Palmetto Championship at Congaree

[tiderider]

For those that want to discuss covid, the Memorial or Rham: 

Already got a thread for that. Let's keep this one clean. Here's a cookie for your efforts:  🍪

 

Replaces the Canadian Open for the 2nd year. 

 

Where

Congaree Golf Club, Tom Fazio - par 71/7655 yards

 

The 2017 Tom Fazio design in South Carolina’s Lowcountry (about 30 minutes north of Savannah, Georgia) is built on a 3,200-acre property with holes routed between trees that are up to 300 years old. It was built with the sandbelt courses of Australia in mind and will challenge the TOUR’s best with its length (the par-5 4th, for example, measures 645 yards while there are two par-4’s on the front nine longer than 520 yards) and natural hazard areas.  ~ PGATOUR.COM

course tour

 

The property and course features many large oak trees, longleaf pines and bottomland hardwood forests on the extensively re-shaped land. It’s a broad, tumbling course with racy turf and large basins of native sand that sweep up into the edges of fairways and greens with Melbourne-style bunkers. Playing to potentially more than 7,700 yards, the par 71 layout was built in the spirit of Heathland courses found in Britain or the sandbelt course in Australia. It has a natural look and lends itself to the ground game and plays very firm and fast. Scrambling and around the green play will be in play more as golfers hit chips from collection areas or putt up tightly-mown slopes.

A combination of brutish and risk-reward par-4s, and picturesque par-3 holes will be a fun challenge for the pros. But the 540-yard par-4 at hole No. 8 will be most difficult with a long carry over an expansive waste area and a longer approach shot to a raised green fronted by another vast expanse of sand. This may become one of the most difficult par-4s on the PGA TOUR this season.

 

Who

DJ & Brooksie, along with Garrick Higgo of the Euro tour & a few former top amateurs making their first start: Field

 

Accepting a Commissioner’s Exemption to compete, 22-year-old Garrick Higgo will make his second career PGA TOUR start (2021 PGA Championship/T64). Higgo has won twice in his last three starts on the European Tour and has ascended to No. 52 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Winner of the Ben Hogan Award for most outstanding male amateur and collegiate golfer of the year and Fred Haskins Award for most outstanding male collegiate golfer, Florida State University product John Pak will make his professional debut alongside University of Georgia standout and 2020-21 SEC Player of the Year Davis Thompson. Pak made the cut as an amateur at the 2020 U.S. Open in his only other PGA TOUR start while Thompson competed in four previous TOUR events as an amateur, highlighted by a T23 at the 2019 RSM Classic.

 

• Dustin Johnson (No. 1)
• Brooks Koepka (7)
• Tyrrell Hatton (10)
• Matt Fitzpatrick (18)
• Sungjae Im (25)
• Harris English (26)
• Tommy Fleetwood (32)
• Kevin Kisner (48)
• Garrick Higgo (52)
• Ian Poulter (56)
• Charley Hoffman (60)

TV

Yes. 

 

Odds

Dustin Johnson 8-1
Brooks Koepka 8-1
Tyrrell Hatton 16-1
Matthew Fitzpatrick 18-1
Sungjae Im 20-1
Tommy Fleetwood 20-1
Harris English 28-1
Branden Grace 28-1
Keith Mitchell 35-1
Garrick Higgo 35-1
Brandt Snedeker 40-1
Patton Kizzire 40-1
Alex Noren 40-1
Ian Poulter 40-1
Lucas Glover 45-1
Kevin Kisner 50-1
Harold Varner 50-1
Danny Willett 60-1

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by tiderider

[bladehunter]

Good to see another event in South Carolina. We have sooo many good courses , it’s a shame they don’t have more.  

[MPAndreassi]

Not exactly on topic, but here’s the email communication and tee sheet from the qualifier that took place today. My parents in the host course neighborhood. 
 

 

[tiderider]

3 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

Good to see another event in South Carolina. We have sooo many good courses , it’s a shame they don’t have more.  

3rd pga event this year ... KFT has a tournament there this week, also ... Thornblade Club ... 

