2017 PGA Championship: Staying in Quail Hollow despite HB2
The 2017 PGA Championship is still on the docket at Quail Hollow Country Club, but the PGA does not support HB2.
The NBA All Star Game may have left the state of North Carolina, but the 2017 PGA Championship is still lined up for Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte.
The Professional Golfers Association of America stated that they will stay. This is a good sign for golf events throughout the state. Next year the roster will include the Wells Fargo in Wilmington, PGA at Quail Hollow, and the Wyndham in Greensboro.
So why is the NBA leaving town while the PGA is keeping one of the four major golf events here? Time Warner Arena, or whatever it will be called in the future, is a public facility. It is therefore bound by the HB2 law. Quail Hollow Country Club is a private facility and the law has no hold over those.
More from North Carolina Sports
- NC Colleges Provide Coronavirus Results from Athletic Departments
- UNC Football gets Commitment from Top Cornerback
- Webb Simpson wins RBC Heritage Open on Father’s Day
- Four North Carolina players selected in first round of MLB Draft
- UNC Destroyed by Coach Duggs and Tennessee in NCAA Football 14
That is not to say that the PGA is somehow supportive of HB2 by its decision not to move. According to reports by ESPN, the PGA of America released a statement declaring that they did not agree with HB2 and that they would allow people to use restrooms that conformed to their gender identities at the tournament when it is here.
They also gave a warning that HB2 would be on their minds when it came to bringing other events to the state. How much of a threat that is may be hard to judge. On the one hand the PGA usually plays its tournaments at private courses in the state like Pinehurst.
However there are a number of events that may not get as much attention. These events would include the LPGA, Champions Tour, and the minor leagues of golf. Those events might now seek to be elsewhere.
Next: Charlotte Hornets: All Star Game Moving Out
It may also be the case that the PGA chose Charlotte well in advance of the HB2 passage. They may feel locked in, but future events of course would not be locked in. While the Masters and British Open are always off limits, the PGA and US Open are real prizes and it would be a shame if they did not return to say Pinehurst No. 2 because of this.