After a quiet stretch on the PGA Tour schedule following the Masters, the season is about to get another dose of major excitement with the 2025 PGA Championship set to be held at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C. This will be the second time the course is hosting the PGA Championship, with Justin Thomas claiming a two-stroke victory during its debut in 2017.
Last year’s PGA Championship in Louisville was, umm, eventful, when Scottie Scheffler was arrested on Friday morning outside the Valhalla clubhouse for assault and reckless driving. In the midst of a historic golf run, Scheffler was taken to a nearby jail and eventually charged and released, yet still making his rain-delayed 10:08 a.m. tee time.
Xander Schauffele ended up winning his first of two majors in 2024, going wire-to-wire after shooting a Sunday 65 to best Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke. His winning total of 21 under broke the major championship scoring record, and he tied the lowest round at a major championship with a nine-under 62 in his opening round.
It should be an outstanding second men’s major of the season after Masters champion Rory McIlroy’s exhilarating and exhausting Sunday at Augusta National (and given his four wins at Quail Hollow when it's hosted its annual PGA Tour event). Below, we'll answer any and all frequently asked questions you may have about the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
When and where is the 2025 PGA Championship being held?
Andrew Redington
This year’s PGA Championship will be played at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. It’s a private club founded in 1959, with the course, designed by George W. Cobb, officially opening in 1961. Since 2003, the club has hosted a PGA Tour event (the Truist Championship, formerly the Wells Fargo Championship). It also hosted the PGA Championship in 2017 and the Presidents Cup in 2022. Several holes were modified by Arnold Palmer back in the mid-1980s, with a handful of official redesigns have taken place by Tom Fazio over the last few decades.
Quail Hollow is a mainstay on Golf Digest's top-course lists, peaking at No. 97 in 2021-22. “Playing Quail Hollow Club is like playing a mini-Augusta National with its Fazio bunkering and pine straw, just with a lot less elevation changes,” one of our reviewers wrote. “Quail Hollow is a great place to play and a fabulous ‘hang.’ Wonderful members and atmosphere."
The course record belongs to Rory McIlroy, who shot a 61 in 2015 en route to winning his second of four Wells Fargo/Quail Hollow Championships.
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Courtesy of PGA of America
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Courtesy of PGA of America
The green at the narrow 15th is typically Quail Hollow’s hardest to reach in regulation.
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Courtesy of Gary Kellner/PGA of America
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Courtesy of Gary Kellner/PGA of America
The uphill 12th with water left and right is listed as a par 5 but will take scores of 4s and even 3s to win.
Few golf course projects had more national attention in recent years than Quail Hollow, mainly because its front nine was redesigned just a year before it hosted the 2017 PGA Championship. There’s no question that this latest remodeling improved the course.
Who conducts the PGA Championship?
The PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) of America conducts the event.
Are the PGA Tour and the PGA of America different?
Yes, the PGA Tour and the PGA of America have been independent of one another since 1968. The PGA Tour is an elite organization of tournament professionals, while the PGA of America is made up of club and teaching professionals who work at on- and off-course golf facilities around the country (and the world).
When and where was the first PGA Championship played? And who won?
The first PGA Championship was played in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, N.Y. England’s Jim Barnes won, 1 up, over Jock Hutchinson.
Wait, 1 up … so was the PGA Championship a match-play event at one time?
Yes, from 1916 to 1957, the PGA Championship was contested as match play with a stroke-play qualifier. During the course of the championship, it was not uncommon for players to play more than 200 holes in seven days. Starting in 1958, the PGA of America changed the format to a standard 72-hole, stroke-play championship. Dow Finsterwald won the first stroke-play version in 1958 at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pa.
How many players are in the field?
The PGA Championship has a maximum of 156 golfers allowed in the field. There are many ways to lock in a spot, from a lifetime exemption for past champions to winning any PGA Tour event over the past year to being in the top 70 of the PGA Championship points list. However, it’s the only major that doesn’t grant automatic entry to the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
There’s also an extra invite for special cases, with LIV Golf pros being the major example. Joaquin Niemann and Sergio Garcia have already been invited for this year's championship.
