# 2019 PGA Championship
The 2019 [PGA Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/pga-championship) was the 101st edition of the PGA Championship, one of golf's four major championships, played May 16-19, 2019 on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York. [Brooks Koepka](https://www.edgepedia.org/brooks-koepka) won his second consecutive PGA Championship with a total of 272 (8 under par), two strokes ahead of [Dustin Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/dustin-johnson), and in doing so became the first player to hold back-to-back titles in two majors at the same time.[1](https://www.pgachampionship.com/history) • [9](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2019/05/19/brooks-koepka-wins-2019-pga-championship-bethpage-black)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates and venue | May 16-19, 2019, Bethpage State Park Black Course, Farmingdale, New York[2](https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2019/pga-championship/R2019033/overview) |
| Course setup | Par 70 (35-35), 7,459 yards, 72-hole stroke play[3](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/pgachampionship/preTournamentNotes/Notes_--_Tournament.pdf) |
| Field and cut | 156 players; cut at 144 (+4), 82 advanced[4](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2020/pgatour/pgachampionship/eventMediaGuide/20pga-media-guide.pdf) |
| Winner | Brooks Koepka, 272 (-8), wire-to-wire, second straight PGA title[1](https://www.pgachampionship.com/history) |
| Runner-up | Dustin Johnson, 274 (-6); winning margin 2[1](https://www.pgachampionship.com/history) |
| 54-hole lead | Koepka led by seven shots, short of the largest 54-hole lead in major championship history, a 10-shot margin held by Henry Cotton at the 1934 Open Championship and Tiger Woods at the 2000 U.S. Open[5](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/pgachampionship/roundInfo/Notes_--_Round_4.pdf) |
| Purse / points | $11 million purse; 600 FedExCup points to the winner[4](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2020/pgatour/pgachampionship/eventMediaGuide/20pga-media-guide.pdf) |
| Calendar change | First PGA Championship played in May since 1949[1](https://www.pgachampionship.com/history) |
## Venue and date change
The championship moved to Bethpage State Park's Black Course, a public park course on [Long Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/long-island) that had previously hosted the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens and two editions of THE NORTHERN TRUST, but had never held the PGA Championship.[3](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/pgachampionship/preTournamentNotes/Notes_--_Tournament.pdf) The 2019 edition was also the first PGA Championship staged in May since 1949, part of a broader rescheduling that placed the year's second major before the U.S. Open rather than in August.[1](https://www.pgachampionship.com/history)
The Black Course was set up as a long, demanding par 70 of 7,459 yards. The field numbered 156 players in 72-hole stroke play, with a cut after 36 holes.[3](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/pgachampionship/preTournamentNotes/Notes_--_Tournament.pdf) The cut fell at 4 over par (144), and 82 players advanced to the weekend.[4](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2020/pgatour/pgachampionship/eventMediaGuide/20pga-media-guide.pdf)
## Koepka's week
**Wire-to-wire control.** Koepka, the defending champion from his 2018 win at Bellerive, opened with a 63, one of 17 scores of 63 recorded in PGA Championship history to that point.[6](https://apnews.com/article/d0421ebb2e61aeff9c95a1bb87ee1a72) He followed with a 65 and never relinquished the lead. His seven-shot advantage after 54 holes tied the largest 54-hole leads in major championships, matching [Raymond Floyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/raymond-floyd) at the 1976 Masters, Seve Ballesteros at the 1980 Masters, and Tony Lema at the 1964 Open Championship.[5](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/pgachampionship/roundInfo/Notes_--_Round_4.pdf)
He started both Saturday and Sunday with a seven-shot lead, but the margin eroded on Sunday. After bogeying Bethpage Black's shortest hole, his lead was down to one over Dustin Johnson, who shot a final-round 69 to finish at 274.[7](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2019/05/19/brooks-koepka-wins-pga-championship-bethpage-black-self-motivation-column) Koepka's closing round of 74 included bogeys on four straight holes, a stretch that briefly put the outcome in doubt before he steadied himself and won by two.[8](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/09/ryder-cup-golf-noise/684385/) He was the first wire-to-wire winner of the PGA Championship since [Hal Sutton](https://www.edgepedia.org/hal-sutton) at Riviera in 1983.[9](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2019/05/19/brooks-koepka-wins-2019-pga-championship-bethpage-black)
Behind Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, and Matt Wallace tied for third at 278 (2 under).[1](https://www.pgachampionship.com/history)
