The Pete Dye marvel in the low country dunes of South Carolina has given us two hall-of-fame legends hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy and arguably the greatest Ryder Cup of all time. Joining Rory McIlroy’s record-setting win (margin of victory) in 2012 now is Phil Mickelson’s record-setting win (that Julius Boros citation we’ve heard for decades) and an 18th-hole scene that will go down in championship lore. The recent knock on the PGA Championship is that it’s the one men’s major without an “identity,” a malleable term. The images and sound from Sunday at the Ocean Course will certainly strengthen its confidence.

It was a week that should lend the Ocean Course another shot and barring some future logistical disaster, repeated chances at some set interval. The PGA Championship’s move to a May date has opened up swaths of the country that previously seemed ill-suited for an August major. Kiawah has now hosted in both months with success, but this week proved that late spring is an absolute sweet spot. The temperatures, winds and lack of precipitation were precisely what you want and gave the PGA of America full autonomy of its setup. Some of that is good fortune, but bringing the championship here in May (as opposed to some more water-logged locales during that spring month) put the odds in your favour.

MORE: Phil Mickelson’s most incredible win came by staying true to himself

Setting aside the architectural merits of the course, which also held up this week, the Ocean Course brings aesthetic variety to men’s major championships. The two rotating men’s majors are accustomed to going to the coasts, but rarely are they in actual dunes pressed up against the ocean like this. It brings a different setting, a different region and a different style of golf to American men’s majors. New York is an amazing city, but it’s good to wander outside of the metro area every now and then. Parklands courses are a backbone of golf in the U.S., but it’s nice to see beach golf in the wind every now and then. The wind directions may change, but its presence is so reliably a factor and made the venue stand out in a unique way among American major championships. Kiawah offers a change-up and one that we should see regularly.

Aesthetically, it should have a place in a rota. Architecturally, it should have a place. The elements and layout forced players to get creative and rely on multiple shot shapes and trajectories. Launch-monitor golf was only going to take you so far. The leader board was a mix of games, from modern bombers and shot-makers like Brooks Koepka to crafty veterans considered past their contending prime like Padraig Harrington. The winner had all of the above.

“I have to say, this was probably the best major setup I’ve ever seen,” said Harrington, a three-time major winner who at age 49 finished an impressive T-4. “It may have been equalled in the past but couldn’t have been better. I know the golf course is fantastic, but they really set the course up that there was opportunities to make bogeys and opportunities to make birdies. It really was that case. I’d love to play this style of golf every week, and I would be a bit more competitive than playing a regular tour event, it’s hard.” Bringing more styles of play and variety of games into contention can only reflect well on your test of golf.

In its two times hosting the PGA Championship, the Ocean Course has produced two Hall of Fame calibre champions in Rory McIlroy (2012) and Phil Mickelson (2021). Gary Kellner

MORE: Rory McIlroy delivered quite a dagger at Phil Mickelson before leaving Kiawah

The biggest strike against Kiawah is its accessibility. The Ocean Course sits at the very end of a two-lane road on a barrier island. That became something of a logistical challenge-to-nightmare in 2012. There’s also only so much usable space in the dunes and marshlands to put the infrastructure modern major championships require. While a return to full crowds at sporting events is, of course, preferred, the pandemic-induced limited galleries in 2021 certainly mitigated those logistical challenges. And in the end, nothing about the galleries looked, sounded or felt limited.

The PGA of America now also has another rep to learn from and adjust those logistical operations. There were plenty of changes and preventative measures put in place based on the shortcomings of 2012. There’s now another operation to study. Technology, transportation and communication continue to advance—who knows, maybe the next time a major rolls around to Kiawah, each ticketed fan may be dropped via drone with minimal fuss. The point is, everything else is too good for the logistical operation, which should only get smoother, to be a non-starter.

The sex appeal of a winner does not prove a venue’s worthiness. It helps, but there can be boring slogs at some of the most expertly designed courses and dramatic legends at courses that the sharpest architecture minds mock. So Phil, Rory, and a War by the Shore are not proof alone that the Ocean Course is working, but it doesn’t hurt the argument. That argument as a consistent major championship stop has never been stronger.

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Will any PGA club pro break 80?
The Ocean Course is a beautiful beast that has already gotten into the heads of the game’s best touring pros; in practice rounds probable Hall of Famer Zach Johnson has been having trouble just reaching the fairway on the second hole. How can a part-time sweater-folder hope to compete? There’s actually a little bit at stake collectively for the club pros. There are annual calls to reduce the number of them in the field, which would open up spots for more hardened players who make their living playing golf, not teaching it. And the desire not to embarrass the club pros factors into the typically benign setup at the PGA. If the tees get moved up at the Ocean Course it will be to avoid the spectacle of club pros shooting in the 90s, not because of Jon Rahm’s whining, which will cheat fans out of the glorious spectating that would come with the course being tipped out. So here’s hoping some of the PGA of America’s poster boys play well.

Who is most likely to break Golf Twitter’s heart?
So many to choose from! Max Homa is the darling of the interwebs and looks ready to become a player of real importance. Joel Dahmen has already declared on his Twitter feed that he is confident of a top-10 finish. Tony Finau is overdue for another crushing near-miss. The guess here is that the streaking Homa will contend but won’t win, which is more than a moral victory as Player Impact Performance is now just as important as FedEx Cup points.

Does anyone remember Dustin Johnson?
The world No. 1 has been a non-factor on the PGA Tour this calendar year, including a missed cut at the Masters. But the guy is so flammable he’s always one good round from being a threat again. With his piercing ball-flight he’s particularly dangerous in windy conditions, which are pretty much guaranteed at the Ocean Course. Johnson, who has finished runner-up at the last two PGAs, turns 37 next month. The window is not closing just yet but he needs to win a couple more majors to enjoy a career total on par with his massive talent.

Patrick Smith

Which Rory McIlroy will show up?
The return to Ocean Course is a referendum on the last decade of McIlroy’s career. His eight-shot romp at the 2012 PGA, when Rory was a tender 23, inspired Padraig Harrington to say it was McIlroy, not Tiger Woods, who posed the biggest threat to Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 career major championship victories, even though at the time Rory trailed Tiger 14-2. It has been a wild ride ever since, with flashes of brilliance compromised by inexplicable slumps. Now McIlroy arrives with a new swing coach (Pete Cowen), the confidence of a recent win and the burden of history, as he has been stuck on four majors for seven long years. Rory has already accomplished enough to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer but the repeated failings in the majors lead to an inevitable sense of what-could-been. McIlroy needs to bust out and win one more—which would tie the career hauls of mega-talents Seve Ballesteros, Byron Nelson and Phil Mickelson—to kick off a triumphant second act to his career. What better place than a big ballpark like the Ocean Course, already the site of one career-altering triumph?

Are we emotionally ready for Jordan Spieth to contend to the bitter end?
Spieth is back. The statistics (16th strokes gained approach, 14th around the greens) prove it, as does his recent win at the Texas Open. But he won’t be back back until he’s in another dogfight at a major championship. Even at his best, Spieth was golf’s most unpredictable high-wire act this side of Phil Mickelson. (Who can forget Jordan’s 71st hole double-bogey at Chambers Bay or wild bogey from the driving range at Birkdale, two majors he actually won?) If Spieth has a chance to win coming down the treacherous closing holes at the Ocean Course golf fans everywhere are going to need an intervention or at the very least a cigarette.

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But as is often the case during these Tuesday parades, the topics ranged from alternate league threats to the PGA Tour, rangefinder usage, the Olympics, and mandatory military service, among other digressions. There were light moments, tense moments, and revelatory moments. Here are some made-up superlative categories from a busy day at the microphone.

Most ubiquitous topic: wind
If you’re a fan of wind, this is the PGA Championship for you. You may have heard that the course is pushed up against the Atlantic Ocean and wind is going to impact play all four days, with a forecast for a change in directions coming on the weekend.

