South Carolina to spend $6 million sponsoring PGA Tour golf tournament in Ridgeland
South Carolina is getting a new PGA Tournament, and the state is footing part of the bill.
On short notice, South Carolina was given the opportunity to host the RBC Canadian Open due to COVID-19 concerns. With just a short time to plan the tournament, it would have been difficult to find a sponsor for the event, re-dubbed the Palmetto Championship at Congaree, according to S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster’s office.
To secure the event, the state of South Carolina will spend $6 million to be the main sponsor of the Palmetto Championship, which is scheduled to take place at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland on June 7-13.
Sponsoring the tournament will leave the state with some perks. The state will be given the majority of the ad space associated with the event, which it will use to advertise tourism across South Carolina, according to the Governor’s Office.
“South Carolina is open for business and we are proud to have the opportunity to take advantage of this unique opportunity,” McMaster said in a statement. “This nationally televised, elite tournament will give people from around the world a chance to see all that South Carolina has to offer and will jumpstart our tremendous tourism industry.”
Officials are hopeful that the plethora of ads will help revive South Carolina’s tourism economy, which struggled under COVID-19. The 32 total ads are expected to have a $53.9 million value, according to a joint statement from the PGA, South Carolina’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and the Congaree Gold Club.
“That’s the big buy for us,” Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director Duane Parrish said.
South Carolina tourism revenues are estimated to have been cut in half because of the pandemic, according to an article from the University of South Carolina. In 2019, the industry brought in about $24 billion, and in 2020, it’s estimated to have only brought in about $12 billion.
The tournament is expected to bring in a $50 million impact to the economy, most of which will be in the Lowcountry, Parrish said.
South Carolina is getting the opportunity to host the Canadian Open after international travel issues caused by COVID-19 caused the country to cancel for the second year in a row. The PGA announced the tournament venue change Tuesday.
The Canadian Open brings the number of tournaments on the 2021 PGA Tour schedule hosted within the state to three. The RBC Heritage will be held April 12-18 at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head. The 2021 PGA Championship is on May 20-23 at the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island.
This story was originally published April 2, 2021 at 11:17 AM.
