2023 PGA Championship Recap & Highlights

The PGA Championship is iconic. This annual golf tournament is one of four major championships in professional golf. Traditionally, this game occurred mid-August to act as the final major of the golf season. Since 2019, however, the PGA Championship has been played the weekend before Memorial Day. This official money event on the PGA, European, and Japan Golf Tours offers a PGA Championship payout of $11 million. Like with other majors, golfers have a major incentive to win the PGA, earning certain privileges that help secure their careers. 

In particular, PGA champions are invited to play in three other majors: The Masters Tournament, U.S. Open and The Open Championship. They also are invited to The Players Championship for the next five years and earn a lifetime eligibility for the PGA Championship. Beyond that, winners receive five seasons of membership on the PGA Tour and seven seasons on the European Tour. 

Over the years, the PGA Championship has been played in various locations. The most recent events are generally played in some of the most beloved courses. In 2023, it was held at the East Course of Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York. 

Overview of What Happened PGA Championship Weekend 

The weekend was full of ups and downs as rain fell on Saturday. Despite this, Brooks Koepka took a one-shot lead over Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners. With several LIV Golf players in the mix and a cut line well into the black at +5 on Friday, the PGA Championship was a show worth watching. 

Keep reading to get the lowdown on the LIV Golf controversy, see who took home the Wanamaker trophy and get a look at the leaderboards for the 2023 PGA Championship. 

LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour Matchup 

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf have always had a strained relationship, with PGA arguing that LIV interfered with PGA's business by paying millions of dollars to players who left their PGA contracts to play for LIV. Despite PGA Tour's ban on LIV golfers participating, they may still participate in the four majors. 

Though this is a somewhat controversial decision, Brooks Koepka and several other LIV Golf participants were eligible to play in the 2023 PGA Championship by meeting the qualification criteria. The 2023 qualification criteria include former PGA champions, winners of the last five majors or last three The Players Championships, top 3 on the Official World Golf Ranking, among others. This allows for some LIV Golf players to earn their positions in the PGA Championships. 

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman believes all LIV Golf players should be eligible to play in major events, but due to a lack of status, many LIV players drop in world rankings, which can limit their ability to appear. 

Despite the limitations imposed, the field list for the PGA Championship included 18 LIV golfers on the 156-player roster: 

• Brooks Koepka 
• Martin Kaymer 
• Phil Mickelson 
• Bryon DeChambeau 
• Dustin Johnson 
• Patrick Reed 
• Mito Pereira 
• Brendan Steel 
• Abraham Ancer 
• Dean Burmester 
• Paul Casey 
• Talor Gooch 
• Sihwan Kim 
• Anirban Lahiri 
• Joaquin Niemann 
• Thomas Pieters 
• Cameron Smith 
• Harold Varner III 

Brooks Koepka Wins the PGA Championship 

After a fall from the top due to tearing his patella in his left knee in 2019 and shattering his right knee in 2021, Koepka made a return to his former glory by taking home the 2023 PGA Championship. He finished two shots ahead of both Scotie Scheffler and Victor Hovland, scoring a final nine-under par. 

This victory brings him the honor of being the first golfer to win a major while also playing the LIV Golf Series. It also marks his third PGA Championship win and his fifth major title. This win also makes Koepka the third golfer to win the PGA Championship three or more times, alongside Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. He's also the 20th golfer to win five or more majors, and the seventh to have done so before the age of 34, making for an impressive feat. 

Final 2023 PGA Championship Table 

The PGA Championship leaderboard can be seen below. Brooks Koepka won the 2023 PGA Championship with a two-point lead over both Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler, a narrow victory. Bryson Dechambeau, Kurt Kitayama and Cam Davis tied for T4, while Rory McIlroy and Sepp Straka tied for T7. T9 went to Justin rose, Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Smith. 

Recap and 2023 Golf Season Must Haves 

Despite being a LIV Golf player and LIV Golf Team Captain, Brooks Koepka managed to steal the show at the PGA Championship. While LIV Golf players are traditionally banned from the PGA Tour, Koepka qualified for an exemption and was allowed to play, and in doing so, he managed to pull off some pretty impressive feats, including being the third person in modern history to win three or more PGA Championships. 

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