Hector Vivas
Do club professionals play in the PGA Championship, too?
Yes. The PGA of America holds 20 spots for the top finishers at its annual PGA Professional Championship, which was held in early May at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Has a club professional ever won the PGA Championship?
Not in the modern era of the championship. According to the PGA of America, the best performance since 1970 by a club professional playing in the PGA Championship was a third-place finish in 1971 by Tommy Bolt, a former tour pro who had retired from the tour. The last top-10 also came from a former tour pro—a very famous one—turned club professional: Sam Snead in 1973. Prior to the 2023 PGA, only one club professional had finished inside the top 20 in the last 30 years—Jay Overton in 1988 at Oak Tree.
Michael Block changed all that two years ago when he had a run for the ages (which doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon) and finished T-15 at Oak Hill. Three rounds of 70 and a 71 on Sunday had him in the mix all weekend as he became a surprising star while earning a tidy $288,333 as well. That top-15 finish also automatically qualified him for last year’s PGA Championship. The Block Party will return once again after he punched his ticket for 2025, his sixth career PGA start, by finishing T-3 at the PGA Professional Championship.
Can amateurs play in the PGA Championship?
No. The PGA Championship is limited to professionals only, meaning amateurs cannot qualify.
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What does the winner of the PGA Championship receive?
The PGA champion receives the Wanamaker Trophy, the largest trophy of the four men’s majors. In 2024, the winner also received a top prize of $3.3 million, 18 percent of the $18.5 million purse. (The PGA of America hasn't announced what the purse is for 2025.) Traditionally, the winner also receives automatic invites into all three of the other majors and the Players Championship for the next five years, PGA Tour membership for the next five years and DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) membership for the next seven years. They also become eligible to compete in the PGA Championship for life.
Who won the 2024 PGA Championship?
Xander Schauffele won his first major at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., behind a record-breaking 21-under 263 to win by one stroke. Schauffele needed a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to hold off Bryson DeChambeau. It was bound to happen for Schauffele, who had had eight consecutive finishes in the top 20 at majors heading into the 2024 PGA, but never had enough to emerge as champion until one year ago.
Other notable events at the 2024 PGA Championship: Scottie Scheffler’s arrest (obviously), Michael Block’s return, Viktor Hovland taking the Sunday lead for a moment and the lowest cut number in relation to par (one under) in PGA Championship history.
Who has won the most PGA Championships?
Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen hold the record for most PGA Championship victories with five. Nicklaus also holds the record for most runner-up finishes in the PGA Championship with four.
How many PGA Championships has Tiger Woods won?
Tiger Woods makes his putt for par and to win the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. in 2007.
Montana Pritchard/PGA of America
Tiger Woods has won the PGA Championship four times, the last coming in 2007 at Southern Hills. His second was at Valhalla in 2000 when he defeated Bob May in a playoff.
Will Tiger be playing in the PGA Championship this year?
Unfortunately for golf fans, no. Woods had surgery in March after rupturing his Achilles tendon and is expected to be sidelined throughout this year's major season.
Who are the most famous golfers not to have won the PGA Championship?
Three players in golf history have won the other three men’s major championships (the Masters, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship) but have not completed the career Grand Slam by winning the PGA. They are Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Jordan Spieth. Spieth will be in the Quail Hollow field coming off a T-14 finish at the Masters. Who knows with Spieth, though? He could be leading the pack on Sunday or be searching for his ball in the woods for most of Friday.
Who is the youngest winner of the PGA Championship?
Gene Sarazen is the youngest winner, claiming the title at Oakmont Country Club in 1922 at 20 years and 174 days old. He defended his title the following year at Pelham Country Club and went on to win his third and final PGA at Blue Mound Golf & Country Club in 1933.
Who is the oldest winner of the PGA Championship?
Julius Boros held the record for decades after winning the 1968 PGA Championship at 48 years, four months and 18 days. But that mark was broken in 2021 when Phil Mickleson won at Kiawah Island when he was 50 years, 11 months and seven days old. It was Mickelson's second PGA title and sixth major victory. He remains the oldest player to win any of the four men's majors.
