Player reactions part 3: Kisner, D. Johnson, Chappell, Spieth

After more than an hour of light rainfall came down Tuesday morning on 2017 PGA Championship host, Quail Hollow, Golfdom ventured outside to get the opinions of some of the world’s best golfers after their Tuesday practice rounds. We heard the same sentiment as the golfers in Part 1 and Part 2, these golfers love the course, and they are hoping the rain goes away.

Dustin Johnson makes his way through a sea of autograph seekers after his Tuesday practice round.

Dustin Johnson 

“The course is in really good shape. It’s soft but it’s in really good shape.”

“It’s been five years since I think I’ve played here. Still, I like the changes. I think it’s good. It’ll be difficult especially if it gets any firmer, it’ll be really tough.

“They (the maintenance team) have been doing a good job considering the rain. Like I said, the course is in awesome condition.”

Kevin Kisner (far right) stands alone waiting his turn to take some practice putts on No. 18.

Kevin Kisner

“It’s unfortunate that the fairways are just soaked, but the greens are holding up nicely. It’s nice that they are still firm, but if we could get some kind of drying and get some roll in the fairways, it would be a lot better for me.”

“The turf is great and it’s in perfect condition. It’s just so much water has been put on it. It’s going to be fine by the weekend. I just hope that the forecast can break up a little bit so we can get some dry days and dry out the fairways.”

“I think the changes on the front 9 did a good job of making it more difficult. I don’t know if No. 4 is the greatest of holes, it’s just a brutal hole to hit. The rest of it is just hard but still fair. If you hit good shots you’re going to be OK.”

The last two major tournament winners (L to R) Jordan Spieth, coming off his Open Championship win at Royal Birkdale, and Brooks Koepka (2017 U.S. Open champ) stand almost back-to-back as they sign autographs after their Tuesday practice round.

Jordan Spieth

“It’s wet on the fairways, for sure, but the greens are SubAir so they’re still really firm. It plays tough. It plays long but then it’s tough to hold the greens.”

“It’s hard to judge the change in turf because when I played previously we had some really bad conditions. I enjoy bermuda. We don’t see it too often.”

“The changes on the front 9 are interesting. I’ve only played them once. No. 1 just became an extremely tough hole. Splitting them up the way they did I can understand why. It created just a different front 9 with a couple different holes, but I don’t think it’s drastic. It still aligns with the way the rest of the course plays.”

“The course is absolutely fantastic. It’s so pure. So they’ve done a good job. Hopefully the weather gives them a little easier time the rest of this week.”

Kevin Chappell makes his way down the line signing autographs after his Tuesday practice round.

Kevin Chappell

“The fairways are saturated, but the run-ups and the greens have held up nicely.”

“The changes on the front 9 take some getting used to. After coming here for so many years with it the old way, it still takes a second to get used to the holes. They keep talking about No. 2 as No. 3 and stuff like that, but overall I think the changes are great and they should provide a good test.”

“The greens are definitely faster and more tricky. You have to pay attention to what you’re doing. Hitting into the right spots is a big deal this week.”

When asked if he thought the last course renovations raised the level of Quail Hollow from a PGA Tour stop to a major championship venue, Chappell said, “We’re here, aren’t we?”

Photos: Golfdom