PGA Championship bringing financial boom to Charlotte
Tens of thousands of golf fans are in town for this week's PGA Championship in south Charlotte and they were out in full force for the first round on Thursday.
Channel 9's Joe Bruno spoke to fans who are enjoying the world-class golf at Quail Hollow Golf Club.
'Oh, it's fantastic, all the different cultures, different people; it is wonderful,' fan Nat Gorham said.
RELATED: PGA Championship brings business, spotlight to local suppliers
Fans are also praising the course's conditions.
'The course is immaculate. It's great it drains well. The rain doesn't really affect it much,' Reece Dorton said. 'You can't ask for a better golf course to play on.'
The large crowds are also bringing in tons of extra cash for local businesses.
Back in 2017, the event brought in 100 million dollars of economic impact, according to the CRVA. Tournament officials are hoping to surpass that as the world descends on Charlotte to watch the top golfers at Quail Hollow.
Charlotte is counting on those out-of-towners to spend big while here.
In 2017, hotel demand was up 50 percent compared to the same period the year before. And AirBnb said at the time, the Friday of the tournament was the biggest night ever in the city for guest arrivals
It's a hard ticket to get.
Passes will run you a couple of hundred dollars if you don't already have one.
But at least, unlike the last PGA Championship, all food and non-alcoholic drinks are included.
The PGA Championship follows the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow in 2022. The 200 thousand attendees that year brought in more than 130 million to our economy. Fans hope the Queen City keeps landing big golf events
'It brings more attention,' Dorton said. 'I've been here all my life and I think this brings great attention and economy to the city."
Nearly half of the attendees of the Presidents Cup stayed at some point overnight, with more than 145-thousand hotel rooms sold during that 6-day event.
Charlotte's figures for the PGA Championship will be released in a couple of months.
(WATCH BELOW: Fans, golfers take on PGA Championship practice rounds after Monday's washout)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rory McIlroy Claims Scottie Scheffler Treated Differently After 'Leaked' Golf News
Rory McIlroy Claims Scottie Scheffler Treated Differently After 'Leaked' Golf News originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Rory McIlroy opted to skip media availability during the PGA Championship and is breaking his silence on his decision to remain quiet during the major. Ahead of the RBC Canadian Open, McIlroy was candid about his decision not to speak to the media. Advertisement McIlroy admitted to being frustrated that news was "leaked" about the golfer being forced to switch drivers because of a compliance issue. The star golfer pointed to Scottie Scheffler also being in violation while his name was initially the only one in the news. McIlroy was quick to point out that he wanted to "protect Scottie" but was still frustrated that he was the main person mentioned. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy react during the green jacket ceremony after the final round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Goodale-Imagn Images "Yeah, and also, the driver stuff, I was a little pissed off because I knew that Scottie's driver had failed on Monday, but my name was the one that was leaked," McIlroy told reporters on Wednesday. "It was supposed to stay confidential. "Two members of the media were the ones that leaked it. And again, I didn't want to get up there and say something that I regretted either, because there's a lot of people (I'm trying to protect). I'm trying to protect Scottie," McIlroy continued. Advertisement "I don't want to mention his name. Trying to protect TaylorMade. I'm trying to protect the USGA, PGA of America, myself." McIlroy went on to elaborate that Scheffler receiving a similar decision that was "not my information to share." As the PGA Championship went on, news eventually emerged that Scheffler had also been forced to switch drivers. "With Scottie's stuff, like that's not my information to share," McIlroy added. "I knew that that had happened, but that's not on me to share that. And I felt that process is supposed to be kept confidential, and it wasn't for whatever reason." McIlroy will attempt to tune up his game for the U.S. Open this week at the RBC Canadian Open. Scheffler opted to skip the event and instead focus on preparation for the U.S. Open. Advertisement Golf fans will have to wait until the U.S. Open for McIlroy and Scheffler to once again share the links. Related: Scottie Scheffler News Emerges on Tuesday After Memorial Win This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rory McIlroy Surprisingly Dealt Bad News Ahead of U.S. Open
Rory McIlroy Surprisingly Dealt Bad News Ahead of U.S. Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Rory McIlroy heads into the U.S. Open with his game in a less than ideal place creating plenty of buzz in the latest golf news. McIlroy is still among the favorites to win the U.S. Open but there appears to be a sizable gap between himself and Scottie Scheffler as the stars head to Oakmont Country Club. Advertisement Scheffler is a heavy favorite to win the U.S. Open at +275, per DraftKings Sportsbook. McIlroy is a distant second at +850 to win another major. Fans could see these odds drop even more after McIlroy's poor performance at the RBC Canadian Open. 'I'm going to have to do a lot of practice and a lot of work over the weekend at home and try to at least have a better idea of where my game is going into next week," McIlroy said on Friday, per NBC Sports. Rory McIlroy reacts after playing a bunker shot on the first hole during the second round of the RBC Canadian Open golf Hamilton-Imagn Images Despite entering the tournament as the favorite, McIlroy surprisingly missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open after shooting an 9-over par in the first two rounds. Advertisement McIlroy heads home while only having a better score than four golfers while finishing in 149th place after two rounds. The news comes days after McIlroy had a candid conversation with the media as the golfer claimed that details about his driver failing equipment tests at the PGA Championship were leaked. "Yeah, and also, the driver stuff, I was a little (expletive) off because I knew that Scottie's driver had failed on Monday, but my name was the one that was leaked," McIlroy explained to reporters on Wednesday. "It was supposed to stay confidential. "Two members of the media were the ones that leaked it. And again, I didn't want to get up there and say something that I regretted either, because there's a lot of people (I'm trying to protect). I'm trying to protect Scottie." Advertisement Now, McIlroy will have just a few days to turn the page on missing the cut, a rarity for the star, as the golfer attempts to be in contention to win the U.S. Open. McIlroy is looking to win his second major of 2025 after securing his first green jacket at the Masters in April. Related: Rory McIlroy Claims Scottie Scheffler Treated Differently After 'Leaked' Golf News This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
