The First Look: Palmetto Championship at Congaree

The Palmetto Championship at Congaree is a one-time replacement for the RBC Canadian Open, as lingering concerns tied to the U.S.-Canada border and ongoing COVID-19 challenges made it too difficult to host Canada’s national open for the second year in a row. This is the third PGA TOUR event contested in South Carolina this season (RBC Heritage and PGA Championship) while the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation will be hosted in South Carolina the same week as the Palmetto Championship. FIELD NOTES: Reigning FedExCup champion and South Carolina native Dustin Johnson leads the field… The recently announced Ben Hogan Award winner, John Pak, is making his professional debut. Pak, who also won the Fred Haskins Award as the nation’s top men’s collegiate golfer this year, is the top-ranked played in the inaugural PGA TOUR University Class… Former No.1-ranked amateur in the world, Davis Thompson, is also making his first professional TOUR start. Thompson, a University of Georgia product, finished T23 as an amateur at The RSM Classic… Former PGA TOUR Player of the Year Brooks Koepka is making his first start since the PGA Championship where he was runner up… Fellow major winners Danny Willett, Jason Dufner, and Padraig Harrington (fresh off his T4 at the PGA Championship) are teeing it up… Also amongst the Sponsor Exemptions is Bluffton, South Carolina native Bryson Nimmer. The Clemson University product is playing his third TOUR event of the season and grew up less than an hour from Congaree. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Congaree Golf Club, par 71, 7,655 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. STORYLINES: The RBC Canadian Open will return to the PGA TOUR’s schedule in 2022, hosted by Toronto’s St. George’s Golf and Country Club which last hosted the event in 2010. Oakdale Golf and Country Club will host in 2023, while Hamilton Golf and Country Club will host in 2024… Other high-profile names who are choosing to play in South Carolina prior to heading to Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open include world No.10 Tyrrell Hatton, fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, and former PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Sungjae Im. 72-HOLE RECORD: N/A (first-time event) 18-HOLE RECORD: N/A (first-time event) LAST TIME: In the spot on the PGA Tour schedule normally occupied by the RBC Canadian Open, the Palmetto Championship is a one-off replacement event as COVID-19 challenges were too great to overcome for the second year in a row in Canada. Rory McIlroy captured the 2019 RBC Canadian Open by seven shots – even flirting with a 59 in the final round – but will not be in the field in South Carolina. The previous years’ Canadian Open winner, Dustin Johnson, will be teeing it up at the Palmetto Championship, however, along with 2017 and 2018 champion Jhonattan Vegas. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. ET. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete.

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