Presidential seal: Quail Hollow Club scores another golfing prize with the Presidents Cup landing in Charlotte in September.

• Author: Solender, Michael J.
• Position: NC GOLF

It's been almost a decade since Arnold Palmer visited Charlotte's Quail Hollow Club for the last time. During his visit, the iconic golfer wrapped his arm around Johnny Harris, the Queen City developer who has led the club for decades. His father, James J. Harris, opened the south Charlotte links on family land in 1961 after encouragement from Palmer, who was then at the peak of his career.

'"Johnny, your mother and dad would be very pleased with everything that's happened here, but just remember greatness is a continuous process. Don't ever stop trying to be great,"' Harris recalls Palmer advising. Harris promised Palmer that "one of the things that we do here at Quail Hollow is try to be a place where greatness has a home."

From Sept. 19-25, Quail Hollow will add to its elite reputation by hosting the Presidents Cup, a biennial global team competition among 12-person teams representing the top professional golfers from the United States and the rest of the world excluding Europe.

About 40,000 people are expected to attend each day for the better part of a week, while NBC, The Golf Channel, Europe's Sky Sports and others will reach millions through broadcasts.

Quail Hollow has hosted the Wells Fargo Championship since 2003 along with the 2017 PGA Championship, with the latter tournament slated to return in 2025. But the Presidents Cup is expected to be larger in scale than any previous tournament because of its international prestige and exclusive field of superstar golfers. It's a big deal even though it's been a one-sided competition since its inception in 1994 with the U.S. team winning 11 of 13 events. Pundits credit U.S. dominance to the historically large supply of top golfers compared with many regions, a gap that is narrowing with more Asian golfers gaining prominence.

An economic impact of more than $100 million is likely, according to PGA Tour estimates. Global sponsors include Citi, Cognizant and Rolex, while Hyundai luxury brand Genesis is the official automobile sponsor, and Atrium Health is the official health-care provider. There are dozens of other local and regional corporate partners.

The Presidents Cup will be the second major pro golfing event in North Carolina this year, following the U.S. Women's Open set for June 2-5 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines. The tourneys highlight golfs reported $4 billion annual economic impact in the state.

"Golf is more than an enjoyable pastime: it's an important...