US Open '25: Oakmont's par-3 8th hole requires removing a head cover
Viktor Hovland, of Norway, hits from the bunker on the fourth hole during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York) Justin Thomas hits from the fairway on the 10th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) FILE - This is an overall photo of Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa., Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, the course for the 2025 U.S. Open golf tournament. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) FILE - This is an overall photo of Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa., Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, the course for the 2025 U.S. Open golf tournament. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) Viktor Hovland, of Norway, hits from the bunker on the fourth hole during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York) Justin Thomas hits from the fairway on the 10th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) FILE - This is an overall photo of Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa., Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, the course for the 2025 U.S. Open golf tournament. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Maybe no one would complain about the eighth hole at Oakmont Country Club if the term 'par' had never been created in championship golf. But there it sits in the middle of the this tough U.S. course, the longest par 3 in major championship history, 289 yards on the scorecard and certain to top 300 yards in actual distance for one round, just as it did in 2007 at Oakmont. Advertisement 'I couldn't tell you a par 3 over 250 yards that's good, architecturally,' said Justin Thomas, who took a scouting trip to Oakmont two weeks before it hosts the U.S. Open for a 10th time. 'That's not my favorite hole in the world,' he said. 'I think you could do some other things with that. But everyone's going to have to play the same hole and going to have to execute the same shots, and I would love four 3s on it right now if I could take it.' Jack Nicklaus, who won the first of his 18 professional majors at Oakmont in the 1962 U.S. Open, was asked what he thought about the par-3 eighth. 'I haven't played it since they lengthened it to be a short par 5,' Nicklaus said with a smile. Advertisement Viktor Hovland speaks for the majority when he said the best par 3s in golf are under 200 yards. But the topic on this day was 300 yards — more or less, depending on how the USGA sets it up each round. Hovland was not a fan. 'As soon as you start to take head covers off on par 3s, I just think it gets a little silly,' he said. This is nothing new in major championship golf. The PGA Championship at Quail Hollow last month featured the 252-yard sixth hole that required a fairway metal for some. The toughest par 3 at the Masters is the 240-yard fourth. And last summer at Royal Troon in the wind and rain, Scottie Scheffler hit his best 3-wood of the year into the par-3 17th on Saturday. Advertisement There's no doubting No. 8 is a tough hole. A bunker named 'Sahara' juts out some 80 yards before the green. That's easy enough to carry, and then the ball runs onto a putting surfaces that is not as contoured as the others at Oakmont. It's just long. And the numbers indicate it is hard. It ranked No. 8 in difficulty in 2016, with 36% of the field hitting the green in regulation. Go back to 2007 and it ranked No. 4 in difficulty, with 33% of the field finding the green. 'The psychology of par is amazing, which goes to the point of long par 3s,' said Geoff Ogilvy, a U.S. Open champion and now highly regarded in golf course design. 'If it's a par 5 and you're coming in with a fairway metal, you're thinking there's a chance you can make 3,' he said. 'But if it's a par 3, you hope you don't make 4 or 5. And you've got it off a tee! ... No one likes to get a wood out on a par 3. There's a bit of ego involved. But sometimes you have to." Advertisement Ogilvy presented one other observation about the par-3 eighth at Oakmont that at least should give critics pause. 'Eight at Oakmont almost is the easiest of the four par 3s, even though it's so long," he said. 'It has a wide fairway and probably is the only flat green on the course so you can run it up. I think it's too much at 300 yards. But like at 250, it's a really good hole.' John Bodenhamer, the USGA officer in charge of setting up the course, has said the tee and the pin will be adjusted enough to make it play 301 yards for one round — not 300, but 301. That's part of the fun the USGA likes to have, but not always. The distance for the par-3 11th at Los Angeles Country Club was 299 yards in the 2023 U.S. Open (there is a 40-foot drop in elevation), and the seventh hole at LACC also measured one yard short of a perfect game in bowling. Both of those were in the second round. Advertisement Phil Mickelson was fuming over the 274-yard third hole in the final round of the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion, where he made double bogey. He was overheard telling an official, 'That's terrible — 274, we can't even reach it.' As for Oakmont, it's worth noting when Johnny Miller had his historic 63 in the final round to win the U.S. Open, his only bogey came at the par-3 eighth. Given the modern game, maybe the value of a super long par 3 is for players to show they can hit a long iron or fairway metal. Ludvig Aberg was asked how often he hits a 3-iron. 'I don't carry one,' the big-hitting Swede said. Advertisement He has a 4-iron and then swaps out the 3-iron with a 7-wood. But he brings his 3-iron with him in case it makes sense. 'You don't get a lot of long irons into par 4s,' Aberg said. 'It would be a second shot into a par 5. I've never had anything against a long par 3. I guess I'm different.' Harris English played Oakmont in the 2016 U.S. Open and had no beef with No. 8 because 'it gives you room to play.' But when asked for some of the other long par 3s he likes, English struggled to come up with even a short list. 'The long ones aren't as memorable,' he said. ___ AP golf:
