CA |
| 1978 | John Mahaffey | Jerry Pate, Tom Watson | Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, PA |
| 1979 | David Graham | Ben Crenshaw | Oakland Hills Country Club, Birmingham, MI |
| 1980 | Jack Nicklaus | Andy Bean | Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, NY |
| 1981 | Larry Nelson | Fuzzy Zoeller | Atlanta Athletic Club, Duluth, Georgia |
| 1982 | Raymond Floyd | Lanny Wadkins | Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa |
| 1983 | Hal Sutton | Jack Nicklaus | Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, CA |
| 1984 | Lee Trevino | Gary Player, Lanny Wadkins | Shoal Creek, Birmingham, AL |
| 1985 | Hubert Green | Lee Trevino | Cherry Hills Country Club, Denver |
| 1986 | Bob Tway | Greg Norman | Inverness Country Club, Toledo |
| 1987 | Larry Nelson | Lanny Wadkins | PGA National Golf Course, Palm Beach Gardens, FL |
| 1988 | Jeff Sluman | Paul Azinger | Oak Tree Golf Club, Edmond, OK |
| 1989 | Payne Stewart | Mike Reid | Kemper Lakes Golf Club, Hawthorn Woods, IL |
| 1990 | Wayne Grady | Fred Couples | Shoal Creek, Birmingham, AL |
| 1991 | John Daly | Bruce Lietzke | Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel, IN |
| 1992 | Nick Price | Jim Gallagher Jr. | Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis |
| 1993 | Paul Azinger | Greg Norman | Inverness Country Club, Toledo |
| 1994 | Nick Price | Corey Pavin | Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa |
| 1995 | Steve Elkington | Colin Montgomerie | Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, CA |
| 1996 | Mark Brooks | Kenny Perry | Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville |
| 1997 | Davis Love III | Justin Leonard | Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, NY |
| 1998 | Vijay Singh | Steve Stricker | Sahalee Country Club, Redmond, WA |
| 1999 | Tiger Woods | Sergio Garcia | Medinah Country Club, Medinah, IL |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods | Bob May | Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville |
| 2001 | David Toms | Phil Mickelson | Atlanta AC, Duluth, Georgia |
| 2002 | Rich Beem | Tiger Woods | Hazeltine National Golf Course, Shaska, MN |
| 2003 | Shaun Micheel | Chad Campbell | Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, NY |
| 2004 | Vijay Singh | Chris DiMarco, Justin Leonard | Whistling Straits Golf Club, Kohler, WI |
| 2005 | Phil Mickelson | S Elkington, T Bjorn | Baltusrol GC, Springfield, NJ |
| 2006 | Tiger Woods | Shaun Micheel | Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois |
| 2007 | Tiger Woods | Woody Austin | Southern Hills CC Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| 2008 | Padraig Harrington | Sergio Garcia, Ben Curtis | Oakland Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Township, MI |