PGA Championship 2025: Quail Hollow president fires back at Hunter Mahan's comments with a dagger of his own

Minas Panagiotakis

By Greg Gottfried

May 15, 2025

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A free round at Quail Hollow is nothing to scoff at, with initiation fees around $150,000 to join the club. So it looks like Hunter Mahan has found a little golf lifehack. All you have to do is insult the course to “The New York Times,” sit back and let the internet do the rest. Of course, being a six-time PGA Tour winner with enough gravitas to issue such a take to matter is pretty important in this case.

For those who missed it, Mahan roasted Quail Hollow heading into the PGA Championship with this ruthless zinger comparing the course to (unfortunately) America’s Royal Family: “I guess I would say Quail Hollow is like a Kardashian. It’s very modern, beautiful and well-kept. But it lacks a soul or character.”

Word got back to Quail Hollow Club president Johnny Harris, who went full Southern nice, inviting Mahan back while also getting a subtle dig of his own in.

"Tell me who that is," Harris asked reporter Ashley Mahoney of Axios. “I don't know the last time he was here."

Mahan hasn’t played a competitive round there since 2021 and also missed the 2017 PGA in North Carolina. So maybe it’s time for the former World No. 4 to get another look at Quail Hollow. Perhaps he’ll see the course’s “soul” this go-around.

"He might have to play with me," Harris continued. "But that's OK. He'll play with a member."

See, everything worked out! Everyone got their daggers in, and now we’ll get a round of golf to settle the score. But first, Harris has a little thing called the 2025 PGA Championship and making sure it goes off without a hitch.