Players were peppered with their thoughts and strategies for playing in the wind throughout their press conferences. In total, the word was used 158 times—the most (36!) during Xander Schaueffele’s shortish time with media and the least (1) with Will Zalatoris and Brooks Koepka, who had to talk almost exclusively about his health. It was such a constant topic, let’s just break it out into two sub-categories:

Sounds best wind-prepared: Justin Thomas
While Jordan Spieth had yet to see the course and several players had seen only one half of it, JT came into Kiawah early and has seen it in its entirety. He is also one of the few to play it in multiple wind directions.

“I’m very, very happy and also fortunate that I came Sunday morning to play because it was a totally opposite wind than it’s been the last two days. I played 18 on Sunday and played nine the last two days, so I’ve seen the golf course in two completely opposite winds. I think that’s definitely helpful for me who didn’t play in 2012.”

Simplest wind strategy: Rory McIlroy
Adam Scott discussed how much the wind can throw a player off his process or take him out of his game. Players repeatedly expressed just how daunting the task is just in practice rounds and will certainly be on the weekend. McIlroy, the champion here in 2012, was asked to go through his adjustments for playing in these conditions and opted to go in another direction.

“I’ve been playing golf for 30 years, so I sort of—it’s automatic. I don’t really think about it. I get the wind, I get the number, I try to visualize what I’m going to do, and then I try to replicate what I have just visualised. I think in practice rounds, as well, I try to keep my focus by playing one ball and by trying to shoot a score and by trying to get into—just get into play mode a little bit. Yeah, on days like this you can almost take on too much information. … It sort of goes back to playing golf as you did as a kid, without a yardage book, and just sort of eyeballing it and playing it a bit more by feel.”

David Cannon
Wind whips the leaderboard flags during the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.

Most “perspective”: Jon Rahm and Lee Westwood (tie)
There’s an ongoing bit among the golf diehards that any time a player becomes a new parent, the audience is hammered with cliches about the new “perspective” that pro has now as a father or mother. Jon Rahm got it at the Masters, which he played just days after becoming a first-time dad, and that was a theme again today. The Spaniard was adamant about the glow of fatherhood changing not only his life, but career as well.

“I get home and I forget about what’s going on around me. I forget that we are at Kiawah Island, I forget that we are at a major, and I forget what the mission is. It’s also really refreshing for the mind. The feeling of presence that I have when I’m with him is unique, so it can only be a good thing for me as a person and as a career.”

Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire
Jon Rahm celebrates with his wife, Kelley, after winning the 2020 BMW Championship.

Such perspective! But a challenger for this made-up award came in the form of Westwood, whose perspective has evolved and improved with age.

Q: Are you doing anything better now than you did 10 years ago on the golf course?

WESTWOOD: “Yeah, I think not caring. Just playing — taking each shot at a time on its merits. I think a lot clearer now. I have a much better perspective now than I did 10 years ago.”

Follow the veteran and wise Westy: care less, people.

Most regrettable comment that went absolutely too far: Rory McIlroy
McIlroy has said again and again how much events without fans impacted him, and he was quick to cite the crowds in Charlotte for his victory at Quail Hollow two weeks ago. But this is just too much, too generous, too benevolent, and we have to draw the line somewhere.

“Yeah, love the mashed potatoes guys again. I don’t even care about the stupid comments. I’m just glad that everyone is back here.”

Most efficient response: Brooks Koepka
The two-time PGA champion rarely says more than he has to just to fill up airtime or the transcript. Questions about his health and continued recovery, which he’s been told should take another six months, consumed almost the entirety of his press conference. But players were also pressed throughout the day for their thoughts on the challenge of the 17th hole, and Brooksy did not seem interested in even providing any initial thoughts or humoring the inquiry.

Q: Un-health related, but could I get your thoughts on the 17th hole?

KOEPKA: “I haven’t played it yet.”

And that was that—a brief moment of silence, laughter, and moving on to talking about his knee again.

Stacy Revere
Jordan Spieth laughs during his practice round at Kiawah Island.

Most contemplative: Jordan Spieth
As is always the case, Spieth was expansive in his comments, much of which focused on his struggles of recent years and success of recent months. As he talked through his process of finding a swing to pull him out of the doldrums, and then getting more comfortable with it, Spieth was asked if the goal was to eliminate all thoughts of poor shots and memories of uncomfortable feelings over the ball. He quickly replied with a big-picture self-assessment. There seemed to be a bit of self-discovery even as he worked his way through the answer.

Q: Is the ultimate goal eventually to not have any of that scar tissue remaining?

SPIETH: “No, I mean, I think it shapes kind of who I am. I’ve proven to be very human. It’s kind of fun. When I’m on, when I’ve been on in the past, I’ve won tournaments by eight shots out here, and that’s obviously the goal.

But kind of the ability to kind of shun off a bad shot and come back the next hole and make a long putt or something like that, just the grind, is enjoyable when you’re kind of on the positive momentum side of it. I don’t think it’s getting rid of it. If anything, I step up confidently and appreciate kind of where I’ve been, and it just makes me even more excited to kind of embrace those shots and pull them off, and that’s an even bigger confidence boost than if I just didn’t have it at all, I guess.”

Darren Carroll/PGA of America
Tony Finau hits his tee shot on the ninth hole during a practice round of the 2021 PGA Championship.

Biggest surprise: Tony Finau
Finau apparently missed the memo on the allowance of rangefinders during competition this week.

Q: This week you get to use the yardage devices as well as your book. Which one would you rely on more?

FINAU: “Yeah, you mean like during the tournament we’re able to use a — we really are? I didn’t know. We can use our range finders during competition?”

Q: Certain facets of the rangefinder operation, yeah. No slope.

FINAU: “I didn’t know that. I haven’t had time to think about it.”

Most flummoxed: Xander Schauffele
All these players can dodge and filibuster with the best of them, but Schauffele was stumped and caught off-guard when pressed about a hypothetical of another player asking his dad (and swing coach since he was a kid) to work with him.

Q: How would you feel about another player working with him?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: “Just absolute betrayal (smiling). I’m just kidding.”

Q: Are you surprised —

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: “It depends on who it is.”

Q: Are you surprised that others haven’t considered the success he’s had with you?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: “These are interesting questions that I haven’t been really asked.”

Now another player out there needs to do this and put this to the test—maybe you’re taking your competition off his game.

Top new nickname via Will Zalatoris
Apparently, the PGA defending champion, Collin Morikawa, has a nickname among peers and former Walker Cup teammates that we’d yet to hear until today.

“We’ve always joked about this on the Walker Cup team, that when Collin gets in his–we call it “Blackout Collin”—where he just goes on tears, winning amateurs by seven and eight and does things like hitting drivers under the gun to eight feet or whatever he did last year at Harding Park.”

Henceforth, when he gets on a run, it’s Blackout Collin.

Most divisive subject: The Olympics
It’s not a controversial or new subject, but there was split opinion in the interview room on playing in the Olympics. Westwood is opting out of it (even if he’d qualified) because of family commitments and a busy playing schedule around that time. It sounds like he’s ready to play in Memphis and not Tokyo. Thomas and Rahm, on the other hand, expressed an eagerness and dream-come-true sentiment on the subject of playing for a gold medal under their nation’s flag.

Most incredulous: Jon Rahm

The Spaniard was unfamiliar with the distinct possibility that Sungjae Im may have to leave golf for mandatory military service in Korea.

Q: Can you imagine what kind of pressure Sungjae Im would feel, that if he doesn’t win a medal he goes into the military?

RAHM: “Wait, seriously? I’m sorry I’m laughing, but is that serious?”

Q: Yeah, that’s the one way to be exempt from mandatory military service is to win a medal at the Olympics.

RAHM: “Well, I would say if we’re fighting for fourth and third place, I’m open for bribing if he needs me to make a three-putt on the last hole. We can always talk about it. I like Korean food. We can always talk about it. That is very different, right, because he’s going to be playing for—just to be able to have a chance to be—fulfilling his dream, which is play golf on the PGA Tour. It’s not easy to do, especially coming from a different country. I feel for him that those are the two choices, either win a medal or go to military service, because even if you end up in the nicest branch of the military it’s still one or two years he can’t play golf. That’s a big setback.”

Best 2021 PGA development: The return of the long iron
The modern PGA Tour rarely requires the best in the world to use long irons. It’s a driver-wedge game and the top-ranked players in the world, who are also often the longest, often do not dip down below 6- and 7-irons. This week, both wind and length, and even if the course is not tipped out, will require frequent use of woods, hybrids, and long irons on every length of hole. A sampling of long-iron testimony from the microphone so far.

RAHM: “Yesterday from 14 on, I think the shortest iron I hit into a green was a 5-iron. I’m not usually the shortest hitter. I was playing with Zach Johnson, and I think he pulled a head cover on every single hole except the par-5 16th, coming into the green.”

ZALATORIS: “Even though I’m hitting 3- and 4-irons into basically the last five or six holes, that favors me because I hit it far, and that means guys are hitting more club than me.”

FINAU: “14 is a par 3. I hit a 3-iron from the back tee. It was more like my driving iron, which I flight about 255 yards. So I had to hit that club on 14. 15, I hit 4-iron into, which is a par 4. 16 is a par 5; I hit driver, 3-wood, and it was about 80 yards into the green on a par 5. 17, that’s the only tee we played up. I hit a 4-iron into that green, and then driver, 3-iron on 18 from the back tee. I’m not used to hitting a lot of long irons, mostly into par 5s, not par 4s, so I think that gave me a little bit of a taste of what it could be like this week.”

KEVIN KISNER (on the 17th hole): “Lord hope that we’re going to play a tee up. Today we played it at 202 from the front edge of the back box, so we were trying to hit a 235-yard shot over water to an area about 13 yards wide. I tried to hit a 7-wood; was unsuccessful. That’s not a very easy shot into the wind. Depending on where they play it and where the flag is, I think you have a range from 5-iron to 3-wood. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?”

ADAM SCOTT: “I don’t know how holes get more difficult than that [the 17th], and now at the moment it’s straight into the wind, and I’ve been hitting 4-irons and 7-woods and briefly discussed hitting a soft 3-wood in to see how that feels.

It is a long course, but the wind—when you stand on 16 and it’s 608, it’s playing like 750, and it’s probably numbers that we’ll never hopefully see on golf courses. But that’s what it’s playing like.”

Most staunch I-dare-you comments: Justin Thomas

With that wind and the variety of tee boxes, the PGA will likely move many tees up this week. Thomas threw down a bit of a gauntlet, albeit a sensible one, on those setup choices.

THOMAS: “I noticed it last week when someone sent me a scorecard and I saw that the back nine was 4,000 yards, and I think I actually laughed out loud when I saw it, because I was looking at the numbers. They can’t possibly play it that long. Unless they get a day where there’s absolutely no wind. The holes that are going to be back downwind when it comes back into the wind, they just can’t—they can’t play 14, that par 3, back if you have this wind today. Guys are going to be literally hitting driver on that hole. Unless the PGA wants seven-hour rounds, I wouldn’t advise it.”

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Only once in the last decade has a course yielded a higher scoring average than the Ocean Course’s 74.57 when it last held the PGA Championship (only outdone by the borderline setup for the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills)​.​ For this year’s PGA Championship the Ocean Course added seven new tee boxes and has the flexibility to stretch to nearly 7,900 yards, which with the coastal winds might as well be equivalent to the distance to the sun. It may not ever play that distance, but regardless, Kerry Haigh, the PGA’s director of championships and wizard of course setups, believes the Ocean Course remains “second to none in terms of challenges.”

We used average player data to showcase the myriad ways the Ocean Course is a different challenge for tour players than it is average golfers.

This is, of course, understatement, like saying the Taj Mahal is second to none in terms of Mahals. Haigh is well regarded for finding the most fair of tests for his course setups, but put what he says about the Ocean Course (“the golf course itself is probably one of the most difficult golf courses in the country, depending on if the wind blows”) through Google Translate, and it actually sounds like what a traumatic brain injury feels like. In practical, real-world statistical, deep-dive analytics, the picture of the Ocean Course’s difficulty is much more stark, its relentlessness akin to the evil forces in Tenet. For example, the number of double bogeys/others recorded at the Ocean Course the last time the PGA Championship was played there (339) is nearly three times the average of tour events and major championships on an annual basis. Only three times have more big numbers been posted at an event since—all three being majors. The average score in the second round in 2012 was 78, the highest since the PGA Championship went to stroke play during the Eisenhower administration. There were 52 rounds of 80 or higher, including two in the 90s. Of the final 15 holes, 14 averaged over par for the week. And, again, they’ve made the Ocean Course longer and harder this time. Several holes could play 30, 40 or more than 50 yards further back, including the par-4 finishing hole which could set the markers at 505 yards compared to the 439-yard tee the last time around.

All of this, for those with a sense of history, is not news, of course. The Ocean Course has been wicked hard since it debuted 30 years ago for the 1991 Ryder Cup, whose commemorative video should be filed under Horror in your Netflix queue. Grizzled Ray Floyd, notorious for eating tough courses for breakfast, said at the time, “It’s so hard it’s unbelievable…If you had to play this golf course with a scorecard, I don’t see how you could finish.” That year in the Sunday singles matches, not one player on either side finished under par.

And yet, average golfers, like the Flagellants of the 13th century, continue to flock to it, as Brian Gerard, director of golf at Kiawah Island Resort, told Derek Duncan.

“People didn’t care what their scorecard read—they were there to play one of the most challenging, difficult golf courses in the country. …They would come in and say it was a hard golf course, but they didn’t complain about it.”

Using data from Arccos we can determine the discrepancy between how average players and tour players play a hole like Kiawah Island’s par-5 16th, beginning with their tee shots.

Still, none of those average golfers were stepping to the tee boxes that will be used for the PGA Championship. Indeed, many are not even marked on the yardage book available in the pro shop. Heck, even for the pros at the last PGA the full-length 18th tee that will be in play this year was blocked by a grandstand.

But the Ocean Course’s difficulty is probably best understood not by what the pros have done or what they might face this time around. No, a more practical reference might be what an average golfer might do at the Ocean Course in its full-throated PGA Championship setup. Since those back tees weren’t really open for play, we’re going to do some projections on what us Joes might do from the way-way-backs, courtesy of the crack research team at Arccos, whose GPS sensors track all sorts of average golfer stats. They’ve even dug up some impressively depressing numbers on what Arccos users have done on the Ocean Course. In short, welcome to Thunderdome.

The challenge on long holes like the 16th at Kiawah also extend to where players are laying up to. Average players, according to Arccos data, still leave themselves with more than 200 yards into the green, whereas tour players have a mere wedge.

The challenge on long holes like the 16th at Kiawah also extend to where players are laying up to. Average players, according to Arccos data, still leave themselves with more than 200 yards into the green, whereas tour players have a mere wedge.

According to Arccos data, the average score of its users playing the Ocean Course is 85, with a healthy supply of those being single-digit players. While the average handicap of Arccos users playing the Ocean Course is 11, their strokes gained numbers show they’re losing 10 shots to a scratch on just the tee shot and approach shots alone.

Arccos Caddie, which uses artificial intelligence to estimate the best possible strategy for the lowest possible score on every hole, predicts some very bad things for the average golfer should he or she sneak to the championship tees. As an example, a run-of-the-mill 13 handicapper’s best-case scenario is shooting 94. But that’s playing extraordinarily consistent golf, most especially hitting it relatively long and straight from both the tee and to the green. In other words, a wholly unlikely scenario on a golf course with a slope rating that registers at the USGA’s limit of 155. With massive length, doglegs and danger lurking on every hole and wind that sucks not only the life out of the average golfer’s mishits but his soul as well, every miss that seems compounded for the pros is doubly bad for the average Joes.

For example, on the par-4 4th hole, elite players might have to throttle back on their tee shots to avoid running into the marsh at 320 yards from the back tee. Paying customers, meanwhile, would need three good shots to reach the green, but the odds are not with them. On the tee shot, they’ve got barely a 50-50 chance of hitting the fairway, while the second shot is also missing the fairway nearly a third of the time and the third shot (a wedge from about a hundred yards) only hits the green a third of the time. Average golfers, per Arccos data, are failing to get up and down more than 75 percent of the time, and from one of those greenside bunkers on No. 6, the odds are barely one in 10 that an average golfer will get in the hole in two shots.

What makes a trip to the Championship tees even more intimidating is that average golfers almost never play courses of that length. Nearly 90 percent of the rounds recorded by Arccos users were from tees measuring 6,800 yards or less, more than a thousand yards shorter than the Ocean Course’s full measurement. Furthermore, of course, while the elite player is tested sternly by the Ocean Course’s mammoth length, he is still attacking the green from a much shorter distance with much more skill. In raw numbers from Arccos, an average golfer might play the benign opening hole with a driver and a 3-wood, while the elite player is often at most hitting his tee ball 80-plus yards farther and approaching the green with a short iron or wedge. The average proximity to the hole for the pro might be 20 feet while hitting the green 80-plus percent of the time. The average Joe ends up five times that distance from the hole with his approach shot, and he only hits the green one in 15 tries. Nothing like starting the day wishing you had contracted raging botulism.

A perfect snapshot of the difficulty for the average golfer playing the back tees at Kiawah is its diabolical finish. For elite players, it starts with a reprieve at the par-5 16th, which played as the easiest hole at the 2012 PGA and then wraps up with the terror-laden par-3 17th and the brutish 18th, which might require a final full swing of more than 200 yards.

Naturally, the longer a club a player has into a green, the smaller the chance they have of hitting within close proximity of the hole.

Naturally, the longer a club a player has into a green, the smaller the chance they have of hitting within close proximity of the hole.

For average golfers, however, turning for home at the Ocean Course offers nothing but the lash, especially all the way back. Where average pros most likely are playing those last three holes at an average of half-a-stroke over par combined, average Joes at best typically limp home having dropped nearly four shots to par.

At 608 yards, the 16th hole basically plays as a par-6. It likely would require a drive and back-to-back, well-struck 3-woods, a phrase the average golfer is about as familiar with as the average 8-year-old is with swallows’ nest soup.

The 17th hole might require a driver to reach the putting surface, but Arccos data says that club in the average golfer’s hands is going to produce a mis-hit short or right more than 60 percent of the time, and short and right at 17 is only Aeschylus and Euripides: Tragedy and Sorrow. It also affords the Average Joe the opportunity to do the same thing all over again. It only gets a little better from the drop area, which is one tee box closer and still a full 3-wood to the green. That club is going to be short and right for Mr. Average 58 percent of the time.

If the average golfer hasn’t run out of balls playing the 17th hole, the tee shot on 18 might make him wish he had. From the back tee, it’s likely a 210-yard carry just to reach the fairway, which the average golfer will miss 60 percent of the time. Even with a good shot, it’s still a three-shot hole and Arccos Caddie projects a score of 6 or higher is four times more likely than a score of 5 or lower.

As a final insult, don’t think it gets any easier for average golfers once they reach the vicinity of the greens at the Ocean Course. Arccos data says the average 11-handicapper loses almost five strokes compared to a scratch in terms of strokes gained around the greens and putting. Bernhard Langer’s final putt at the 1991 Ryder Cup infamously just sliding by the edge of the hole seems only as unfair as it is a fitting Ocean Course denouement.

And yet for all its ferocity, the Ocean Course’s allure remains, a golfing Siren song if there ever was. Dye knew it not just because of what the Ocean Course turned out to be, but because of who golfers are deep in their joyously masochistic souls.

“I think it’s great that they say it’s the hardest golf course in the world, but we’re still getting all the play we can handle, repeat play is up, too,” he said on the eve of the 2012 PGA Championship. “Listen, if Pine Valley were open to the public, they would line up all the way to Los Angeles to play it. That’s just what golfers do.”

Looking at these numbers from Arccos, though, the thought occurs: Move up a box.

The post PROS V JOES: How hard is Kiawah for the average golfer? This data says very hard appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 1991 Ryder Cup was scheduled to be played at the Pete Dye-designed PGA West course in La Quinta, Calif., before officials decided to move the event to an East Coast location so it could be broadcast in prime time in Europe. The problem was that the course they wanted to play the competition on didn’t exist. So the company that developed PGA West agreed to build a new host venue, on land it owned on South Carolina’s Kiawah Island, in just two years.

To design, permit and construct a course in such a difficult setting in that timeframe, one that would be ready to host the world’s greatest players in a cauldron of stress and sweat, in front of a global audience, was questionable in the best of circumstances. But months into the build Hurricane Hugo crashed into South Carolina and destroyed all the work Dye and his crew had completed on The Ocean Course to that point, an almost fatal setback.

Watch our “Every Hole At: The Ocean Course” below:

Dye was eventually able to summon immeasurable ingenuity to deliver a complete course in the nick of time, but the chaos involved in The Ocean Course’s creation found its way into its bones and the design wreaked physical and psychological havoc on the Ryder Cup participants. By now the events of those early days have settled into entertaining history, at least to those not involved, and The Ocean Course today is admired as a stunningly attractive seaside course, ranked 24 on Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Courses list, that’s still capable of knocking the best in the world off their games.

It will have the chance to prove it again during the 2021 PGA Championship—the 79.1/155 Course Rating and Slope from the tournament tees is the second-highest combination in major championship history. But it’s that allure of difficulty, the chance to overcome long odds and to hit that one perfect shot in a place where so many others have famously failed, that keeps resort guests coming back.

That’s The Ocean Course’s true legacy, that it can be so many different things at once. It’s a tournament course that regular golfers can play. At home on a South Carolina barrier island, it’s an unmistakable product of the lowcountry. Built on sand, it has links-like qualities. And as unique as it is, it feels familiar, stuffed with Pete Dye’s strategic genius.

The post A drone video tour of every hole at Kiawah’s Ocean Course reveals Pete Dye’s strategic genius appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers and Greg Gottfried
After a one-off return to August in 2020 due when COVID-19 ransacked the golf calendar, the PGA Championship moves back to its “new” May dates in 2021. The 103rd playing of this championship takes place at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina and will feature its usually loaded field of top-ranked professionals. Collin Morikawa aims to defend his title from TPC Harding Park a year ago while Rory McIlroy will be trying to repeat his runaway eight-stroke victory at Kiawah from the 2012 PGA. With fans returning, albeit in a limited capacity, this year, the chase for the Wanamaker Trophy will feel a bit more normal, but the golf will be anything but typical.

When the Pete Dye course hosted the PGA nine years ago, it certainly played difficult for everyone except McIlroy, who was the only player to finish 72 holes in red figures. Located hard by the water, making it vulnerable to high winds, and with treacherous bunkers/dunes on nearly every hole, the course could produce a chaotic four days of play. With that said, the usual favorites of Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau are all leading the pack in terms of betting odds.

To prepare for what will no doubt be a surreal week at Kiawah Island, here are some answers to some frequently asked questions about the PGA Championship.

When and where is the PGA Championship being held in 2021?

This year’s PGA Championship is May 20-23 at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, which is considered to be one of the first courses to be designed for a specific event. In this case, it was the 1991 Ryder Cup. It’s a tricky and windy course edged by sawgrass. Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest ranking called it “Pete Dye’s most diabolical creation.” It stretches to 7,849 yards over a par 72 course. If it looks familiar, it also might be because it was used for some of the filmings of the movies “The Legend of Bagger Vance.”

Who conducts the PGA Championship?

The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of America conducts the event.

Are the PGA Tour and the PGA of America different?

Yes, the PGA Tour and the PGA of America have been independent of one another since 1968. The PGA Tour is an elite organization of tournament professionals, while the PGA of America is made up of club and teaching professionals who work at on- and off-course golf facilities around the country (and the world).

When and where was the first PGA Championship played? And who won?

The first PGA Championship was played in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, N.Y. England’s Jim Barnes won, 1 up, over Jock Hutchinson.

Wait, 1 up … so was the PGA Championship a match play event at one time?

