Often the year's final major is the least talked about and most forgotten. That's understandable as the PGA Championship is often the major championship with the greatest identity crisis. The Masters is the Masters. The U.S. Open is golf''s toughest test (shout out to Erin Hills!). The Open is the oldest, most iconic tournament in the world. The PGA? It's just … a major.
However, we've also gotten some absolute classics over the past decade. The PGA Championship is sort of a mash-up of the best PGA Tour events, and because of that, we often get shootouts from some of the best in the world.
Let's look at and rank the last 10 of these events in order from most to least exciting.
1. Rory McIlroy wins in 2014 at Valhalla: This was a fairly easy choice for No. 1 considering the heavyweights involved. McIlroy taking down Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler with a 32 on the back nine that included the luckiest eagle of his life? Yeah, that's the good stuff.
2. Jason Day takes down Jordan Spieth in 2015 at Whistling Straits: A reminder that Spieth shot 67-65-68 on the last three days and got dusted by Day. This was my first PGA Championship to cover, and it was a memorable one. Great scenery and a great showdown between two of the best in their generation.
3. Martin Kaymer beats Bubba Watson in 2010 at Whistling Straits: This had the added drama of a Dustin Johnson rules violation (which you could probably say about a whole handful of major championships). I'd forgotten that Rory McIlroy and Zach Johnson (!) both finished one stroke out of a playoff this year as well.
4. Tiger Woods beats Woody Austin in 2007 at Southern Hills: The one where Woods lipped out a putt on Friday for an historic 62. Woody Austin made a run on Sunday, but he never actually tied Woods, who parred the last three holes for his 13th major.
5. Y.E. Yang takes down Tiger Woods at Hazeltine in 2009: Should we even speak of it? Ian O'Connor wrote an all-time story about Yang last year, and it was a great reminder of just how crazy that victory over Woods really was.
6. Keegan Bradley edges Jason Dufner in a playoff at Atlanta Athletic Club in 2011: Think about how close we are to Dufner having two major championships. He led by four with three to play and lost in a playoff. Bradley won the first major he ever played. It certainly didn't lack for drama.
7. Rory McIlroy establishes himself in 2012 at Kiawah: McIlroy led by three after 54 holes and won by eight. It was just a complete bloodbath. He did all of this with a 75 in the second round, too. The runner up that year? David Lynn who has since retired from golf.
8. Jason Dufner wins Oak Hill in 2013: This was the one where Dufner famously shot 63 and then grabbed his then-wife's rear end afterwards. Long live the Duf.
9. Padraig Harrington wins his second straight at Oakland Hills in 2008: Ben Curtis was your 54-hole leader before Harrington pulled off The Open-PGA double major in one summer. He shot a 66 in the final round to beat Curtis and Sergio Garcia by two each.
10. Jimmy Walker escapes Jason Day in 2016 at Baltusrol: I mean, was this one good at all until the last hole? Don't get me wrong, that last hole when Day made eagle was completely and totally insane. But nothing leading up to that screamed, "this was a classic!"