The name on almost every golfer's lips a few times a year is major champion, but one major trophy stands apart for its unique story and sheer presence: the Wanamaker. This massive silver cup is the prize for conquering the PGA Championship, one of the four most important tournaments in men’s professional golf. This article will guide you through its rich history, its famous disappearance, and what it truly takes for a golfer to be the last one standing to hoist it high.
The Wanamaker Trophy is awarded to the winner of the PGA Championship. Simple as that. It's a symbol of greatness, an entry pass into an exclusive club of golf legends. Standing nearly 2.5 feet tall and weighing 27 pounds, it's one of the largest and most recognizable trophies in all of sports.
Each year, the PGA Championship victor has the honor of having their name etched into the side of this impressive sterling silver trophy. After the celebration, the champion receives a slightly smaller keeper replica (just under 90% of the original size) to display at home. The original Wanamaker, with its decades of history and the engraved names of icons like Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Ben Hogan, is returned to go on display until it's time to be won again the following year.
But the Wanamaker is more than just a prize. It's a foundational piece of professional golf history, born from a desire to give professional players a championship of their own.
You can't tell the story of the trophy without talking about the man who gave it its name. Rodman Wanamaker was a wealthy American department store magnate and a passionate patron of golf in the early 20th century. At the time, golf was largely dominated by rich amateurs, and professional golfers were often seen more as instructors or club employees than as premier athletes. Wanamaker wanted to change that.
In 1916, Wanamaker gathered a group of prominent professional golfers and club manufacturers for a luncheon at the Wykagyl Country Club in New Rochelle, New York. His vision was clear: to create an organization that would promote the interests of professional golfers and establish a championship worthy of their immense talent. That meeting led to the formation of the Professional Golfers' Association of America - the PGA.
To give the new organization's flagship tournament the prestige it deserved, Wanamaker personally funded the creation of a magnificent trophy. He put up $2,500 of his own money (a significant sum at the time) and commissioned what would become the Wanamaker Trophy. The very first PGA Championship was held that same year, in October 1916, at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York. An English-born professional, Jim Barnes, won the inaugural event, becoming the first golfer to ever have his name engraved on the iconic cup.
One of the most enduring legends in golf involves the Wanamaker Trophy and one of the sport's most colorful characters, Walter Hagen. "The Haig," a flamboyant and supremely talented golfer, dominated the PGA Championship in the 1920s, winning it four consecutive times from 1924 to 1927 in its original match-play format.
The story goes that after his fourth victory, Hagen was expected to return the trophy to the PGA. However, the details get hazy. The prevailing legend is that he casually told officials he had no intention of handing it back, wanting them to create a new one for the next champion. Whether he was serious or joking, the problem became very real a few years later when tournament time rolled around and officials asked for it back.
Hagen was forced to admit he had no idea where it was. In one version of the story, he claims he left it in the back of a taxi after a night of celebrating. For several years, the Wanamaker Trophy was officially lost.
The PGA, in a pinch, had to create a replacement. The original trophy remained missing until 1930. It was discovered by a porter cleaning out the dusty cellar of a Detroit-based company called L.A. Young & Company - which just so happened to be the firm that manufactured Walter Hagen's personal brand of golf clubs. The trophy was found safe and sound in an unmarked crate.
Today, both the incredible original trophy commissioned by Rodman Wanamaker and the "lost years" duplicate are owned by the PGA of America, adding a rich, almost unbelievable chapter to its history.
Winning the PGA Championship and lifting the Wanamaker Trophy is the culmination of a an entire career's worth of work. It requires more than just a perfect swing, it demands a unique combination of physical skill, strategic genius, and a rock-solid mind. As a coach, this is what I explain to aspiring golfers who dream big.
Major championships are golf's ultimate pressure cooker. Every shot is magnified, and the tension can cause even the most solid swings to break down. The key is to have an action that is reliable when the nerves are jangling.
I focus my students on the core idea that the swing is a rounded, rotational action powered by the body. It’s a turn and an unwind, not an up-and-down chopping motion driven by the arms. When you rotate your torso and your hips, you build power efficiently and create a much more consistent swing path. An armsy swing is subject to timing and will fall apart under pressure. A body-driven swing, anchored in good setup and balance, is something you can trust when your heart is pounding on the 18th tee on Sunday.
The PGA of America is famous for setting up some of the most difficult and demanding golf courses in the world for its championship. The rough is thick, the greens are fast, and trouble lurks everywhere.
Merely being a great ball-striker isn’t enough. Wanamaker winners are master strategists. They understand:
Finally, the battle is won between the ears. Over four long days, a player will face adversity in countless forms - a bad bounce, a missed short putt, a string of bogeys. The champion is the one who can process it, let it go, and commit fully to the next shot.
This means staying patient. It’s not a sprint, it’s a grueling marathon. Brooks Koepka, a three-time PGA Champion, is famous for his almost icy demeanor at major championships. He doesn’t get too high after birdies or too low after bogeys. This mental stability is what separates the great from the good and is the final piece of the puzzle to hoisting that legendary trophy.
Want to impress your friends during PGA Championship week? Here are a few great details about golfs' most storied prize.
The Wanamaker Trophy is far more than a sterling silver cup. It's a testament to the rise of the professional golfer, a symbol of one of golf's toughest examinations, and an artifact with a story so entertaining it feels like fiction. It represents the pinnacle of achievement in a sport where greatness is measured over a long, hard-fought week.
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