When The Ocean Course opens its doors to the 94th PGA Championship, the acclaimed Kiawah Island Golf Resort layout will become just the fifth course to play host to the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup and the Senior PGA Championship.

The PGA Championship (sometimes referred to as the U.S. PGA Championship outside of North America) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in professional golf, and it is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August (customarily four weeks after the British Open). Due to its distinction as the season's final major, the PGA Championship is nicknamed "Glory's last shot". It is an official money event on the PGA Tour, the European Tour, and the Japan Golf Tour.

In line with the other majors, winning "The PGA" gives a golfer several privileges which make his career much more secure, if he is not already one of the elite players of the sport. PGA champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open) for the next five years, and are exempt from qualifying for the PGA Championship for life. They also receive membership on the PGA Tour for the following five seasons and invitations to The Players Champioship for five years.

The PGA Championship has been held at a large number of venues, some of the early ones now quite obscure, but currently it is usually staged by one of a small group of celebrated courses, each of which has also hosted several other leading events.

The 2011 defending champion is