[tiderider]

3 minutes ago, MPAndreassi said:

Not exactly on topic, but here’s the email communication and tee sheet from the qualifier that took place today. My parents in the host course neighborhood. 
 

 

it's absolutely on topic ... 

[tiderider]

recognize Frank Lickliter and Daniel Chopra ... couple of others i think i've heard named before ... chasing that check & card on a monday ... 

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by tiderider

[NJBigFish22]

Personally I think this event suffers from a bad spot on the schedule, being the week before a major, final qualifying for the open and being on the opposite coast.  I looked at the course online and it looks fantastic.  

[tiderider]

13 minutes ago, NJBigFish22 said:

Personally I think this event suffers from a bad spot on the schedule, being the week before a major, final qualifying for the open and being on the opposite coast.  I looked at the course online and it looks fantastic.  

it's a horrible spot, but it's not a permanent event ... good things is they're giving some chances to some folks via exemptions, and any tournament before a major is a legit warm-up ... a few guys like that ... and the vibe will be low key, a bit ... low country tends to put you in that mood ...  

[Rob G 89]

Tommy two glove gainey 1st alternate watch him take it down in his home state

[bladehunter]

52 minutes ago, tiderider said:

3rd pga event this year ... KFT has a tournament there this week, also ... Thornblade Club ... 

lol yep.  Let’s go for 10 !  
 

seriously though. Didn’t know the KF was at thornblade  this week.   I’ll have to keep an eye out in my favorite shop next week.  Everytime they come to town we see some tour issue nuggets land from various walk ins.   

[bladehunter]

24 minutes ago, tiderider said:

it's a horrible spot, but it's not a permanent event ... good things is they're giving some chances to some folks via exemptions, and any tournament before a major is a legit warm-up ... a few guys like that ... and the vibe will be low key, a bit ... low country tends to put you in that mood ...  

oh yea.  It’s all cruise control down there.  I’m upstate and it’s laid back here , but low country folk even talk slower.  😂

[Creedo77]

40 minutes ago, Rob G 89 said:

Tommy two glove gainey 1st alternate watch him take it down in his home state

He’s sticking to his KF commitment, he needs the points given where he is on the $ list even with his win last year. 
 

Derek Ernst and Robert Garrigus are in 

[MUNIGRIT]

1 hour ago, bladehunter said:

Good to see another event in South Carolina. We have sooo many good courses , it’s a shame they don’t have more.  

How many do you think they deserve? They have had a lot this year.

[bladehunter]

7 hours ago, MUNIGRIT said:

How many do you think they deserve? They have had a lot this year.

Yea. But on normal years it’s usually just harbor town.  Which is sad for a state has so many courses you can’t drive 5 min in any direction and not hit one.  But I guess we also claim Augusta by association , 😂.... so ill zip it.  

[JohnnyCashForever]

9 hours ago, MPAndreassi said:

Not exactly on topic, but here’s the email communication and tee sheet from the qualifier that took place today. My parents in the host course neighborhood. 
 

 

 

27 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

Yea. But on normal years it’s usually just harbor town.  Which is sad for a state has so many courses you can’t drive 5 min in any direction and not hit one.  But I guess we also claim Augusta by association , 😂.... so ill zip it.  

 

Unless you're TX, CA, or FL, it's hard to land a regular Tour stop.  By my count, with only 1 regular tour stop, SC has the same number as NJ, NY, and PA...combined.  

[bladehunter]

36 minutes ago, JohnnyCashForever said:

 

 

Unless you're TX, CA, or FL, it's hard to land a regular Tour stop.  By my count, with only 1 regular tour stop, SC has the same number as NJ, NY, and PA...combined.  

Yep.  And that ratio sounds about right to me !  Those guys get all the majors and Ryder cups. So it evens out.  

[jdl]

10 hours ago, MPAndreassi said:

Not exactly on topic, but here’s the email communication and tee sheet from the qualifier that took place today. My parents in the host course neighborhood. 
 

 

So Akshay Bhatia has one of the last tee times, gets into a playoff but loses out, now he's down in Hilton Head with a 9:06 am tee time for US Open sectional qualifying. That's a lot of golf in 2 days, good thing he's a young dude....

