How 'spectacular' is the PGA Championship Cup?

According to Golfweek , the Wanamaker Trophy, awarded to the winner of the PGA Championship major, is one of the biggest trophies in professional sports .

Koepka lifts the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the PGA Championship at Oak Hill on May 22. Photo: AP

The PGA Championship trophy weighs 12.2 kg, is 71.12 cm tall, has a body diameter of 26.67 cm, and the two straps are spaced 68.58 cm apart. It bears the name of Lewis Rodman Wanamaker, a New Yorker and one of the founders of the Professional Golf Association of America (PGAA), the organization that hosts the PGA Championship.

In early 1916, sports-loving businessman Wanamaker and his friends, including the renowned golf duo of the time – Francis Ouimet and Walter Hagen – discussed establishing a nationwide organization for professional golf. Following that meeting, the PGAA was founded and launched the PGA Championship.

The prize fund at the time was $2,500, funded by Wanamaker. He personally commissioned Dieges & Clust to produce the trophy for the inaugural event at Siwanoy Country Club in New York. It was there that Jim Barnes became the first champion in PGA Championship history, and the list of names engraved on the Wanamaker Trophy began to this day. Initially, it was a rotating trophy.

From 1924 to 1927, Walter Hagen was a consecutive champion. When Hagen won the 1926 tournament, the Wanamaker Cup was absent from the awards ceremony. Hagen explained that he didn't bring it with him because he believed he would continue to win and didn't want to pass it on to someone else.

But at the 1928 PGA Championship, Leo Diegel came first. When it came time to hand over the trophy to the new owner, Hagen admitted he had lost it. So the PGAA had to make a replica for Diegel.

The story of Hagen losing the Wanamaker happened right after winning the 1925 PGA Championship in Chicago. Hagen took it in a taxi to a nightclub to celebrate his victory with friends. Wanting to have it free, he paid the driver extra to have the trophy returned to his hotel. But it never arrived.

Five years later, it was found in the basement of the company that manufactured clubs for Hagen, in Detroit.

Since then, the original Wanamaker Cup has been "retired" and is now on display at PGAA headquarters in Texas.

Meanwhile, the second-generation model continues to circulate. After a year with the reigning champion, it will return to the organizers for the next competition, while the original owner will possess a replica that is 90% the size of the original.

On the morning of May 22nd, Hanoi time, Brooks Koepka lifted the Wanamaker for the third time, achieving a winning score of -9 at the 2023 PGA Championship.

Hagen and Jack Nicklaus hold the record for winning the Wanamaker Cup five times, while Tiger Woods is second with four.

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