A Major Return to Quail Hollow

The PGA Championship heads back to Quail Hollow this month for the second time, and the first since 2017. Justin Thomas stole the show eight years ago with a clutch performance and breakthrough major victory at the age of 24.

Over the past couple years, Quail Hollow has undergone some course changes in the preparation for the 107th PGA Championship. Among them were alterations in 2023 to greens, bunkers, tees, and the overall course layout itself. The course was closed for several months to allow for these improvements, including putting together new tees on holes 9, 13, and 16, and the lengthening of the 16th hole. That new tee can add another 20 yards to the par 4, bringing the fairway bunker on the right side more into play for the longer hitters. And the total distance of the hole can get to 529 yards. Sixteen plays downhill and marks the start of the course’s signature Green Mile three-hole closing stretch which also includes the par 3 17th at 223 yards, and the decisive par 4 18th at 494 yards.

Quail Hollow will once again play as a par 71 and at a length of 7,626 yards. In 2017 it played at 7,600 yards, so just a slight increase for the field to deal with. The winning score of 8-under par and that only twelve players finished under par for the week shows that the revered layout brought plenty of teeth for the best players in the world to handle in championship conditions.

Quail Hollow was also renovated in a 90-day stretch in 2016 to help prepare for the 99th PGA Championship. This included modifying four holes and adding bermuda grass to the property. A large number of trees were removed as well in the process.

The 99th PGA Championship in 2017 saw Kevin Kisner take a one-shot lead into the final round where he played in the final pairing with Chris Stroud. Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama competed in the penultimate pairing that day and Thomas began the day at 5-under par and only two shots back.

By the time he got to the ninth green and drained a 35-foot putt, the son of PGA pro Mike Thomas had tied for the lead. On the next green, Thomas had the memorable birdie putt which hung on the lip for several seconds before dropping and eliciting a tip of the cap and shoulder shrug reaction from Thomas. The young star then chipped in at 13 for birdie and released a thunderous fist pump and raised his putter to acknowledge the crowd. A low-key low-five with his then-caddie Jimmy Johnson showed that Thomas seemed locked in and just rolling. He looked comfortable with each celebration and each clutch shot coming down the stretch of the back nine. By the time he got to the Green Mile and especially his critical 7-iron tee shot on 17, he was dialed in.

His birdie putt curled down the left edge and a he gave a calm wave to the crowd. It was game on. Though he reacted cooly, he threw his ball up in front of him and quickly grabbed it with a lot of force-you could see he was fired up inside. A closing bogey left Thomas at 8-under after as final round 68 and two shots clear of Francesco Molinari, Louis Oosthuizen, and Patrick Reed. Interestingly enough, Reed would go on to win his very first major at the Masters a few months later after his best career major finish to date at Quail Hollow.

So, who will rise to the challenge this year in Charlotte? Will we see another first-time major champion crowned like Justin Thomas? Or will a past major champion add to their tally in the Queen City? The PGA Championship can’t come soon enough.

Garrett Johnston is a golf journalist in Washington, DC and the host of the Beyond the Clubhouse Podcast.