How the Truist Championship came to be

CHARLOTTE – In a way, Tuesday’s announcement that Truist has become the title sponsor of Charlotte’s PGA TOUR event at Quail Hollow Club began with a phone call five years ago.

Truist, one of the premier commercial banks and financial services companies in the United States, had just announced it was moving its headquarters to the city. So, Johnny Harris, a real estate mogul who is one of the most influential business figures in Charlotte, as well as the founder of Quail Hollow, decided he should extend a virtual hand of welcome to Truist chairman and CEO Bill Rogers.

“It was a time when everybody else who was relocated was asking for money and all he was looking for was an opportunity to do the job, take care of the community and take care of the people,” Harris said. “And I called him on the phone, and I said to him, Bill, I don't care whether you do any business with us at all from a real estate company, but if we can do anything to make your move work better, please call us and ask us.

“I never dreamed I was going to end up on the tee in his logo.”

But it’s there, at least figuratively. A golf ball at the top of a tee in the center of a crown, signifying what is nicknamed the Queen City. Underneath, in the company’s signature purple, are the words Truist Championship.

“I think he actually knew this day was coming,” Rogers said with a chuckle on Tuesday before a packed house at the Innovation and Technology Center in Truist’s downtown Charlotte headquarters that had been outfitted in a green grass carpet for the festivities.

Truist has signed on with the TOUR in a big way with a seven-year contract that runs through 2031. The Truist Championship, which has raised more than $30 million for Charlotte-area charities since its inception in 2003, will be one of the TOUR’s elite Signature Events for the duration of the contract.

Quail Hollow Club will be the host of the Truist Championship for six of those years. The exception is May 5-11 2025 when the tournament moves to the Wissahickon Course at the historic Philadelphia Cricket Club because Quail Hollow is hosting the PGA Championship.

Rogers sees the one-year move as part of the “journey” rather than a detour, a chance to learn what it’s like to be a title sponsor in another strategic market for his company and one that is starved for golf. And he’s pleased that Charlotte and its citizens know Truist is in this for the long haul.

“I think you're supposed to make a statement, and I think that was the intent,” Rogers said. “Everybody, all of us who entered into it, automatically said, we want it to be long-term. Even though we were going to have Philadelphia as part of that, we wanted this to be a long-term commitment because that's the value.

“So, the city can know this is going to be here. The community knows we're going to be here for those seven years. The players know this is going to be a sustainable tournament. Let's commit to that. It's all those things. So, we all started day one saying, let's make this a long-term commitment.”

PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan sees Truist’s seven-year investment as a validation of the Signature Event series that began in 2023 and features eight limited field events with $20 million purses this season.

“I think that's a really strong testament to the model that we've worked with our players to develop,” Monahan said. “It's still early days, but that's a really positive sign.”

Monahan and Rogers first met in 2017 at a reception for the Presidents Cup, the highly successful team event that was played at Quail Hollow two years ago. Monahan remembers being impressed by Rogers and his company’s commitment to the community.

“I think there was a recognition that should there ever be an opportunity that they might be the perfect partner to have,” Monahan said. “But it wasn't like we were sitting there and talking about it. It was just I had a lot of admiration for him as a leader.”

The two men stayed in touch, though, and over the years, Rogers got to experience first-hand and understand the value of PGA TOUR events in places where they are played. So, when the sponsorship opportunity became available, Truist stepped in.

“We wanted to have a signature investment in Charlotte,” Rogers said. “We wanted it to be purposeful. We wanted it to have a long impact and it's a little bit of serendipity.

“So, the things sort of all met, the timing all sort of came together. To be honest with you, I wouldn't even know who approached whom, when. It might've been that first call I got from Johnny I don't know. But it just started organically, and this built over time.”

Monahan loves seeing the momentum already, nine months away from the first tee shots being hit by the TOUR’s top players at Wissahickon. Committees comprised of business, civic and sports leaders in Charlotte and Philadelphia are already being formed to help the TOUR’s Championship Management division stage the very best events possible.

“It matters to them. They're really invested,” Monahan said of the TOUR’s newest title sponsor. “… Bill was up on stage, but as he said, he is representing everybody. It's a part of this brand and there's a real excitement across the whole company and the area. And you never take for granted this moment. This benefits this community. It benefits our players. It allows us to continue a pretty special tradition here in Charlotte. So, it’s a great day.”