Senior PGA Championship
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| Location |
Potomac Falls, Virginia in 2017 |
|---|---|
| Established | 1937, 80 years ago |
| Course(s) | Trump National Golf Club (2017) |
| Par | 72 (2017) |
| Tour(s) |
PGA Tour Champions European Seniors Tour |
| Format | Stroke play – 72 holes |
| Prize fund | $2.8 million |
| Month played | May |
 Rocco Mediate
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The Senior PGA Championship is the oldest of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both PGA Tour Champions and the European Seniors Tour. It was formerly an unofficial money event on the European Seniors Tour, but since 2007 has been an official money event. Winners gain entry into the same season's PGA Championship. The winners prior to 1980, the first season of the senior tour, are not considered major champions of this event by the PGA Tour Champions.
Like its PGA Tour counterpart, the Senior PGA Championship allows club professionals to enter. The tournament committee invites former winners of the PGA Professional National Championship and the top 35 club professionals who qualify through a tournament.
It was founded 80 years ago in 1937, and the inaugural event was played at Augusta National Golf Club, with 54-year-old Jock Hutchison winning the 54-hole event on Thursday, December 2. The second edition at Augusta was reduced to 36 holes due to rain, but had an 18-hole playoff on December 9 to decide the winner, Fred McLeod. The next edition was moved to Florida in January, and it was 36-hole event until 1954; after four years at 54 holes, it became a 72-hole event in 1958. The championship was played only in Florida from 1940 through 2000. It moved from winter to mid-April in 1990 and when it rotated to various sites in 2001, it became a late spring event, played in late May or early June.
The lower age limit is 50, which is the standard limit for men's senior professional golf tournaments. In the past, the event has had long spells of playing on a single host course, but currently it is played on a different course each year. No tournaments were held in 1943 and 1944 due to World War II. Due to scheduling moves, two tournaments were played in 1979 and 1984 and none in 1939, 1983, and 1985. The tournament has gone by several different names:
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