CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bringing back the PGA Championship is going to require help from local and state government for transportation and related needs, according to the event’s sanctioning body, the PGA of America.
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In a statement provided to CBJ in response to questions about whether the tournament will return -- as promised by the sanctioning body’s CEO in 2017 -- the PGA of America did not provide any specific details about the level of support needed but made clear the importance of public-sector involvement.
Quail Hollow hosted the 2017 PGA Championship, the first time Charlotte had ever hosted a major golf championship. The day before the first round, Pete Bevacqua, CEO of the PGA of America, said during a press conference “it’s 100% in our plans to bring the PGA Championship back to Quail Hollow.” Bevacqua left his job in 2018 to become an executive at NBC Sports.
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Last week, the PGA of America initially responded to CBJ questions about an encore at Quail Hollow by saying there was no update beyond announcements and site selections disclosed publicly since August 2017.
Over the next decade, only one year -- 2025 -- lacks a site for the PGA Championship. That also happens to be a year that would be a good fit for Charlotte, since it won’t encroach on South Carolina, which has the same tournament in 2021, or North Carolina, which will stage the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in 2024.
“We are in frequent conversations with Quail Hollow about future opportunities,” the PGA of America said in a subsequent statement to CBJ. “At this time, it is not on our schedule. With that said, the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club was a terrific championship and the PGA of America enjoyed staging it in Charlotte. For us to return we certainly would need the continued support of the city, county and state including transportation needs and access points to the club to enable it to continue to be able to host a major championship. We will keep you posted with any updates.”