2012 PGA Championship

Ocean Course

The following qualification criteria were used to select the field.^[6] Each player is listed according to the first category by which he qualified with additional categories in which he qualified shown in parentheses.^[7]

1. All former PGA Champions

• The following former champions did not compete: Paul Azinger, Jack Burke Jr., Steve Elkington, Dow Finsterwald, Raymond Floyd, Doug Ford, Al Geiberger, Wayne Grady, David Graham, Hubert Green, Don January, John Mahaffey, Larry Nelson, Bobby Nichols, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Nick Price, Jeff Sluman, Dave Stockton, Hal Sutton, Lee Trevino, Bob Tway, Lanny Wadkins

2. Last five U.S. Open champions

3. Last five Masters champions

4. Last five British Open champions

5. Current Senior PGA champion

• Roger Chapman

6. 15 low scorers and ties in the 2011 PGA Championship

7. 20 low scorers in the 2012 PGA Professional National Championship

8. Top 70 leaders in official money standings from the 2011 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational to the 2012 RBC Canadian Open

• Ben Crane (10) did not play due to a back injury.^[8]

9. Members of the United States and European 2010 Ryder Cup teams (provided they are ranked in the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking on July 30)

• Stewart Cink, Ross Fisher, Edoardo Molinari, and Jeff Overton were ranked outside the top 100; Cink and Overton qualified through other categories.

10. Winners of tournaments co-sponsored or approved by the PGA Tour since the 2011 PGA Championship

11. Vacancies are filled by the first available player from the list of alternates (those below 70th place in official money standings).

12. The PGA of America reserves the right to invite additional players not included in the categories listed above

Alternates (per category 11):^[7]

1. William McGirt – took the spot reserved for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational winner (Keegan Bradley already qualified)
2. Chris Stroud – replaced Ben Crane^[8]

Nine players appeared in their first major: Matt Dobyns, Michael Frye, William McGirt, Bill Murchison III, Rod Perry, Corey Prugh, Paul Scaletta, Doug Wade and Bernd Wiesberger.^[9]

Thursday, August 9, 2012

In good weather conditions, Carl Pettersson jumped out to a one-stroke lead with a bogey-free 66 (−6). Joost Luiten had raced to eight-under-par through 14 holes, but bogeyed each of his final four holes to fall back into the pack. World number one Luke Donald struggled to an opening 74 (+2), but number two Tiger Woods shot 69 (−3) in the morning wave of players.^[10]

Friday, August 10, 2012

The wind gusted 20–30 mph (30–50 km/h) throughout the day on Friday, making conditions much tougher than the first round of the tournament. Scoring was the toughest on record since the championship assumed a strokeplay format in 1958, with the average round being over 78; 72 players made the cut which fell at 150 (+6). Leader Pettersson backed up with a 74 (+2) but that was good enough to stay in a tie for the lead with two other players: Vijay Singh, the 1998 and 2004 champion, shot the lowest round of the day, 69 (−3), while Tiger Woods also rose into a tie for the lead with a 71 in which he made three birdies and two bogeys and stroked only 26 putts. The tough conditions and long course created very slow play; one player, Luiten, chose to complete his second round early on Saturday morning (the other two in his threesome chose to finish their rounds in near-darkness on Friday). He birdied the eighteenth for a round of 76 (+4), which put him at even-par 144.^[11]

Saturday, August 11, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012

Weather conditions continued to worsen, and a fierce thunderstorm blew in late afternoon on Saturday, causing play to be postponed for the day with 26 of the 72 players still out on the course. Until the delay, scoring had been a little easier: world number 3 Rory McIlroy surged early with five birdies in his opening eight holes, and a remarkable par save on the third after his drive lodged in a tree. However, a bogey on nine, his final hole of the day, dropped him back into a share of the lead with two-time champion Singh, 26 years McIlroy's senior and attempting to become the oldest major winner in history. They led Adam Scott, also enjoying a fast start, by one, as Scott attempted to shrug off his near miss at the year's previous major. Woods struggled early and was three-over par with a lengthy putt for par at the eighth when play was halted. The overnight clubhouse lead was held by Bo Van Pelt, who carded a five-under 67 early to move to three-under for the week.^[12]

The leaderboard when play was halted on Saturday at 4:50 pm EDT:

Play resumed Sunday at 7:45 am EDT

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Ian Poulter made an early charge by making five birdies in a row to start his round, but his charge fizzled on the back nine and he finished with four bogeys in the last six holes. Pettersson was in contention early in the round with a front nine 34 despite a rules infraction where he received a two-stroke penalty from moving a leaf in a lateral hazard, though he also fell out of contention on the back nine when McIlroy pulled away. Defending champion Keegan Bradley tied for third after a final-round 68. McIlroy shot a bogey-free 66 (−6) with only 24 putts, winning the championship by a record eight strokes, capped with a twenty-foot (6 m) birdie putt on the final hole. The previous PGA record winning margin was seven strokes, by Jack Nicklaus at age forty in 1980, his 17th major.^{[3][4][5][13]}

Final round

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par

Birdie

Bogey

Double bogey

Source:^[14]

• Official website
• Coverage on the European Tour's official site
• Kiawah Island Golf Resort