[the bishop]

4 hours ago, jdl said:

So Akshay Bhatia has one of the last tee times, gets into a playoff but loses out, now he's down in Hilton Head with a 9:06 am tee time for US Open sectional qualifying. That's a lot of golf in 2 days, good thing he's a young dude....

I think its easy to forget how hard some guys work to get into events.  Reading MP's earlier post I read that there was a pre-qualifier to get into the qualifier.  Oy.  When you're toiling at the journeyman level (and I know Akshay is young, but that's kinda the territory he occupies for now) its gotta wear on you at some point.  So when you see the guys who made it through the qualifier near the cut line on a Friday you can understand why/how its so devastating when they just miss out on the weekend.  Not that we should feel sorry for pro golfers but its not all pro-ams and pre tournament cocktail mixers.

[smashdn]

I agree on the tough spot in the schedule.  Hopefully some young guys do well and finish high on the leaderboard.

[jdl]

11 hours ago, jdl said:

So Akshay Bhatia has one of the last tee times, gets into a playoff but loses out, now he's down in Hilton Head with a 9:06 am tee time for US Open sectional qualifying. That's a lot of golf in 2 days, good thing he's a young dude....

Another playoff and he's going to play Torrey.

[iBanesto]

Sadly Wesley Bryan won't be in the tournament in his home state.

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by iBanesto

[tiderider]

some odds: 

Dustin Johnson 8-1
Brooks Koepka 8-1
Tyrrell Hatton 16-1
Matthew Fitzpatrick 18-1
Sungjae Im 20-1
Tommy Fleetwood 20-1
Harris English 28-1
Keith Mitchell 35-1
Garrick Higgo 35-1
Brandt Snedeker 40-1
Patton Kizzire 40-1
Alex Noren 40-1
Ian Poulter 40-1
Lucas Glover 45-1
Kevin Kisner 50-1
Harold Varner 50-1
 

Grace & Hoffman withdraw ... 

[thatbaseballguy22]

Not super on topic but...3,200 acre property?

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, thatbaseballguy22 said:

Not super on topic but...3,200 acre property?

The hikes between holes are epic. 😉

[aenemated]

39 minutes ago, ThinkingPlus said:

The hikes between holes are epic. 😉

 

Grew up in NC and me and dad played in SC A LOT (parents owned a condo in MB) and man, I can remember it feeling like there was 1/4 mile between holes at some courses.

[supergriff34]

Course looks cool. But does not look like its a course designed for a tour event.  The infrastructure on site doesnt look like its set up for that.  But i guess chambers bay was kind of the same?   Will be interested to see how it plays

Edited June 8, 2021 by supergriff34

[Go Cougs]

15 minutes ago, supergriff34 said:

Course looks cool. But does not look like its a course designed for a tour event.  The infrasrucrure on site doesnt look like its set up for that.  But i guess chambers bay was kind of the same?   Will be interested to see how it plays

Agreed.  I'm getting a little True Detective (season 1) vibe from it. 

 

Hopefully the Yellow King has finished his mowing and won't be on site for the event.

[mcputter]

On 6/6/2021 at 9:34 PM, MPAndreassi said:

Not exactly on topic, but here’s the email communication and tee sheet from the qualifier that took place today. My parents in the host course neighborhood. 
 

 

 

 

I hope the weather and skies COOPERATE, not corporate.

[tiderider]

22 hours ago, Go Cougs said:

Agreed.  I'm getting a little True Detective (season 1) vibe from it. 

 

Hopefully the Yellow King has finished his mowing and won't be on site for the event.

just binged that first season, again ... so good ... "for a long, long time" ... 

 

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by tiderider

[bcski]

Holly Lodging shortage, Batman!!!!!!!  Did all the tour pros call the RV rental companies to line up a bed?????  There is nothing nearby....  If this becomes a regular tour stop I am talking with my former business partners and we are buying up some properties.  Just renting them to players for 5 nights will pay for them.  This course is in an interesting place.