thumb|Statue of Jack Nicklaus and Dwight Gahm by [[Zenos Frudakis at Valhalla in 2008]]
Valhalla Golf Club, located in Louisville, Kentucky, is a private golf club designed by Jack Nicklaus, opened in 1986.
In 1992, Valhalla was selected to host the 1996 edition of the PGA Championship, one of golf's four majors. The following year (1993), the PGA of America purchased a 25% interest in the club. After the championship in 1996, the PGA of America raised its stake to 50% and announced that the event would return to Valhalla in 2000. At its conclusion, the PGA of America exercised an option to purchase the remaining interest in the club. Later that year, it announced that the Ryder Cup would be held at Valhalla in 2008.
Valhalla also hosted the PGA Club Professional Championship in 2002 and the Senior PGA Championship in 2004.
In 2009, the PGA of America announced that the Senior PGA Championship and the PGA Championship would return to Valhalla in 2011 and 2014, respectively. In November 2017, the PGA of America announced that the PGA Championship would return to Valhalla in 2024.
On June 1, 2022, the club and the PGA of America jointly announced that the club had been sold to a group of club members led by Jimmy Kirchdorfer, CEO of locally based piping supplier ISCO Industries. Other group members include former Yum! Brands CEO David Novak, businessman and former NBA player Junior Bridgeman, and hotelier Chester Musselman. Beforehand, the course had undergone a major "modernization" after it hosted the Senior PGA Championship in 2011, which included the rebuilding of all 18 greens.
In addition, Valhalla hosted the Ryder Cup in 2008, with the United States defeating Europe 16½ to 11½ for the first U.S. win since their comeback victory in 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Perry and another native Kentuckian—J. B. Holmes of Campbellsville, who made the team as one of American captain Paul Azinger's four picks—were part of the victorious Team USA and accounted for a combined five points.
The club hosted the 2024 PGA Championship, marking the fourth as host site for that major. Later that year, it was announced as the venue for the 2028 Solheim Cup, making it just the fourth course after The Greenbrier, Muirfield Village and the Gleneagles Hotel's PGA Centenary to host both the Ryder and Solheim Cups.
{| class="wikitable"
!rowspan="2" | Year
!rowspan="2" | Tournament
!rowspan="2" | Winner
!colspan="2" | Winning Score
!rowspan="2" | Margin of
Victory
!rowspan="2" | Runner(s) Up
!rowspan="2" | Winner's Share ($)
|-
! Total
! To Par
|-
| align=center|1996 || PGA Championship || Mark Brooks
|align="center" | 277
|align="center" | –11
|align="center" | Playoff
| Kenny Perry
|430,000
|-
| align=center|2000 || PGA Championship || Tiger Woods
|align="center" | 270
|align="center" | –18
|align="center" | Playoff
| Bob May
|900,000
|-
| align=center| 2004 || Senior PGA Championship || Hale Irwin
|align="center" | 276
|align="center" | –8
|align="center" | 1 stroke
| Jay Haas
|360,000
|-
| align=center|2008 || Ryder Cup ||
| colspan="3" align="center" |16<sup>1/2</sup> to 11<sup>1/2</sup>||
|N/A
|-
| align=center|2011 || Senior PGA Championship || Tom Watson
|align="center" | 278
|align="center" | –10
|align="center" | Playoff
| David Eger
|360,000
|-
| align=center|2014 || PGA Championship || Rory McIlroy
|align="center" | 268
|align="center" | –16
|align="center" | 1 stroke
| Phil Mickelson
|1,800,000
|-
| align=center|2024 || PGA Championship || Xander Schauffele
|align="center" | 263
|align="center" | –21
|align="center" | 1 stroke
| Bryson DeChambeau
|3,300,000
|-
| align=center|2028 || Solheim Cup ||
| colspan="3" align="center" |
|
|N/A
|}
Scorecard
Course setup for the 2024 PGA Championship
{|class=wikitable
!Hole!!Name!!Yards!!Par!! !!Hole!!Name!!Yards!!Par
|-
|align=center|1||The Post||align=center|484||align=center|4||rowspan=10| ||align=center|10||Big Red||align=center|590||align=center|5
|-
|align=center|2||Winning Colors||align=center|500||align=center|4||align=center|11||Holler||align=center|211||align=center|3
|-
|align=center|3||Honest Abe||align=center|208||align=center|3||align=center|12||Sting Like A Bee||align=center|494||align=center|4
|-
|align=center|4||Mine That Bird||align=center|372||align=center|4||align=center|13||The Limestone Hole||align=center|351||align=center|4
|-
|align=center|5||The Sun Shines Bright||align=center|463||align=center|4||align=center|14||On The Rocks||align=center|254||align=center|3
|-
|align=center|6||Long Shot||align=center|495||align=center|4||align=center|15||Julep||align=center|435||align=center|4
|-
|align=center|7||Genuine Risk||align=center|597||align=center|5||align=center|16||Homestretch||align=center|508||align=center|4
|-
|align=center|8||Float Like A Butterfly||align=center|190||align=center|3||align=center|17||Straight Up||align=center|472||align=center|4
|-
|align=center|9||Twin Spires||align=center|415||align=center|4||align=center|18||Photo Finish||align=center|570||align=center|5
|-
| colspan=2 align=center|Out||align=center|3,724||align=center|35|| colspan=2 align=center|In||align=center|3,885||align=center|36
|-
|colspan=5|<small>Source:</small> ||colspan=2 align=center|Total||align=center|7,609||align=center|71
|}
See also
- Sports in Louisville, Kentucky
- List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area
References
External links
<!--archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://valhallagolfclub.com/ |archivedate=2009-08-05-->
- Nicklaus.com Valhalla Golf Club
- 2008 Ryder Cup: course description
- Louisville Courier-Journal: course map for 2008 Ryder Cup