Who won the first PGA Championship in 1916?

Jim Barnes won the first PGA Championship in 1916.

The inaugural championship was played from October 10–14 at Siwanoy Country Club in Eastchester, New York. It used 36-hole match play rather than modern stroke play, with a 32-player field qualifying through sectional events. Barnes represented Whitemarsh Valley Country Club and reached the final against Jock Hutchison.

Hutchison led by four holes early in the final, but Barnes recovered and the match was tied after 35 holes. Barnes then holed a four-foot putt on the 36th hole to win by one hole. He received the first Wanamaker Trophy and a $500 prize.

A common mix-up is Walter Hagen, who was already a major golf figure and reached the semifinals. Jock Hutchison was the runner-up, not the champion. The championship was not held from 1917 to 1918 because of World War I; the next edition took place in 1919.