Yes, from 1916 to 1957, the PGA Championship was contested as match play with a stroke-play qualifier. During the course of the championship, it was not uncommon for players to play more than 200 holes in seven days. Starting in 1958, the PGA Championship switched to the standard 72-hole, stroke-play format. Dow Finsterwald won the first stroke-play version of the event in 1958 at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pa.

RELATED: 13 things you probably don’t remember from the last PGA at Kiawah

How many players are in the field?

There are 156 players in the field at this year’s PGA Championship, with 20 of those spots reserved for club professionals who are PGA of America members.

How do club professionals earn one of the 20 spots?

The PGA of America fills the 20 spots held for club professionals for the top finishers at the PGA Professional Championship, which was played late last month. Last year, due to the coronavirus, the PGA of America had the top 20 of the 2019 PGA of America Club Professional player of the year points list take the spots.

Has a club professional ever won the PGA Championship?

Not in the modern era of the PGA Tour. According to PGA.com, the best performance since 1970 by a club professional playing in the PGA Championship was a third-place finish in 1971 by Tommy Bolt, a former tour pro who had retired from the tour. The last top 10 also came from a former tour pro—a very famous one—turned club professional: Sam Snead in 1973. Only one club professional has finished inside the top 20 in the last 30 years, Jay Overton in 1988 at Oak Tree. Only three have made the cut in the last seven years: Ben Kern at Bellerive in 2018, Omar Uresti at Quail Hollow in 2017 (he will be playing at Kiawah) and Brian Gaffney at Whistling Straits in 2015.

How are the 136 other spots in the PGA Championship determined?

For a list of ways to qualify for the PGA Championship, click here.

Can amateurs play in the PGA Championship?

The PGA Championship is limited to professionals only, meaning amateurs cannot qualify.

What does the winner of PGA Championship receive?

The PGA champion receives the Wanamaker Trophy, the largest trophy of the four men’s majors. Last year, Collin Morikawa earned a winner’s check of $1.98 million from the PGA Championship’s $11 million purse. Traditionally the winner also receives automatic invites into all three of the other majors and the Players Championship for the next five years, PGA Tour membership for the next five years and European Tour membership for the next seven years. They also become eligible to compete in the PGA Championship for life.

Who won the 2020 PGA Championship?

In a fiercely competitive final round at TPC Harding Park, Collin Morikawa came away the winner, shooting a final-round 64. At one point on the back nine, seven players were tied for the lead. But the 23-year-old Cal-Berkley grad, playing in just his third major, pulled away from the field with a pair of clutch shots on the back nine, a chip-in birdie on the 14th and an eagle on the 16th after hitting driving the green with this amazing tee shot.

Shot of the day/month/year for Collin Morikawa. pic.twitter.com/3TubR6LlQG

— GOLFTV (@GOLFTV) August 10, 2020

MORE: Was Collin Morikawa’s drive on 16 the greatest shot in PGA history?

The rest of the leader board was certainly impressive with Paul Casey, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Matthew Wolff, Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose finishing behind Morikawa.

Who has won the most PGA Championships?

Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen hold the record for most PGA Championship victories with five. Nicklaus also holds the record for most runner-up finishes in the PGA Championship with four.

How many PGA Championships has Tiger Woods won?

Tiger Woods has won four PGA Championships, the last coming in 2007 at Southern Hills.

Tiger Woods makes his putt for par and to win the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2007. Montana Pritchard/PGA of America

Who are the most famous golfers not to have won the PGA Championship?

There are three players in golf history who have won the other three men’s major championships (the Masters, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship) but have not completed the career Grand Slam by winning the PGA. They are Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Jordan Spieth. Spieth is only 27 so he has plenty of time to try and complete the Slam. This is the fifth year he will be playing the PGA with the chance to do so. After going through a three-plus-year winless drought, Spieth is playing solidly again this year after a breakthrough win at the Valero Texas Open and a T-3 finish at the Masters.

Who is the youngest winner of the PGA Championship?

Gene Sarazen is the youngest winner, claiming the title at Oakmont Country Club in 1922 at 20 years and 174 days old. He defended his title the following year at Pelham Country Club and went on to win his third and final PGA at Blue Mound Golf & Country Club in 1933.

Who is the oldest winner?

Julius Boros is the oldest winner, claiming the title at Pecan Valley Golf Club in 1968 at 48 years and 142 days old. He remains the oldest winner of any of the men’s majors.

What is the PGA Championship scoring record?

The record for lowest 72-hole score in a PGA Championship was held by David Toms for his 15-under 265 total at Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth, Ga., in 2001, but Brooks Koepka broke that mark in 2018 with his 16-under 264 at Bellerive. Koepka also tied the record set by Henrik Stenson at the 2016 Open Championship for the lowest total in major championship history.

What is the PGA Championship scoring record in relation to par?

Jason Day holds the record for scoring in relation to par not only in PGA Championship history but in major championship history. The Australian was 20-under-par (268) when he won at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis., in 2015.

What is the highest winning score of a PGA Championship? In relation to par?

The highest total score of a PGA champion is one-under 287, shot by Larry Nelson in 1987 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The highest winning score in relation to par was one-over 281, shot four times: Jay Hebert, 1960; Julius Boros, 1968; Gary Player, 1972; and Dave Stockton, 1976.

What is the largest margin of victory in the PGA Championship?

The largest margin of victory in the PGA Championship belongs to Rory McIlroy, who won by eight strokes in 2012 at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island (S.C.). The Northern Irishman won the event again in 2014 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. That remains his last major championship victory.

If players are tied after 72 holes, how is a winner determined?

In the event of a tie, the PGA of America employs a three-hole aggregate format for the championship’s playoff. If players are tied after three holes it becomes a sudden-death playoff.

How many playoffs have there been in PGA Championship history?

Since 1958 and the move to stroke play, there have been 13 playoffs in the PGA Championship, the last coming in 2011 at Atlanta Athletic Club, where Keegan Bradley defeated Jason Dufner in the three-hole aggregate playoff.

What site has hosted the most PGA Championships?

Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., has hosted the most PGA Championships—four—the most recent in 2007 when Tiger Woods won.

What state has hosted the most PGA Championships?

New York has hosted the most PGA Championships with 13, including three at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., which hosted the 2013 PGA Championship and is scheduled to host again in 2023.

What are the future venues for the PGA Championship?

Future venues for the PGA Championship have been announced officially through 2029. There is also a “TBD” year for 2030, as well as a venue locked in for 2031. They are as follows:

2022 — Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Okla.
2023 — Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, N.Y.
2024 — Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Ky.
2025 — Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C.
2026 — Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square, Pa.
2027 — The East Course at PGA Frisco, Frisco, Texas
2028 — The Olympic Club, San Francisco
2029 — Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower), Springfield, N.J.
2030 — TBD
2031 — Congressional Country Club (Blue), Bethesda, Md.
2034 — The East Course at PGA Frisco, Frisco, Texas

RELATED: Which course is the best PGA Championship venue? Our “definitive” ranking

Who is the favourite to win the 2021 PGA Championship?

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson leads the betting pack at Kiawah Island at 10/1 with Jon Rahm right behind him at 11/1. Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau sit at 12/1 and 14/1, respectively, and they are then followed up by Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy all at 16/1. Defending champ Collin Morikawa is next at 22/1. After an impressive showing at the Masters, Will Zalatoris is tied for the 15th best odds in the field at 33/1.

What will the weather be like for the 2021 PGA Championship?

It’s early still, but 2021 PGA Championship looks to have favorable South Carolina weather according to the long-range forecast, albeit a bit windy. Predictions calls for a little rain during championship days, but it looks to be in the 70s all week. The wind looks to be in the 5-12 mph range

For a month-ahead look, check out weather.com’s Monthly Weather page for Kiawah Island, S.C.

Stephen Szurlej

What is The Ocean Course known for?

This will be the second PGA Championship at this course on Kiawah Island and its last iteration featured the greatest victory margin in this event’s history. A fierce thunderstorm on Saturday in 2012 and winds gusting on Friday at around 20-30 mph were just a few of the very tough conditions that led to extremely slow play and high scores.

