Former UNC Golfers Among Elite Field as Another Major Visits North Carolina
By David Glenn
The state of North Carolina hosted its first major golf championship in 1936, then had to wait 38 years to host another.
This time, just 11 months after hosting the 2024 U.S. Open in Pinehurst, the Old North State is welcoming the golf world to the 2025 PGA Championship this week in Charlotte, and two former UNC standouts are part of the star-studded field.
Ben Griffin, 29, captured two individual state championships at East Chapel Hill High School before becoming a two-time honorable mention All-American during his four years (2014-18) at UNC. He turned professional in 2018, competed as a PGA Tour member for the first time in 2023, and posted his first PGA Tour victory in April, when he won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He is now ranked among the top 60 golfers in the world.
Ryan Gerard, 25, earned all-state recognition four times while playing at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh before becoming a two-time All-American (2020 and 2022) for the Tar Heels. He turned professional in 2022 and became a PGA Tour card holder for the first time in 2025. He has made the cut in 12 of the 14 events he’s played this year, and he earned more than $1 million for his runner-up finish at the Valero Texas Open in April.
Legendary former UNC golfer Davis Love III, who is now 61 years old, has a lifetime exemption to compete in the PGA Championship because of his 1997 victory in the event, but he has declined his invitation in recent years.
This week’s Thursday-Sunday competition will mark the sixth major championship held in North Carolina in the past 27 years, with four U.S. Opens being contested at Pinehurst #2 and two PGA Championships being hosted at Quail Hollow Club.
Major Golf Championships In North Carolina
Year—Event, Venue, City (Winner)
1936—PGA Championship, Pinehurst #2, Pinehurst (Denny Shute) 1974—PGA Championship, Tanglewood Park, Clemmons (Lee Trevino) 1999—U.S. Open, Pinehurst #2, Pinehurst (Payne Stewart) 2005—U.S. Open, Pinehurst #2, Pinehurst (Michael Campbell) 2014—U.S. Open, Pinehurst #2, Pinehurst (Martin Kaymer) 2017—PGA Championship, Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte (Justin Thomas) 2024—U.S. Open, Pinehurst #2, Pinehurst (Bryson DeChambeau) 2025—PGA Championship, Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte (TBD)
Among the top 100 golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), 99 are expected to compete this week at Quail Hollow. The field is scheduled to include 29 major champions, 14 PGA champions, three World Golf Hall of Famers and three Ryder Cup captains.
The only top-100 golfer who has said he won’t be part of the competition in Charlotte is veteran Billy Horschel, who is #24 in the OWGR. He announced last week that he is undergoing surgery on his right hip this week, in what he described as a “preventative measure.”
The PGA Championship, which is expected to distribute a purse of roughly $20 million this year, is the only golf major that reserves 20 spots for club professionals. Those participants were determined in late April, during the PGA Professional Championship.
The Quail Hollow field includes players representing 27 countries/territories: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, England, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Venezuela and the United States.
Highest-Ranked 2025 PGA Championship Participants
(Official World Golf Ranking)
#1 Scottie Scheffler, USA
#2 Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland
#3 Xander Schauffele, USA
#4 Collin Morikawa, USA
#5 Justin Thomas, USA
#6 Ludvig Aberg, Sweden
#7 Hideki Matsuyama, Japan
#8 Russell Henley, USA
#9 Viktor Hovland, Norway
#10 Maverick McNealy, USA
#11 Tommy Fleetwood, England
#12 Shane Lowry, Ireland
#13 Bryson DeChambeau, USA
#14 Justin Rose, England
#15 Wyndham Clark, USA
#16 Patrick Cantlay, USA
#17 Sepp Straka, Austria
#18 Keegan Bradley, USA
#19 Sungjae Im, South Korea
#20 Tyrrell Hatton, England
#21 Robert MacIntyre, Scotland
#22 Corey Conners, Canada
#23 Brian Harman, USA
#25 Min Woo Lee, Australia
Other NC Notables
#26 Akshay Bhatia, USA (based in Wake Forest, N.C., for many years)
#42 Tom Hoge, USA (Statesville native)
#44 J.T. Poston, USA (Hickory native; Hickory HS, Western Carolina University)
#58 Ben Griffin, USA (Chapel Hill native; East Chapel Hill HS, UNC)
#71 Will Zalatoris, USA (played at Wake Forest University)
#80 Ryan Gerard, USA (Raleigh native; Ravenscroft School, UNC)
David Glenn (DavidGlennShow.com, @DavidGlennShow) is an award-winning author, broadcaster, editor, entrepreneur, publisher, speaker, writer and university lecturer (now at UNC Wilmington) who has covered sports in North Carolina since 1987.
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