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PGA stands for Professional Golfers Association of America. It is a not-for-profit organization that turned ninety this year. In New York City during 1916, thirty-five charter members from a group of men who were professional golfers and well-known amateur golfers stated this organization to promote interest in golf, and to elevate the golf profession. At the time, the men who began the PGA felt that interest for the game was on the rise.

Today there are more than twenty…

PGA stands for Professional Golfers Association of America. It is a not-for-profit organization that turned ninety this year. In New York City during 1916, thirty-five charter members from a group of men who were professional golfers and well-known amateur golfers stated this organization to promote interest in golf, and to elevate the golf profession. At the time, the men who began the PGA felt that interest for the game was on the rise.

Today there are more than twenty-eight thousand members in the PGA, and it is the largest World’s Sports Organization. In addition, the organization’s magazine is the countries oldest continuously published golf monthly. The first PGA championship was held in October of 1916. Since that time, there have been eighty- eight PGA championships in sixty-eight different sites in the United States. The purse for the first championship was a donated $2,580. Today the PGA has various competitions each year. Some of them are included in the Ryder Cup, PGA Grand Slam of Golf, and the Senior PGA Championship.

The PGA Championship is considered by many to be the premier sporting event in the country. Back in the 1950?s, the championship was actually converted from a ?match play? to a ?stroke play?. In 1999, Tiger Woods was the fifth youngest player to win the Championship. He then won again the next year. More than one hundred thousand spectators attend this event annually. The winner receives the coveted Wanamaker Trophy.

It was a match between America and Great Britain for prestige more than money. The Ryder Cup was played for the thirty-sixth time this year. One of the times that a tournament didn?t play at all was during World War II. Today it has expanded to include other European nations. The PGA Grand Slam of Golf is a show down between the top golfers from a given year. This year’s purse is $1.25 million. Mike Weir, a Canadian, will be competing this November in the event.

The Senior PGA Championship is similar to the PGA Championship. However, to qualify a player must be at least fifty years of age. There are, of course, many other qualifications to be met, but it is for the older bracket of golfers.

The PGA has done a lot to improve and endorse golf in the last ninety years. They make new strides all the time in this endeavor. Today’s PGA is very large and very active in the golf world.