2012 PGA Championship: Rory McIlroy wins at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean Course)
Rory McIlroy won the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean Course) in Kiawah Island, South Carolina with 275 (−13), by 8 strokes over David Lynn.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 2012 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.
- Dates
- August 9, 2012 to August 12, 2012
- Course
- Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean Course), Kiawah Island, South Carolina
- Edition
- 94th PGA Championship
- Format
- stroke play
- Par
- 72 · 7,676 yards
- Field
- 156
- Made the cut
- 72 (cut at 150)
- Purse
- $8,000,000 · winner's share $1,445,000
- Champion
- Rory McIlroy · age 23 · Northern Ireland · born Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland
- Champion's title
- 1st PGA Championship
- World ranking
- No. 3
- Winning score
- 67-75-67-66 = 275 (−13) · won by 8 strokes
- Runner-up
- David Lynn
- 54-hole leader
- Rory McIlroy (209)
- Caddie
- J.P. Fitzgerald
Winner and runner-up
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rory McIlroy | 67 | 75 | 67 | 66 | 275 | −13 |
| 2 | David Lynn | 73 | 74 | 68 | 68 | 283 | −5 |
What happened at the 2012 PGA Championship
McIlroy's eight-shot winning margin broke Jack Nicklaus' championship record of seven, set in 1980.
In the third round, McIlroy's drive at the 3rd lodged in a dead cypress tree; he took an unplayable-lie penalty and still saved par.
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).