## Records and significance
The win was Koepka's fourth career major championship, making him the 10th player with exactly four major titles.[10](https://www.pga.com/events/pga-championship-2019) With the victory he reclaimed the No. 1 position in the [Official World Golf Ranking](https://www.edgepedia.org/official-world-golf-ranking) and moved to No. 2 in the FedExCup standings.[5](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/pgachampionship/roundInfo/Notes_--_Round_4.pdf) The PGA Tour's round-four notes described him at the time as the only current player under the age of 30 with four major wins.[5](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/pgachampionship/roundInfo/Notes_--_Round_4.pdf)
Because he had won the 2018 U.S. Open and defended it in June 2019, the PGA title put him in a position no player had held: champion of the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open at the same time. He was also the second player to win back-to-back PGA Championships since the event switched to stroke play in 1958, following [Tiger Woods](https://www.edgepedia.org/tiger-woods), who won consecutively in 1999–2000 and 2006–2007.[1](https://www.pgachampionship.com/history) • [3](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/pgachampionship/preTournamentNotes/Notes_--_Tournament.pdf) • [14](https://www.pga.com/story/nine-numbers-to-remember-from-the-2019-pga-championship) • [9](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2019/05/19/brooks-koepka-wins-2019-pga-championship-bethpage-black)
## Notable cuts
The demanding course and firm conditions produced a high-profile group of early exits. Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, and [Bryson DeChambeau](https://www.edgepedia.org/bryson-dechambeau) all missed the cut, finishing at 145 or 146 over two rounds.[11](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2019/05/17/roundtable-analysis-thursday-round-2-2019-pga-championship-bethpage-black) • [12](https://www.pgachampionship.com/2019-pga-championship-leaderboard) For Woods, the event had been his first opportunity to tie [Sam Snead](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-snead)'s record of 82 [PGA Tour](https://www.edgepedia.org/pga-tour) wins.[3](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/pgachampionship/preTournamentNotes/Notes_--_Tournament.pdf)
## Later history
The 2019 championship is remembered as the peak of Koepka's major-championship run: during the 365 days between the final Sundays of the 2018 and 2019 U.S. Opens, his major finishes included wins at the 2018 PGA and both U.S. Opens and runner-up finishes elsewhere. Bethpage Black went on to host the 2025 [Ryder Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryder-cup), its first, having previously staged the two U.S. Opens and the 2019 PGA Championship.[13](https://www.golfmonthly.com/ryder-cup/future-ryder-cup-venues-confirmed-for-2023-and-beyond-243335)
## References
1. [PGA Championship History, PGA Championship](https://www.pgachampionship.com/history)
2. [PGA Championship 2019 Overview, PGA TOUR](https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2019/pga-championship/R2019033/overview)
3. [2019 PGA Championship Pre-Tournament Notes, PGA TOUR Media](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/pgachampionship/preTournamentNotes/Notes_--_Tournament.pdf)
4. [2020 PGA Championship Media Guide (2019 fact box), PGA TOUR Media](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2020/pgatour/pgachampionship/eventMediaGuide/20pga-media-guide.pdf)
5. [2019 PGA Championship Round 4 Notes, PGA TOUR Media](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/pgachampionship/roundInfo/Notes_--_Round_4.pdf)
6. [Schauffele gets another major scoring record, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d0421ebb2e61aeff9c95a1bb87ee1a72)
7. [Self-motivated Brooks Koepka secures fourth major title, PGA TOUR](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2019/05/19/brooks-koepka-wins-pga-championship-bethpage-black-self-motivation-column)
8. [Golf's Very Loud Weekend, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/09/ryder-cup-golf-noise/684385/)
9. [Brooks Koepka defends title at PGA Championship, PGA TOUR](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2019/05/19/brooks-koepka-wins-2019-pga-championship-bethpage-black)
10. [PGA Championship 2019, PGA.com](https://www.pga.com/events/pga-championship-2019)
11. [Roundtable: Surprises, analysis from Round 2, PGA TOUR](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2019/05/17/roundtable-analysis-thursday-round-2-2019-pga-championship-bethpage-black)
12. [2019 PGA Championship Leaderboard, PGA Championship](https://www.pgachampionship.com/2019-pga-championship-leaderboard)
13. [Future Ryder Cup Venues, Golf Monthly](https://www.golfmonthly.com/ryder-cup/future-ryder-cup-venues-confirmed-for-2023-and-beyond-243335)
14. [Nine Numbers to Remember from the 2019 PGA Championship](https://www.pga.com/story/nine-numbers-to-remember-from-the-2019-pga-championship)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Golf › Golf tournaments, majors, and tours › Major championships and team golf › PGA Championship (golf)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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