The PGA Championship could be headed to Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte in 2017.
Sources said yesterday that the PGA of America, which stages the PGA Championship, and Quail Hollow are close to a deal.
Quail Hollow is one of the top courses on the PGA Tour and, since 2003, has been the site of the Quail Hollow (formerly Wachovia) Championship -- a tournament that has drawn some of the best fields for a non-major championship and can count David Toms, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods and Anthony Kim among its champions. The course was originally designed by George Cobb and was redone by Tom Fazio in 1996.
The PGA Tour and Quail Hollow have a contract through the 2014, which would open the door for the PGA Championship in 2017.
Johnny Harris, the owner of Quail Hollow, said he couldn't comment on the possibility of the PGA Championship being played at his course.
"We've always said that our goal is to bring the best players in the world to our course," Harris said. "We've always been committed to that, and we are committed to the PGA Tour until 2014. We would logically like to have events past that."
Harris said he tried to land a big-time tournament before the Quail Hollow Championship started but was approached by the PGA Tour about a permanent date. The tournament has sold out every year, and the May date has been well-received by tour golfers, who have said that the course is good enough for a U.S. Open or PGA Championship.
"We would love to talk to anybody about having world-class events," Harris said.
The PGA Championship will be at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., in 2010 and 2015. The 2011 PGA Championship will be at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Other dates and sites for future PGA Championships have not been announced by the PGA of America.
Julius Mason, the director of public relations for the PGA of America, did not return a phone call yesterday seeking comment.
The PGA Championship started in 1945 and has been played in North Carolina only once -- at Tanglewood Park's Championship Course in 1974. Lee Trevino defeated Jack Nicklaus down the stretch to win that title.
Harris said that the reason PGA Tour golfers love playing at Quail Hollow is the traditional feel of the course, a tree-lined layout that measures nearly 7,500 yards from the back tees.
"Tom did a wonderful job when he redid our course, and it's rated as one of the best on tour," Harris said. "So we are pretty proud of that, and we feel it's a wonderful test of golf for the best players in the world."
jdell@wsjournal.com.
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