Record-breaking crowds expected for 2025 PGA Championship in Charlotte
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Justin Thomas won the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club. Photo: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Charlotte is preparing for another record-breaking PGA Championship this spring at Quail Hollow Club.
Why it matters: The PGA Championship, one of golf's biggest tournaments, will make Charlotte the center of the golf world, and tournament organizers expect record-breaking crowds.
State of play: Quail Hollow has already surpassed Valhalla (host of the 2024 PGA Championship) in corporate hospitality sales, Johnny Harris, the president of Quail Hollow Club and a prominent Charlotte developer, tells Axios.
By the numbers: Roughly 200,000 people are expected during the tournament, with possibly more than 40,000 on peak days.
- In a previous interview with Axios, 2025 tournament director Jason Soucy said he's confident the event will sell out.
If you go: The PGA Championship is May 12-18.
- Grounds tickets cost $69-$262; kids 15 and younger get in free (up to two kids per adult ticket).
- A grounds ticket includes unlimited entrées, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages at concession stands. Alcohol will be available for purchase.
Flashback: Charlotte drew sellout crowds and celebrities like Justin Bieber and Olympian Michael Phelps when it hosted the tournament for the first time in August 2017.
Zoom in: Construction for the PGA Championship is roughly 55% done, according to Harris.
- Those who attended the 2017 tournament will notice new improvements, including a new entrance along Gleneagles Road, which allows for easier access for shuttle buses and rideshare.
- Following the success of the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club, they doubled the size of the back patio between the clubhouse and pavilion.
- There will also be about 900,000 square feet of covered area, including a massive merchandise tent, a new viewing area for the 13th tee and double-decker stands on holes 17 and 18, Harris says.
Between the lines: Charlotte will be bursting with events (and celebrities) in May, from the PGA Championship in south Charlotte to Lovin' Life Music Festival in Uptown and Kendrick Lamar performing at Bank of America Stadium.
What's next: Harris says he would love to host another major event in the 2030s.
- "We'd love to see the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup, or the PGA Championship," Harris says but defers to Pinehurst when it comes to the U.S. Open. "You never know what other events may come along."
- Starting in 2026, Charlotte will host the Truist Championship, formerly the Wells Fargo Championship. The deal with Truist is through 2031.