The perks of winning the PGA Championship: Tournaments, exemptions, what the winner gets
PGA Championship

The perks of winning the PGA Championship: Tournaments, exemptions, what the winner gets

A photo of golfer Justin Thomas
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There are a lot of perks that come with winning the PGA Championship in golf.

Aside from the PGA Championship first-place prize money, which is 18 percent of the total purse, a PGA Championship winner earns entry into the PGA Championship for life, entry into the other three majors for five years to come, as well as PGA Tour exemptions and other goodies.

Let's lay out all the benefits of winning the PGA Championship, showing what the PGA Championship winner gets.

The perks of winning the PGA Championship: What a PGA Championship winner gets

  • Prestige, obviously -- you're in a limited company of players to ever win the PGA Championship
  • Wanamaker Trophy: A PGA Championship winner is awarded the Wanamaker Trophy to have for a year. The trophy is then returned to the organization after their reign is over, while the player can purchase a replica trophy that they can then keep.
  • Lifetime exemption: You're in the PGA Championship for life, basically
  • Other major exemptions: You're in the U.S. Open, Open Championship and Masters for five years
  • The Players exemption: You're in The Players Championship, which has the biggest purse in golf, for five years
  • You get a 5-year exemption on the PGA Tour for winning a major, and you can pretty much set your schedule for two years
  • You get a spot in the Tournament of Champions
  • You get 100 Official World Golf Ranking points, which pretty much locks up a spot in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking for 18 months, no matter what
  • You get 600 FedEx Cup points
  • You get big Ryder Cup points if you're an American or European player

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

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