Arguably more famous, however, was the first big event held at the Ocean Course—the 1991 Ryder Cup. Nicknamed “The War by the Shore” because of how competitive the clash was between the United States and Europe, and the gamesmanship that was seen between the two sides. The contest came down to a last Sunday singles match between Bernhard Langer and Hale Irwin. Langer faced a six-foot putt for par on the 18th hole that would have won his match and ended the overall contest in a 14-14 tie. But he missed and the Americans walked off with the wild victory.

Who designed The Ocean Course?

The 7,849-yard par 72 course was designed by Pete and Alice Dye after the couple was hired and given two years to build a seaside masterpiece for the 1991 Ryder Cup. The wild landscape features a course that is just 55 acres, but you won’t hear us complaining.

Who broadcasts the PGA Championship?

This year’s PGA Championship will be broadcast between ESPN and CBS due to a joint contract between the two. ESPN replaced TNT in 2020 and holds rights to all of the early round and weekend morning coverage, including supplemental coverage on ESPN+. CBS will hold all rights to afternoon coverage of weekend rounds and will feature Jim Nantz play-by-play.

RELATED: Omar Uresti, golf’s most controversial ‘club pro,’ just qualified again for the PGA Championship

The post PGA Championship 2021: Frequently Asked Questions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Mainly, people.

There will be roughly 10,000 spectators per day at this week’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. It is a welcomed sight. Fans are the undercurrent of professional sports, providing its soundtrack. Without them our games over the last year have felt ever-so off. However, during Monday’s practice round at the Ocean Course, it felt like all 10,000 were on the back nine. It is inarguably the better side from a viewing standpoint; the back offers a more dramatic, more dynamic layout, and because the holes are closer in proximity, there are a number of vistas to watch multiple groups. However, this also makes for a congested congregation.

Which is what spurred a trek to the remote edges of the Ocean Course. Pandemic or not, sometimes a man needs room to breathe, and there was plenty of oxygen at the fifth on Monday.

“You picked the right place to be,” says Rick, a volunteer who hails from Summerville, S.C. “Doesn’t get much more peaceful than this. Plus look at this view!”

It was a good look; reread the opening graph. Better yet, the fifth took social distancing to another level. For most of Monday afternoon it hosted a dozen fans and half as many volunteers, as quiet and serene of an on-grounds major experience as you’ll get.

But there is more than just aesthetics and elbow space. There is pride in reaching the faraway point of a course. It is a badge of honour. In a sense you’re a pioneer because this is property’s equivalent of the Old West where the line between civilization and wilderness becomes blurred, a notion reinforced at the sight of a shirtless gentleman navigating a dinghy through an inlet to the left of the fourth hole. There’s also a touch of marvel. When you’re at the faraway point of any course, as a patron or player, it means there’s plenty of golf ahead to get you back to where you started.

Make no mistake, though, the faraway point is always a trek. Especially so at Ocean Course.

You pass the clubhouse and driving range and merchandise tent and fan zone. You cross a number of tributaries and sand tracks. Around the second tee a marshal will hand you a machete to cut your way through (or at least seemingly he should).

How far is the fifth? There was a glance at the phone’s step counter to see just how far our journey was taking. The screen replied not with a number but a middle finger. A man was lying down in the rough about 100 yards from the third green; in hindsight we worry he too was headed towards the periphery before deciding “The hell with it.” One group turned around at the third upon worries they had passed the final concession stand.

The par-3 fifth hole (far right) extends as far away from the clubhouse as any point at the Ocean Course.

But, assuming you have the money for a low-country sherpa, it is worth the trip. There are no formal grandstands and most of the area is, in fact, sand and weeds. Luckily there are three grass mounds just to the right, providing comfortable confines to the fifth’s green and one of the better ocean panoramas the course offers. If you can get past the fact of all the bulldozers it took to create this links, it seems like nature incarnate.

However, what we sought to avoid—people—is what ultimately made the day. Strangers chatted, everyone seemingly in-tune to the same conversation. About the tournament. About Rory. About swing theories and how bad us average hacks would do against this brutal set-up. It felt like stumbling into a barbecue, only if a golf tournament had broken out in the backyard. And for the record, there is a concession stand nearby, just 75 yards or so to the right of the green.

There was still golf to be watched, and because of our small multitude, it was easier to watch. And we watched …

… fledgling star Will Zalatoris come through with United States Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, assistant captain Zach Johnson and self-appointed team consigliere Phil Mickelson, floating the notion that Young Master Zalatoris might grab a Ryder Cup pick before a tour card.

… Xander Schauffele hit a number of hit-n-checks from a number of spots under the watch of his approving father, which reminded everyone, “Oh yeah, this is one of the top five players in the world.”

… nearly after single player miss short and to the right, all peering towards the green then to the sky and back to the green. “Wind is barely blowing,” Rick noted more than once. “They are in for trouble if it does.”

… the Canadian contingent of Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners rag each other, which as one of the volunteers noted, “Is as much fun as Canadians are legally allowed to have.”

As much fun as we were having, the fans began to depart. There are other parts of the course to discover and other players to see. The barbecue had come to a close. As we packed up our things and checked to see if Uber had an airboat service, we took one more glance up. Rick was right. It doesn’t get much more peaceful than this.

The post The one, and perhaps only, place to find peace at the Ocean Course appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brian Wacker
For the first time, distance measuring devices, or rangefinders, will be allowed for use during a major at next week’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. The decision, announced in February, was made in an effort to speed up play. Whether it actually will and what impact the use of the devices will have on the tournament, we’ll get to that.

First, a brief history.

Some of the earliest rangefinders have a connection that traces to the birthplace of the game, Scotland. But they weren’t created for the purposes of sport. In 1891, Archibald Barr, an engineering professor at what is now the University of Leeds, and William Stroud, a physics professor at the same school, were asked by the department that oversaw the Royal Navy to design a short-base rangefinder.

One version was known as a coincidence rangefinder, which consisted of lenses and prisms at each end of a tube with a monocular eyepiece in the middle. It determined an object’s distance by measuring angles formed by a line of sight at each end of the tube. The smaller the angle, the greater the distance. The larger the angle, the shorter the distance. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the demand for rangefinders increased and the technology behind them continued to evolve.

The prevalence of distance measuring devices in golf, of course, wouldn’t come in earnest until much later.

In 1965, the first laser rangefinder was invented, replacing its more archaic and less accurate predecessor. Similar to radar, laser rangefinders measure distances by timing the interval between the transmission and reception of electromagnetic waves. In 1995, Bushnell launched its first laser rangefinder for golf, the Yardage Pro 400, which was about the size of a large pair of binoculars. While it was sometimes difficult to focus on a flag from 200 yards back then, the years since have seen the size of rangefinders shrink considerably while the accuracy and amount of information they produce has increased tremendously.

Though the Rules of Golf have allowed for the use of laser rangefinders and GPS devices in casual play and amateur tournaments since 2006, a local rule gave tournament committees the ability to ban the devices. As such, they still are not allowed during competition on any professional tour and aren’t permitted for the Masters, U.S. Open or Open Championship (though they are allowed during practice rounds at the professional level).

Then there’s the PGA of America, which runs the PGA Championship, as well as the Senior PGA, to be played later this month, and the KPMG Women’s PGA, set for June. It will allow rangefinders at all three events, making it the first major body in golf to permit the devices during professional competition. The decision was based in large part as a way to speed up play, according to PGA of America president Jim Richerson.

Mike Ehrmann
Rory McIlroy uses a rangefinder on the practice range during the TaylorMade Driving Relief.

Few players and caddies who spoke to Golf Digest in advance of the PGA Championship, however, think it will improve pace. Many think the opposite will happen. The consensus is: Throw in the elements of a major championship being contested on a difficult course in Kiawah Island and things have the potential to drag even more.

“I think it may slow play down in certain scenarios where, if you’re trying to double-check [the numbers], that may not be great,” Bryson DeChambeau said. “But you have to play under a certain time period, so for the most part if players use it in a way that allows them to speed up play, that’s great. If they’re always double-checking, I think that’s a place where it could slow play down a little bit, which I am not a fan of at all.”

