Saturated Quail fit for PGA mudders
Is a soggy track he already loves perfect for Northern Ireland's McIlroy?
Quail Hollow was closed to everyone by players due to foul weather on Monday. (Darren Carroll/PGA of America)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Forget a firm, fast PGA Championship. Perhaps by the tournaments days at Quail Hollow Club will be some semblance of dry. That’s if forecasted rain for the weekend doesn’t happen.
The course, however, got more than enough rain on Monday.
Spectators were not permitted to attend on Monday, the first official practice day in advance of the year’s second major championship, due to all-day rain that at times was torrential. The rain started Sunday and is supposed to continue Tuesday with even more in the forecast for Wednesday. More than an inch of rain fell on Quail Hollow on Monday and it has reportedly taken on 3.815 inches over the last nine days.
That didn’t stop some players from putting some prep work in Monday including three-time PGA champion Brooks Koepka, two-time major winner Jon Rahm and 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama.
That’s a lot of water for the SubAir system to deal with. So expect a soft, muddy, sloppy week at Quail Hollow.
Perfect for Rory McIlroy?
Quite possibly. The reigning Masters champion has been known to excel in wet conditions. Think 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional when he won his first major by eight strokes.
Of course, McIlroy is more likely to excel due to his success at the venue in general. He’s won four times at Quail during the annual PGA Tour stop, including last year. Plenty of other players in the field are capable of succeeding when conditions are soft. In fact, it’s more likely that such conditions will allow more players in the strong field to excel.
The 7,626-yard course promises to play even longer due to the rain which will soften the fairways and greens and slow down the ball, keeping it from traveling as far.
That favors the long hitters but also neutralizes the best ball-strikers who will see competitors get away with misses more often.
The PGA field currently has 99 of the top 100 players in the Official World Golf Ranking (only Billy Horschel, who is out due to hip surgery, is missing).
Spectators who were unable to come to the course Monday can ask for a refund or use their ticket for the Tuesday or Wednesday practice rounds.