The Bizarre Timeline of the PGA Championship and Its Slogans

The sport of golf has many annual events that have taken place for more than 100 years. The PGA Championship is one such iconic tournament that has taken place since 1916.

While it is common for an event with such a legacy to have a tagline, the event organized by the PGA of America begs to stand out. Its long-standing issue with a slogan has raised several questions and once was even intervened by the PGA Tour.

Since its inception, the PGA Championship has had many legendary stories. From transitioning from a match-play format to stroke play, or losing the Wanamaker Trophy in 1925, the century-old event has a rich history. Among the many tales also lies the bizarre timeline surrounding the slogan of the Major.

The first slogan of the PGA Championship (terminated in 2013)

Though the Major had no slogan when it was first founded in 1916, the PGA of America decided to give the iconic event a slogan in later years. Dubbed ‘Glory’s Last Shot’, the PGA Championship was previously the last Major of the golf calendar.

In its 107-year-old history, the event has been played in nine different months. However, its slogan which meant that it was the final shot for professional golfers to make a mark, irked the then-PGA Tour Commissioner, Tim Finchem. As the Tour decided to create a much more rigid plan for the season finale, they launched the newly designed FedEx Cup.

But since the PGA Championship’s ‘Glory’s Last Shot’ slogan downplayed the PGA Tour’s season finale, the commissioner decided to ask the Major’s organizers to change the slogan. Fortunately for him, the PGA of America did adhere to his plan with a new slogan.

PGA Championship’s not-so-unique new slogan (2014-2018)

After the intervention of the PGA Tour, the PGA of America decided to change the slogan of the Major in 2013. They gave the event the new words of ‘This Is Major’. However, the organizers weren’t too pleased with the new slogan and decided to change it shortly.

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The PGA Championship was then named ‘The Season’s Final Major’, since back then the event was the final Major of the season. The tournament continued to be played as the final Major of the season until 2018. With the new slogan being unrelated to the event, what did the PGA of America do then?

No more slogans for the PGA Championship? (2019-currently)

Following the change of schedule in 2018, the PGA Championship was projected to be made the second Major of the golf season. With the modification, the slogan ‘The Season’s Final Major’ would be concluded as obsolete. For the next four years, the event was played with no slogan next to it.

However, in 2022, the PGA Championship was held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 87-year-old golf course has hosted the Major five times in the past, making it the venue that has hosted the PGA Championship the most number of times. During the historical event, the tagline ‘First To Five‘ was created to honor the legendary golf course of Tulsa.

Nonetheless, as the PGA Championship is set to host its 105th event in 2023, it won’t have any slogan next to it. While Masters has the popular words, ‘A Tradition Unlike Any Other’, the PGA Championship will follow the route of the other two Majors of not having any tagline. Nonetheless, all events hold the same prominence in the world of golf, regardless of whether they have a slogan or not.

What slogan would you give to the PGA Championship? Show us your creativity in the comments section below.

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