Give Quail Hollow the Respect it Deserves

Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been a stalwart on the PGA TOUR schedule for more than 20 years. It has been host to some of the TOUR’s biggest breakout moments: Rory McIlroy won his first event there in 2010 – firing a course record 62 in the final round. Rickie Fowler won his first tournament there two years later. McIlroy broke his own course record in 2015, shooting 61 en route to his second victory at the club – he has since won twice more. Max Homa won his first event at the course in 2019 – and confirmed himself as a rising star in his second win in 2022. Suffice it to say, it is a great course that produces big moments.

In 2017, Quail Hollow played host to the PGA Championship. It was one of the first times a yearly TOUR course was elevated to major championship status. Justin Thomas won the first of his two majors at Quail Hollow, and it has since hosted the 2022 Presidents Cup and 2025 PGA Championship, where Scottie Scheffler lapped the field. 

Given the greatness of its yearly event and the other major and team events it has hosted, Quail Hollow gets a lot of hate, and I really do not understand why. 

The Queen City’s finest always show up – the course never looks empty (unlike last week’s signature event at Doral). It has some amazing holes, including the par-5 seventh, which has a green sticking out over water. The par-5 15th, which plays downhill with water left and then back uphill. And its finishing stretch, dubbed the ‘Green Mile,’ is one of the best, if not the best, closing stretches on the PGA TOUR. The long par-4 16th plays to a peninsula-style green with water left and long. The par-3 17th plays over water to another peninsula green, and 18 is a long par-4 with a creek running up the left side. The place was designed to keep players on edge.

Quail Hollow is designed for the biggest moments, and year after year, it continues to deliver. The hate it gets is unwarranted, and it’s time to put some respect on its name.