What is the PGA Championship aggregate scoring record and record in relation to par?
Ross Kinnaird
The PGA Championship scoring record was broken by Xander Schauffele last year in a performance for the ages. X went 21-under 263 to top Brooks Koepka’s 18-under 264 at Bellerive Country Club in 2018.
Schauffele shot four rounds of 62-68-68-65, and he needed every single stroke, winning by just one.
What is the highest winning score of a PGA Championship? In relation to par?
The highest total score of a PGA champion is one-under 287, shot by Larry Nelson in 1987 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The highest winning score in relation to par was one-over 281, shot four times: Jay Hebert, 1960; Julius Boros, 1968; Gary Player, 1972; and Dave Stockton, 1976.
What is the largest margin of victory in the PGA Championship?
Sam Greenwood
The largest margin of victory in the PGA Championship belongs to Rory McIlroy, who won by eight strokes in 2012 at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island (S.C.). The Northern Irishman won the event again in 2014 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. That was his last major championship victory … until the 2025 Masters.
If players are tied after 72 holes, how is a winner determined?
In the event of a tie, the PGA of America employs a three-hole aggregate format for the championship's playoff. This occurred just three years ago between Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris at Southern Hills. If players are tied after three holes, it becomes a sudden-death playoff.
How many playoffs have there been in PGA Championship history?
Since 1958 and the move to stroke play, there have been 14 playoffs in the PGA Championship, the most recent coming in 2022. The last one before that was back in 2011 at Atlanta Athletic Club, where Keegan Bradley defeated Jason Dufner in the three-hole aggregate playoff.
What site has hosted the most PGA Championships?
Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., is the all-time leader in PGA Championships hosted with five. Oak Hill and Valhalla are just behind with four each.
What state has hosted the most PGA Championships?
New York has hosted the most PGA Championships with 14. This will be the fifth in North Carolina with Pinehurst Resort, Quail Hollow and Tanglewood Park all hosting at least one.
What are the future venues for the PGA Championship?
The Olympic Club in San Francisco, California.
Ezra Shaw
Future venues for the PGA Championship have been announced officially through 2031 and in a handful of years beyond. They are as follows:
2025 — Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C.
2026 — Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square, Pa.
2027 — The East Course at PGA Frisco, Frisco, Texas
2028 — The Olympic Club, San Francisco
2029 — Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower), Springfield, N.J.
2030 — Congressional Country Club (Blue), Bethesda, Md.
2031 — The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island (S.C.)
2034 — The East Course at PGA Frisco, Frisco, Texas
Who is the favorite to win the 2025 PGA Championship?
At the moment of writing this, Masters champ Rory McIlroy is the slight favorite to win the PGA at +450, with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler right behind him at +500. McIlroy is a big fan of Quail Hollow, having won four times at the Wells Fargo/Quail Hollow Championship. Then, there’s a bit of a drop-off to last year’s champ Xander Schauffele at +1400, knotted up with Bryson DeChambeau and Ludvig Åberg.
Patrick Smith
What will the weather be like for the 2025 PGA Championship?
We don’t want to jinx anything, but it looks like Quail Hollow will provide its golfers with some nice weather from May 15 through May 18. The early forecast calls for temps in the low 80s over that extended weekend, partly cloudy with some light wind. It doesn’t get much better than that. Please don’t shoot the messenger if the weather reports change closer to the tournament.
What is Quail Hollow known for?
Quail Hollow is known for its thick Bermuda grass, tricky lies and its signature par-3 17th hole that often leads to a bogey … or even worse. It has an island-ish green and is usually one of the hardest holes on the PGA Tour. It’s part of the “Green Mile,” a finishing three-hole stretch at Quail Hollow known to ruin rounds and championship dreams.
Who broadcasts the PGA Championship?
This year’s PGA Championship will be broadcast on ESPN and CBS due to a joint contract between the two. ESPN replaced TNT in 2020 and holds rights to all of the early round and weekend morning coverage, including supplemental coverage on ESPN+. CBS will hold all rights to afternoon coverage of weekend rounds and will feature broadcasting legend Jim Nantz doing play-by-play.
