Social Media Footage Reveals Quail Hollow Deluge On First PGA Championship Practice Day

Before PGA Championship week began, there was worrying news where the weather is concerned, with heavy rain and the potential for flooding predicted for Quail Hollow on the first practice day.

Those fears were hardly alleviated when the decision was taken early on Monday to close the North Carolina venue to fans due to the ongoing threat of inclement weather as the day progressed.

That didn’t extend to players, meaning they were still able to work on their games ahead of the second Major of the year, which begins on Thursday. However, as predicted, the heavy rain eventually arrived at the course, and, as footage shows, it was every bit as torrential as expected.

CBS Sports’ Patrick McDonald posted a video of the scene on Monday on X, which shows a downpour of truly epic proportions, with one of the greens completely flooded.

Another video from New York post's Mark Cannizzaro showed a similar scene - albeit from the comfort of an indoor setting.

One player who appeared undeterred by the deluge was Hideki Matsuyama, with another video, this time posted by two-time PGA Tour winner Austin Eckroat, showing the 2021 Masters champion continuing with his practice session despite the appalling conditions.

The build-up to the PGA Championship isn’t the only Major that has been affected by bad weather this year. On the first practice day of The Masters in April, patrons were initially allowed to attend Augusta National, before bad weather led to the property's early closure. Later in the month, a Charley Hull social media video revealed brutal weather conditions ahead of the Chevron Championship.

Ultimately, conditions had improved considerably by the time both tournaments began, although in the latter’s case, there were delays in completing the first round.

Thankfully, similarly brighter weather is expected as the week goes on at Quail Hollow, although given the deluge, course conditions are likely to be soft. While further rain is expected on Tuesday, with the potential for more showers on Wednesday morning, drier conditions are likely to prevail during the four days of action, albeit with the potential for thunderstorms on Saturday.