How Golfers Qualify to Play in the PGA Championship

How do golfers qualify to play in the PGA Championship? By meeting one of 13 "exemption criteria." The PGA of America, which runs this men's major championship, sets down the qualification requirements that golfers must meet to earn a spot in the tournament field.

The PGA Championship has a field of 156 golfers. Because the PGA of America is a membership organization of club professionals, 20 of those 156 spots in the field are reserved for club professionals. (See exemption category No. 9 below.) That leaves 136 spots for tour pros, the stars of the game.

Exemption Categories for the PGA Championship

These are the 13 exemptions available for golfers to earn, thereby claiming a spot in the field for the PGA Championship:

1. All former winners of the PGA Championship.
2. Winners of the last five Masters Tournaments.
3. Winners of the last five U.S. Opens.
4. Winners of the last five British Opens.
5. Winners of the last three Players Championships.
6. The top three on the International Federation Ranking List of the Official World Golf Ranking at the specific cut-off date (the cut-off date for this exemption is typically 3-4 weeks prior to the PGA Championship.)
7. Winner of the most-recently played Senior PGA Championship.
8. The top 15 finishers and ties from last year's PGA Championship.
9. The top 20 finishers from the most-recently played PGA Professional Championship. (This is the way that club professionals get into the field.)
10. The top 70 players who are eligible and have earned the most PGA Championship points for the previous year. (The year in question typically runs from the week prior to the previous PGA Championship through two weeks prior to the current PGA Championship.) The PGA Championship points list is based on official PGA Tour money earned and can be viewed here.
11. Members of Team USA and Team Europe in the most recently played Ryder Cup, provided those players are still in the Top 100 of the world rankings.
12. Winners of PGA Tour co-sponsored or approved tournaments (whose victories are considered official) during the previous year leading up to the current PGA Championship.
13. If necessary to complete the field, those players beyond the top 70 players who are eligible and who have earned the most PGA Championship points, in order of their position on such a list.

See also:
Qualifying for The Masters: How golfers earn their invitations