The PGA Championship champion gets one of the truly unique trophies in golf: the Wanamaker trophy. PGA Championship champions then leave tournament site and are seen around the country and throughout the world with the trophy as a symbol of their remarkable achievement.
Many golf fans wonder if the PGA Championship champion gets to keep the trophy permanently, or if not forever, for how long.
How long does the PGA Championship winner get to keep the Wanamaker trophy?
PGA Championship champions get to keep the Wanamaker trophy for a year. From the day they win the Wanamaker trophy, winners can take the Wanamaker trophy wherever they wish. When the week of the next year's PGA Championship tournament starts, players are expected to bring back the trophy and give it back to the PGA of America.
If a PGA Championship winner successfully defends their title, then they're able to keep the trophy for another year, from the date of that next PGA Championship win to the start of the next PGA Championship tournament. That is a rare achievement.
The tradition of presenting the PGA Championship winner is as long as the tournament itself, which goes back to the PGA of America's founding in 1916.
For most PGA Championship winners, it's a great year of their lives to be able to have the trophy in their possession. However, while they're only able to look at the Wanamaker trophy for a year, they also receive and have the option to receive a smaller replica trophy for their home or trophy mantle.
