1987 PGA Championship: Larry Nelson wins at PGA National Golf Club (Champion course)
Larry Nelson won the 1987 PGA Championship at PGA National Golf Club (Champion course) in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida with 287 (−1), beating Lanny Wadkins in a playoff.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1987 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.
- Dates
- August 6, 1987 to August 9, 1987
- Course
- PGA National Golf Club (Champion course), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
- Edition
- 69th PGA Championship
- Format
- stroke play
- Par
- 72 · 7,002 yards
- Field
- 150
- Made the cut
- 74 (cut at 151)
- Purse
- $900,000 · winner's share $150,000
- Champion
- Larry Nelson · age 39 · United States · born Fort Payne, Alabama
- Champion's title
- 2nd PGA Championship
- Winning score
- 70-72-73-72 = 287 (−1)
- Runner-up
- Lanny Wadkins
- 54-hole leaders
- Mark McCumber, D.A. Weibring (212) · Larry Nelson was 3 strokes back
- Playoff
- sudden death; beat Lanny Wadkins; Nelson 4 (par); Wadkins missed a four-foot par putt (score unknown); 10
- Low club professional
- Bob Betley and Fred Funk (tie) (300)
Winner and runner-up
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Larry Nelson | 70 | 72 | 73 | 72 | 287 | −1 |
| 2 | Lanny Wadkins | 70 | 70 | 74 | 73 | 287 | −1 |
What happened at the 1987 PGA Championship
Nelson beat Lanny Wadkins on the first sudden-death hole, the 409-yard 10th, when Wadkins missed a four-foot par putt after Nelson holed from six feet.
The final round was played in a 97-degree high with 84% humidity, and Nelson's 287 (−1) was then the highest winning score in PGA Championship history.
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's PGA Championship data. A value no source confirmed is left out; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the organizer's own record is used.
Data: pga.json (the PGA Championship room's data: Tables 1A–1H).