SEASON'S SECOND MAJOR: QUAIL HOLLOW WELCOMES ELITE IN BATTLE FOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

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May 15, 2025

PGA Championship 2025 Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

On Thursday, May 15, 2025, the second major of the golf season - the 2025 PGA Championship - begins at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. The prestigious tournament, returning to this challenging course after eight years, promises four days of thrilling golf with elite world competition.

Quail Hollow presents one of the toughest challenges on the PGA Tour for players. The course can be stretched to more than 7,600 yards with a par of 71, making it one of the longest tests of the season. The situation is further complicated by weather, as the entire week before the tournament was extremely rainy in the area, which may result in soft greens but also extend the already long course.

"The rough will be hell," warns one expert. "It starts at 2.75 inches, but by Sunday it could grow to 4 inches. In combination with fast greens and the famous 'Green Mile,' it will be a true test of nerves and skills."

The "Green Mile" - the final three-hole sequence - is notorious for its difficulty. Hole No. 18 was the hardest of all 900+ holes on the PGA Tour last year, with players averaging half a stroke over par. Holes 16 and 17 are also among the 40 most difficult on the entire tour.

Bookmakers consider the trio of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Bryson DeChambeau as the main favorites for the tournament. They attribute more than a 50% chance of victory to these three players, which is unprecedented for a golf tournament with more than 150 players.

Rory McIlroy finally completed the career Grand Slam at this year's Masters and is now heading to another major to expand his collection. Quail Hollow is also his favorite course, where he won his fourth title last year with an impressive score of -17.

Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, arrives in dominant form and, thanks to his versatile game, is among the favorites on any type of course.

Bryson DeChambeau from the LIV Golf Series is, thanks to his length off the tee, an ideal candidate for Quail Hollow, where more than half of the approaches come from distances over 175 yards.

As Justin Thomas's victory in 2017 and other data from Quail Hollow show, the path to the title leads through dominance from tee to green (T2G). Length of shots is more important here than accuracy off the tee, but iron and wedge play also plays a key role.

Of the 12 players who finished in the top 9 in 2017, all were among the 40 best in the T2G statistic, and 11 of them ranked even in the top 26. This clearly shows how important comprehensive play is from tee to hole.

A total of 156 players will compete for the prestigious Wannamaker Trophy, including 20 club professionals representing the PGA of America. Unlike standard PGA Tour tournaments where the top 65 players advance to the final rounds, here the cut is set at the top 70 and ties.

Interesting names in the starting field also include several players from the LIV Golf Series, who only meet PGA Tour players at majors. They will want to prove that the competitiveness of the controversial series is at a top level.

Photo: source XYZ

We thank the PGA of America for providing tournament information.