Justin Thomas gives brutal verdict on PGA Championship course

He might not have even meant it, but Justin Thomas inadvertently offered a pretty brutal assessment of this week’s PGA Championship venue on Tuesday.

While the headlines inevitably surround the career grand slam winner Rory McIlroy, much of the talk heading into the second major of the year concerns the suitability of Quail Hollow in hosting the event for the second time in eight years.

The Charlotte course, while highly regarded by some, has been a regular PGA Tour stop for years as the long time home of the Wells Fargo Championship and hosted the Presidents Cup as recently as 2022.

That means there is a rare lack of intrigue about how players will tackle a major championship venue that they have become so familiar with during its time on the calendar.

There have also been questions about whether this design is enough of a thought-provoking test for one of the biggest four events of the year.

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Brooks Koepka called Quail a “bomber’s paradise”, while former pro Hunter Mahan went viral by saying the venue is “like a Kardashian.”

It’s very modern, beautiful and well-kept,” Mahan told The Athletic. “But it lacks a soul or character.”

Thomas, meanwhile, was asked during his pre-tournament press conference asked why McIlroy has had so much success at Quail, with four victories on the layout.

“First and foremost, he’s really, really good at golf, so that definitely helps,” Thomas smiled.

“I would argue he’s the best driver of the ball I’ve ever seen, and that is extremely important here. But I think his shot shape, I think this golf course fits a high draw really, really well.

“There’s a lot of tee shots, whether it’s holding fairways or fitting doglegs, taking bunkers out of play, whatever it is. He just has… when he’s on, he has such control of that driver, it seems like he can hit it in a window and an area that some guys are trying to hit short irons.”

Then came the telling quote from the two-time US PGA champion.

“That’s a tremendous advantage or threat at any golf course,” Thomas continued, “but I feel like a place like this, where it doesn’t necessarily require a lot of thought or strategy off the tee, it’s generally pulling out driver and just I need to hit this as far and straight as possible, and he’s really, really good at that.

“That’s something, like I said, that is an advantage at any golf course, but I think just the shot shape and that is a good combination.”

‘Doesn’t necessarily require a lot of thought’ off the tee, of course, is hardly a glowing assessment of a major championship venue.

Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.