Expect SC’s Ocean Course, 2021 PGA to be ‘what a major championship should be’

The Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course that will stage the 2021 PGA Championship in May will be the same one that burst into the golf world’s consciousness in the 1991 Ryder Cup.

The famed Pete Dye design by the Atlantic Ocean will be different, too.

That’s OK, says Kerry Haigh, the PGA of America’s chief championship officer. “The Ocean Course gets no easier.”

Haigh has set up the course for all its big events — starting with that Ryder Cup and ranging to the May major championship — and noted, “It’s one of the best in the world, second to none in terms of challenges.”

The course has evolved from the raw and wild layout that opened with the Ryder Cup. Through the ensuing 30 years, grasses changed, tees were moved to add length and create different angles, and agronomy improved.

“But the Ocean Course always will have the wind,” Haigh said after a recent visit to review preparations. “If the wind blows, this is one of the most difficult courses anywhere.”

Case in point: In the 2012 PGA at the Ocean Course, only one player broke 70 on the day the wind howled.

With today’s players hitting the ball longer, the landing area for tee shots will be stretched into the 300-yard range for the PGA. Overall, the course could be stretched to 7,800 yards.

“My goal in setting up the course is that it’s the players against the golf course,” Haigh said. “My aim is to set up the golf course difficult but fair. We want to test the players, to make the best players in the world think, and they will have to think to play this course well.

“The overseed grass will be hanging on and the course will play differently in that respect. How much depends on the weather three or four weeks before the tournament. But the players will adjust. They’re the best in the world.”

Rory McIlroy won the 2012 PGA in August, and playing in 2021 in May “will be different for the players,” Haigh said. “We saw from the 2007 Senior PGA (played in the spring) that wind directions are different and stronger” than in the summer.

From the fans’ perspective, May temperatures should be more comfortable than in August and, Haigh said, “hopefully the weather will be less humid.”

Tickets through the Championship ticket registration program have been sold out. However, official tickets are available for sale from other fans at the Official 2021 PGA Championship Ticket Exchange.

The ticket exchange “allows fans to buy and sell tickets on line in a convenient, safe and 100 percent guaranteed environment,” tournament officials said.

The unknown factor five months prior to the event is the impact of the coronavirus. Since the pandemic stopped play in March, most tournaments — and all the majors — have been played without galleries.

“We have a Plan B and can reduce the number of spectators if we have to,” Haigh said. “We have a Plan C, too, but we hope to go with Plan A with things on the upswing by May.”

With or without fans, the players will be challenged in the May 20-23 event.

“There’s no letup (with easier holes),” Haigh said. “The Ocean Course is what a major championship should be.”

Chip shots. Kyle Bearden (Barnwell) used top-five finishes in both the State Amateur and the State Mid-Amateur for a springboard to earn the SCGA’s 2020 player of the year award. He edged former player of the year Robert Lutomski (Simpsonville) by two points. Eddie Hargett (Blythewood) claimed the senior player of the year honor for the second straight year, outdueling three-time winner Walter Todd (Laurens). ... The Midlands Golf Course Owners Association’s 2021 VIP Value Books, which offer special rates at 24 area courses, are available for $70. In addition to the golf course rates, the book includes specials at Hemingway’s Grill, Koosa Golf and Express Oil Change and Tire Engineers. Part of the proceeds benefit he South Carolina Junior Golf Association. Books can be purchased at both Koosa Golf locations, the SCGA office, the Spur at Northwoods, Par Tee Golf Center and online at www.scmidlandsgolf.org. A list of participating course is available on the website