United as one: How the PGA Championship returned to Southern Hills for 2032

May 13, 2025May 27, 2025 Chris Swafford

By Ken MacLeod

A collaborative effort between Southern Hills Country Club, the PGA of America, and the City of Tulsa, Tulsa County and the state of Oklahoma among other entities culminated in today’s announcement that the 2032 PGA Championship will be held at Southern Hills.

This will be a record sixth PGA Championship at the Perry Maxwell-designed club which opened in 1936, the most of any PGA Championship site. It will also be the club’s ninth major championship including three U.S. Opens. It will be the second since a major restoration led by Gil Hanse concluded in 2019. It will be the eighth time the PGA Championship has been held in Oklahoma, including 1935 at Twin Hills in Oklahoma City and 1988 at Oak Tree National in Edmond.

Southern Hills was the site of a hugely successful PGA Championship in 2022, with then record corporate sales and an economic impact on Tulsa estimated at between $100 and $150 million. That 2022 PGA Championship was originally scheduled for 2030 but was moved up when the PGA of America moved the tournament from Donald Trump’s Bedminster Course after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol following his defeat in the 2020 election.

Southern Hills and the PGA of America resumed talks for the 2032 championship almost immediately after the 2022 event concluded. At issue from the PGA of America perspective was, in exchange for the prestige of hosting and the financial windfall the event generates, making sure it could get stronger financial incentives in place from the state of Oklahoma, city of Tulsa and Tulsa County. Example: With ample time for planning, Tulsa County has committed to providing free parking at the Tulsa Fairgrounds that was not available in 2022.

The PGA of America also asked for a stronger advertising commitment from the Tulsa Chamber, caps on what it would be charged for overtime by the city for security and other items.

“We asked for a commitment from all the relative players on some things we really didn’t have time to get to for 2022 because of the time frame and how late everything happened for 2022,” said 2022 Championship Director Bryan Karns, now running the 2025 Ryder Cup. “Within six months Southern Hills had pulled all that together and was working through the details with all the relevant entities. So for the last two and a half years this has felt like an inevitability.”

“The PGA asked us to do some things to foot more of the bill in exchange for having the tournament here,” said Mike Neal, president and chief executive officer of the Tulsa Regional Chamber. “As Tulsa always does, we stepped up to the table and I’m really proud of the collaborative team between the city, county and state and no one is better at doing this than the leadership of Southern Hills. They have been just extraordinary”

Tasked with securing future events including major championships at Southern Hills is the Tournament and Traditions Committee consisting of members Scott Mabrey, Sanjay Meshri and Jeff Smith along with Director of Golf Cary Cozby, who has taken on a more prominent club role since the retirement of former general manager Nick Sidorakis and the departure in March of his replacement Jay Johnson. Also heavily involved was current club president Brett Pratt.

On the PGA of America side, Karns had significant impact while the PGA of America was transitioning from the leadership of Seith Waugh as CEO to Derek Sprague and Sprague wanted to be comfortable with any future championship site announcements and not announce too far in advance. But it’s largely been two years of hammering out contract details and commitments. Golf Oklahoma hinted strongly in print over a year ago that this announcement of a return in 2032 would be coming at least by this week if not sooner.

“I’m thrilled that the PGA Championship will once again be returning to Tulsa and to historic Southern Hills Country Club,” said Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell. “Over 150 million dollars was spent around Tulsa during the event in 2022 and we will be aiming even higher in 2032.

“An event of this size also shines a spotlight on our city and state. We have so much momentum right now. I have no doubt by 2032 we will have quite the positive story to tell about the quality of life and golf culture in Oklahoma.”

Hosting a major championship is not only a short-term windfall but can have many long-term benefits for a city. Neal said two Italian companies and a Fort Worth software company (Landis) opened locations in Tulsa at least partly due to watching the 2022 PGA Championship.”

Previous Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum made some commitments from the city side during contract negotiations that his successor Monroe Nichols is happy to carry through on.

“I think the big thing is obviously every time the PGA Championship is here, it’s not only a huge economic boost but puts eyes on Tulsa in ways that few events do,” Nicholls said. “It’s almost becoming a second home for the PGA and is just a really cool thing for our community.”

Nichols is excited that visitors in 2032 may find Tulsa with excellent public courses to sample rather than the shape that Page Belcher and Mohawk Park were in for the 2022 event, now that the team of Sidorakis and Randy Heckenkemper are managing them.

“The goal is that when people come here they experience two of the best courses in the state and Nick and Randy are two guys who care about this community so much and take great pride in what they are accomplishing,” Nichols said.

Southern Hills was also the site of the Senior PGA Championship in 2021. The seniors will be returning to the state in 2027 for the U.S. Senior Open at Oak Tree National in Edmond, the next major championship scheduled in the state. Tiger Woods will be in his second season of eligibility as a senior but it’s anyone’s guess if he will be healthy enough or have the desire to compete.

Woods and Phil Mickelson were still the huge names leading into the 2022 PGA Championship. Woods, who had spectators climbing trees for a glimpse during a practice round, made a valiant effort to compete though he could barely walk the course due to his lower leg injuries. He made the cut then withdrew after a third-round 79. Mickleson was the defending champion after stunningly winning the title the year before at Kiawah Island but he declined to show up. This was shortly after he led the breakaway to form LIV Golf.

As it turned out, Justin Thomas shot a final-round 67, came from seven shots back and defeated Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff for his second PGA Championship. He won his first at Quail Hollow, site of this week’s highly anticipated 2025 PGA Championship, with Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau and other big names entering the week in top form.

One would expect all those names as well as defending champion Xander Schauffle to still be factors in 2032 along with a bevy of new faces, hopefully including many of the young players with Oklahoma ties currently on the PGA Tour or coming up.

The announcement comes during the same month the state will have a press conference May 21 at KickingBird Golf Course in Edmond to promote the new Oklahoma Golf Trail. Perhaps visitors to the state will make a stop at the 2032 PGA Championship part of a discover Oklahoma golf trip.

Major Championships at Southern Hills