Perks of winning the PGA Championship: List of exemptions, free stuff the winner receives

As we enter the final round of the 2022 PGA Championship, we are on the verge of something historic at the top of a leaderboard of a major. None of these guys have ever won one of these before.

And we don’t mean a major: We mean ANY golf tournament recognized by the PGA Tour.

Believe it or not, Mito Pereira (-9), Matt Fitzpatrick (-6), Will Zalatoris (-6), and Cameron Young (-5) have combined to win exactly zero PGA Tour-sanctioned events. For any professional golfer, winning a major is a life-changing event. It comes with levels of job security and perks that basically mean you are, in terms of La Cosa Nostra, a “made man.”

But to do it as your first-ever win in an event that comes with FedEx Cup points? Against the toughest field in all of golf? That seems almost insane, and yet it’s very likely to happen on Sunday.

Forget about the $2.7 million for first place; here’s what really matters to the winner on Sunday.

Perks of winning the PGA Championship

No matter what, whomever walks away with the Wanamaker Trophy tomorrow will have plenty of chances to compete for it again. And that’s because the winner of the PGA Championship gets a lifetime exemption into the event. And this terrific rule is why we get to see John Daly smoking darts in a golf cart every year, as the 1991 PGA Champion continues to bring joy to the masses annually.

There’s also a full exemption on the PGA Tour for the next five seasons, as well as spots in the other three majors for their next five tournaments. Basically you can write your own golf schedule until the NFL preseason kicks off in 2027.

Throw 600 FedEx Cup points, 100 Official World Golf Ranking points, a spot in the Sentry Tournament of Champions next year in Hawai’i, and plenty of other goodies, and you’ve got one hecukva gift basket of goodies any professional golfer would love.

And all this is likely to be awarded on Sunday to someone with an empty trophy case according to Jay Monahan. Buckle up, this is gonna be fun.