Leaving aside the irony of DeChambeau—among the most deliberate players on tour—saying he’s not a fan of slow play, there is validity to his point, according to many players and caddies.

“I’ll still have to have the front number, carry number, how many [yards] left or right and yards behind the pin,” said Webb Simpson’s caddie, Paul Tesori. “The last number we get is the pin, and what happens if the rangefinder is more than a yard off? Then we have to re-do all the other numbers to fit what we’re trying to do with the shot.”

His boss concurred.

“I feel like, this is a fact that it’s not going to speed up play, because everybody I know and have talked to, we still want front [of the green] numbers, and the rangefinder, you can’t always get the accurate front number,” Simpson said. “So you’ll probably have the player shoot the pin, the caddie walk off the number because I’m going to want, what’s front, what’s the pin? I haven’t read the reasoning behind it or their desire to test it out that week, but I don’t think it will really make a difference.”

Still, there are at least some scenarios where using a rangefinder could save time, particularly when a player hits a shot well off the fairway.

“We’re not going to have to go to a sprinkler head and walk 40, 50 yards away from a place to find a number,” DeChambeau said.

Not all the features that rangefinders provide will be useful. Though the technology of the devices has increased significantly in recent years, the only information that is allowed to be provided under the Rules of Golf is distance and direction. Devices that give elevation changes, wind speed or other data will not be permitted, just as they’re not in college or amateur tournaments.

As for whether players actually plan to use rangefinders altogether? It depends on whom you ask.

“I’ll probably still do the yardage book, me and the caddie,” said Jason Day. “I can understand if you, as a player, didn’t do yardages and you just were solely relying on it for your yardages. Then you could do it to double-check. But if you’re doing it and looking at a yardage book, it’s just one more thing.

“It’ll be interesting to see how many guys will do it. I’m not going to do it [in the PGA].”

Jordan Spieth says he and caddie Michael Greller will use a rangefinder but will do so as much for confirmation as anything.

“We have been checking our yardage books and cover numbers and back-of-green numbers for eight years now,” he said. “It’s not going to be we just step up, shoot it, and go. I mean, these pins get tucked and the wind’s blowing, and you’ve got to figure out a few more things than just the number to the hole.”

Even then, not everyone is for allowing rangefinders.

Aside from the potential to slow play down, it takes some of the acquired skill out of the job, for both player and caddie. Some also view it as just one more tool to make the task easier for everyone.

“I don’t really like them,” said Justin Thomas. “I think it takes away an advantage of having a good caddie that maybe goes out there and does the work beforehand. … Now, between the yardage books, the greens books and range finders, you technically don’t even really need to see the place or play a practice round. You can go out there and know exactly what the green does; you know exactly what certain things are on certain angles because you can just shoot it with the rangefinder.”

The post PGA Championship 2021: Rangefinders will be in play, and there are plenty of skeptics appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers and Greg Gottfried
After a one-off return to August in 2020 due when COVID-19 ransacked the golf calendar, the PGA Championship moves back to its “new” May dates in 2021. The 103rd playing of this championship takes place at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina and will feature its usually loaded field of top-ranked professionals. Collin Morikawa aims to defend his title from TPC Harding Park a year ago while Rory McIlroy will be trying to repeat his runaway eight-stroke victory at Kiawah from the 2012 PGA. With fans returning, albeit in a limited capacity, this year, the chase for the Wanamaker Trophy will feel a bit more normal, but the golf will be anything but typical.

When the Pete Dye course hosted the PGA nine years ago, it certainly played difficult for everyone except McIlroy, who was the only player to finish 72 holes in red figures. Located hard by the water, making it vulnerable to high winds, and with treacherous bunkers/dunes on nearly every hole, the course could produce a chaotic four days of play. With that said, the usual favourites of Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau are all leading the pack in terms of betting odds.

To prepare for what will no doubt be a surreal week at Kiawah Island, here are some answers to some frequently asked questions about the PGA Championship.

When and where is the PGA Championship being held in 2021?
This year’s PGA Championship is May 20-23 at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, which is considered to be one of the first courses to be designed for a specific event. In this case, it was the 1991 Ryder Cup. It’s a tricky and windy course edged by sawgrass. Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest ranking called it “Pete Dye’s most diabolical creation.” It stretches to 7,849 yards over a par 72 course. If it looks familiar, it also might be because it was used for some of the filming of the movies “The Legend of Bagger Vance.”

Who conducts the PGA Championship?
The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of America conducts the event.

Are the PGA Tour and the PGA of America different?
Yes, the PGA Tour and the PGA of America have been independent of one another since 1968. The PGA Tour is an elite organization of tournament professionals, while the PGA of America is made up of club and teaching professionals who work at on- and off-course golf facilities around the country (and the world).

When and where was the first PGA Championship played? And who won?
The first PGA Championship was played in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, N.Y. England’s Jim Barnes won, 1 up, over Jock Hutchinson.

Wait, 1 up … so was the PGA Championship a match play event at one time?

Yes, from 1916 to 1957, the PGA Championship was contested as match play with a stroke-play qualifier. During the course of the championship, it was not uncommon for players to play more than 200 holes in seven days. Starting in 1958, the PGA Championship switched to the standard 72-hole, stroke-play format. Dow Finsterwald won the first stroke-play version of the event in 1958 at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pa.

How many players are in the field?
There are 156 players in the field at this year’s PGA Championship, with 20 of those spots reserved for club professionals who are PGA of America members.

How do club professionals earn one of the 20 spots?
The PGA of America fills the 20 spots held for club professionals for the top finishers at the PGA Professional Championship, which was played late last month. Last year, due to the coronavirus, the PGA of America had the top 20 of the 2019 PGA of America Club Professional player of the year points list take the spots.

Has a club professional ever won the PGA Championship?
Not in the modern era of the PGA Tour. According to PGA.com, the best performance since 1970 by a club professional playing in the PGA Championship was a third-place finish in 1971 by Tommy Bolt, a former tour pro who had retired from the tour. The last top 10 also came from a former tour pro—a very famous one—turned club professional: Sam Snead in 1973. Only one club professional has finished inside the top 20 in the last 30 years, Jay Overton in 1988 at Oak Tree. Only three have made the cut in the last seven years: Ben Kern at Bellerive in 2018, Omar Uresti at Quail Hollow in 2017 (he will be playing at Kiawah) and Brian Gaffney at Whistling Straits in 2015.

How are the 136 other spots in the PGA Championship determined?
For a list of ways to qualify for the PGA Championship, click here.

Can amateurs play in the PGA Championship?
The PGA Championship is limited to professionals only, meaning amateurs cannot qualify.

What does the winner of PGA Championship receive?
The PGA champion receives the Wanamaker Trophy, the largest trophy of the four men’s majors. Last year, Collin Morikawa earned a winner’s check of $1.98 million from the PGA Championship’s $11 million purse. Traditionally the winner also receives automatic invites into all three of the other majors and the Players Championship for the next five years, PGA Tour membership for the next five years and European Tour membership for the next seven years. They also become eligible to compete in the PGA Championship for life.

Who won the 2020 PGA Championship?
In a fiercely competitive final round at TPC Harding Park, Collin Morikawa came away the winner, shooting a final-round 64. At one point on the back nine, seven players were tied for the lead. But the 23-year-old Cal-Berkley grad, playing in just his third major, pulled away from the field with a pair of clutch shots on the back nine, a chip-in birdie on the 14th and an eagle on the 16th after hitting driving the green with this amazing tee shot.

Shot of the day/month/year for Collin Morikawa. pic.twitter.com/3TubR6LlQG

— GOLFTV (@GOLFTV) August 10, 2020

The rest of the leaderboard was certainly impressive with Paul Casey, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Matthew Wolff, Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose finishing behind Morikawa.

Who has won the most PGA Championships?
Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen hold the record for most PGA Championship victories with five. Nicklaus also holds the record for most runner-up finishes in the PGA Championship with four.

