British golfers have rarely done well at the US PGA Championship, even though it was Cornish-born Jim Barnes who won the tournament when it was first held in 1916.

The roll of honour has been a barren desert in modern times, though Nick Faldo was joint second in 1992 and just a shot off a play-off when third in 1993, while Luke Donald tied for third in 2006.

Padraig Harrington won for Ireland in 2008, but the closest call for Britain came in 1995, when Colin Montgomerie sank a long birdie putt at the 18th at Riviera in Los Angeles to claim a play-off spot against Steve Elkington, only to lose at the first extra hole.

Montgomerie, who also lost a play-off in the 1994 US Open, could consider himself unlucky. He had shot a tournament-record 17 under in regulation play, but it wasn't quite enough.

It was very different in the early days and 'Long Jim' Barnes' victory came at a time when British immigrants, many of whom took out US citizenship, were a formidable force in the game.

Barnes, from Lelant on Cornwall's north coast, won the US Open in 1921 and the Open in 1925, but the six foot four inch Englishman first shot to prominence in the PGA Championship when he beat the immigrant Scot Jock Hutchison in the 1916 matchplay final.

The event was not held in the next two years because of World War One and when it returned, Barnes retained his title by beating another Scot who was resident in the US, Fred McLeod. Hutchison was the winner the following year.

The other British-born winner was Tommy Armour, again a Scot who had left for the States. He won three Majors in all and beat Gene Sarazen in the 1930 final. His grandson is a current PGA Tour member.