Golfer slammed for ‘Kardashian’ joke at PGA | Sports News

Johnny Harris, the president of Quail Hollow Golf Club, has hit back at Hunter Mahan for his scathing remarks in which he likened the membership to a “soulless Kardashian.”

The 2025 PGA Championship is already stirring up controversy at the same time as Rory McIlroy confronted a disappointing initial spherical and Sahith Theegala, a notable contender from final yr’s tie for twelfth place, pulled out simply shy of 24 hours earlier than the occasion attributable to an damage. Beyond the inexperienced, the talk heats up with Mahan and Harris butting heads relating to the venue’s choice for Quail Hollow.

The selection of Quail Hollow for the PGA Championship has sparked discontent amongst some spectators, criticizing the choice for its routine look on the PGA Tour schedule. Critics argue that utilizing a common circuit course diminishes the foremost match’s grandeur. Some gamers have been sad with the course situations, too, with Scottie Scheffler hitting out over mud balls – and Bryson DeChambeau disagreeing.

Mahan ignited additional debate by extending the comparability to the Kardashians. Mahan, who boasts six PGA Tour victories and top-10 finishes throughout all 4 majors, serves as half of ESPN’s broadcasting crew this week.

Despite expressing admiration for Quail Hollow’s magnificence and pristine situation, he used the notorious Kardashian household as a metaphor for the essence of the place.

“I guess I would say Quail Hollow is like a Kardashian,” defined Mahan in an interview with The Athletic. “It’s very modern, beautiful and well-kept. But it lacks a soul or character.”

The golf world was set ablaze when Hunter Mahan shared his candid ideas on a well-known household, prompting an icy comeback from Quail Hollow president Harris who retorted: “Tell me who that is? I don’t know the last time he was there.” Mahan, absent from Quail Hollow’s greens since 2021 and the 2017 PGA Championship, voiced his unfiltered stance overtly as CBS sports activities broadcaster Jim Nantz lauded the course.

With the anticipation for the weekend’s broadcast mounting, Nantz, identified for his masterful commentary, effusively likened Quail Hollow to the revered Augusta National: “The place is magnificent. You drive in and see the towering pines, the pine straw, the perfect conditions, the white sand,” and savored the prospect of protecting the occasion from his tower post by the 18th gap.

Looking ahead to the competitors’s climax, Nantz painted a vivid image of the ultimate moments: “I can only imagine what it’s going to look like come Sunday on the 72nd hole when the three announcers on this call are trying to sparingly fit in just the right words and captions to the moment. It is a spectacular look. And there will be, of course, tens of thousands of people ringing that 18th, and I can’t wait to get there.”

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Rory McIlroy holds Quail Hollow close to his coronary heart, having clinched the title at what was as soon as referred to as the Wells Fargo Championship there 4 occasions. Now renamed the Truist Championship, the occasion was relocated to Philadelphia this yr, permitting Quail Hollow to arrange for the PGA Championship.

“Quail Hollow, Charlotte in general has been really good to me over my career and this is just another great day to sort of add to all the rest of them,” McIlroy expressed with fondness for the golf membership.

Established in 1959 as a personal institution, Quail Hollow has long been intertwined with the PGA Tour’s historical past. It was the venue for the Kemper Open during the ’60s and ’70s, and since 2003, it has been internet hosting the match previously referred to as the Wells Fargo Championship.