How many PGA Championships has Tiger Woods won?
Tiger Woods has won four PGA Championships, the last coming in 2007 at Southern Hills.

Tiger Woods makes his putt for par and to win the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2007. (Montana Pritchard/PGA of America)

Who are the most famous golfers not to have won the PGA Championship?
There are three players in golf history who have won the other three men’s major championships (the Masters, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship) but have not completed the career Grand Slam by winning the PGA. They are Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Jordan Spieth. Spieth is only 27 so he has plenty of time to try and complete the Slam. This is the fifth year he will be playing the PGA with the chance to do so. After going through a three-plus-year winless drought, Spieth is playing solidly again this year after a breakthrough win at the Valero Texas Open and a T-3 finish at the Masters.

Who is the youngest winner of the PGA Championship?
Gene Sarazen is the youngest winner, claiming the title at Oakmont Country Club in 1922 at 20 years and 174 days old. He defended his title the following year at Pelham Country Club and went on to win his third and final PGA at Blue Mound Golf & Country Club in 1933.

Who is the oldest winner?
Julius Boros is the oldest winner, claiming the title at Pecan Valley Golf Club in 1968 at 48 years and 142 days old. He remains the oldest winner of any of the men’s majors.

What is the PGA Championship scoring record?
The record for lowest 72-hole score in a PGA Championship was held by David Toms for his 15-under 265 total at Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth, Ga., in 2001, but Brooks Koepka broke that mark in 2018 with his 16-under 264 at Bellerive. Koepka also tied the record set by Henrik Stenson at the 2016 Open Championship for the lowest total in major championship history.

What is the PGA Championship scoring record in relation to par?
Jason Day holds the record for scoring in relation to par not only in PGA Championship history but in major championship history. The Australian was 20-under-par (268) when he won at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis., in 2015.

What is the highest winning score of a PGA Championship? In relation to par?
The highest total score of a PGA champion is one-under 287, shot by Larry Nelson in 1987 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The highest winning score in relation to par was one-over 281, shot four times: Jay Hebert, 1960; Julius Boros, 1968; Gary Player, 1972; and Dave Stockton, 1976.

What is the largest margin of victory in the PGA Championship?
The largest margin of victory in the PGA Championship belongs to Rory McIlroy, who won by eight strokes in 2012 at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island (S.C.). The Northern Irishman won the event again in 2014 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. That remains his last major championship victory.

If players are tied after 72 holes, how is a winner determined?
In the event of a tie, the PGA of America employs a three-hole aggregate format for the championship’s playoff. If players are tied after three holes it becomes a sudden-death playoff.

How many playoffs have there been in PGA Championship history?
Since 1958 and the move to stroke play, there have been 13 playoffs in the PGA Championship, the last coming in 2011 at Atlanta Athletic Club, where Keegan Bradley defeated Jason Dufner in the three-hole aggregate playoff.

What site has hosted the most PGA Championships?
Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., has hosted the most PGA Championships—four—the most recent in 2007 when Tiger Woods won.

What state has hosted the most PGA Championships?
New York has hosted the most PGA Championships with 13, including three at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., which hosted the 2013 PGA Championship and is scheduled to host again in 2023.

What are the future venues for the PGA Championship?
Future venues for the PGA Championship have been announced officially through 2029. There is also a “TBD” year for 2030, as well as a venue locked in for 2031. They are as follows:

2022 — Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Okla.
2023 — Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, N.Y.
2024 — Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Ky.
2025 — Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C.
2026 — Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square, Pa.
2027 — The East Course at PGA Frisco, Frisco, Texas
2028 — The Olympic Club, San Francisco
2029 — Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower), Springfield, N.J.
2030 — TBD
2031 — Congressional Country Club (Blue), Bethesda, Md.
2034 — The East Course at PGA Frisco, Frisco, Texas

Who is the favourite to win the 2021 PGA Championship?
World No. 1 Dustin Johnson leads the betting pack at Kiawah Island at 10/1 with Jon Rahm right behind him at 11/1. Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau sit at 12/1 and 14/1, respectively, and they are then followed up by Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy all at 16/1. Defending champ Collin Morikawa is next at 22/1. After an impressive showing at the Masters, Will Zalatoris is tied for the 15th best odds in the field at 33/1.

What will the weather be like for the 2021 PGA Championship?
It’s early still, but 2021 PGA Championship looks to have favourable South Carolina weather according to the long-range forecast, albeit a bit windy. Predictions calls for a little rain during championship days, but it looks to be in the 70s all week. The wind looks to be in the 5-12 mph range

For a month-ahead look, check out weather.com’s Monthly Weather page for Kiawah Island, S.C.

Stephen Szurlej

What is The Ocean Course known for?
This will be the second PGA Championship at this course on Kiawah Island and its last iteration featured the greatest victory margin in this event’s history. A fierce thunderstorm on Saturday in 2012 and winds gusting on Friday at around 20-30 mph were just a few of the very tough conditions that led to extremely slow play and high scores.

Arguably more famous, however, was the first big event held at the Ocean Course—the 1991 Ryder Cup. Nicknamed “The War by the Shore” because of how competitive the clash was between the United States and Europe, and the gamesmanship that was seen between the two sides. The contest came down to a last Sunday singles match between Bernhard Langer and Hale Irwin. Langer faced a six-foot putt for par on the 18th hole that would have won his match and ended the overall contest in a 14-14 tie. But he missed and the Americans walked off with the wild victory.

Who designed The Ocean Course?
The 7,849-yard par 72 course was designed by Pete and Alice Dye after the couple was hired and given two years to build a seaside masterpiece for the 1991 Ryder Cup. The wild landscape features a course that is just 55 acres, but you won’t hear us complaining.

Who broadcasts the PGA Championship?
This year’s PGA Championship will be broadcast between ESPN and CBS due to a joint contract between the two. ESPN replaced TNT in 2020 and holds rights to all of the early round and weekend morning coverage, including supplemental coverage on ESPN+. CBS will hold all rights to afternoon coverage of weekend rounds and will feature Jim Nantz play-by-play.

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By Brian Wacker
Like most sports, golf has been fairly conservative in its approach when it has come to allowing fans on site at tournaments amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Most tournaments so far during the PGA Tour’s 2020-21 season have either not had fans at all or no more than a few thousand each day.

Slowly, that’s starting to change.

On Tuesday, the PGA of America announced that 10,000 fans per day will be allowed at this year’s PGA Championship, May 17-23 at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. The decision was made in coordination with the state of South Carolina, medical officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

MORE: How Xander Schauffele just joined an exclusive club

“We’re excited to welcome spectators back to the PGA Championship this May in a way that is responsible and aligned with current South Carolina health protocols,” PGA of America President Jim Richerson said in a release.

To date, that would be the largest crowd at any tournament since the tour resumed play last June. Last fall, the Vivint Houston Open allowed 2,000 fans per day, while the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this month allowed 5,000 spectators each round.

Similar numbers are expected for the tour’s Florida Swing events, beginning with next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, where ticket sales will be capped at 25 percent. The Players Championship the following week will allow 20-percent capacity, which should put daily attendance for that event around 8,000 fans per day.

The Masters also previously announced that it would welcome a limited number of spectators each day, though Augusta National did not provide specifics. The USGA has not yet said if there will be fans for the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego in June.

Last year, the PGA Championship, won by Collin Morikawa, was played without fans in attendance at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. The event was also rescheduled from May to August because of the pandemic.

At this year’s tournament, all spectators, staff and volunteers, including those who have already received a COVID-19 vaccine, will be required to wear face coverings. Social distancing will also be expected and sanitation stations will be placed throughout the property.

The PGA of America also said that because this year’s PGA Championship had previously sold out that it will notify ticket holders of their order status via email. The limited number of tickets will be allocated based on a combination of factors, including the buyer’s original registration group, time of purchase and daily inventory available. Those who aren’t provided the opportunity to retain their ticket order or those who choose to forfeit the ticket will be given a full refund. The PGA added that anyone who purchased tickets from a secondary market platform other than pgachampionship.com or PRIMESPORT should contact that site directly.

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