A pair of major champions, the defending champion and a nine-time PGA Tour winner are among 132 players entered in the second ONEFlight Myrtle Beach Classic, which is being played Thursday through Sunday at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club.
Reigning champ Chris Gotterup, who won the inaugural PGA Tour event in Myrtle Beach by six strokes with a 22-under-par 262, is returning to the $4 million event.
Following his victory last season, Gotterup has missed more PGA Tour cuts than he has made, making just 12 of 27. He finished 95th on the FedExCup points list last season and sits at 109 this year.
But he comes into the Myrtle Beach Classic playing well, with a pair of ties for 18th and a tie for 12th in his last four events.
Major champions Webb Simpson and Francesco Molinari are entered. Simpson won the 2012 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club and Molinari won the 2018 British Open at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland. Simpson’s seven PGA Tour wins also include the 2018 Players Championship and 2020 RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island.
Brandt Snedeker, whose nine wins on the PGA Tour include the 2011 RBC Heritage, looks for redemption at The Dunes Club after missing the cut last year with a 5-over 147. Snedeker was recently named captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup Team in 2026.
Four-time PGA Tour winner Kevin Kisner of Aiken and Joel Dahmen, winner of the 2021 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship who is 72nd on the FedExCup Points list, are also entered.
Six players who competed in Myrtle Beach last year have gone on to win on the PGA Tour since, and two of those return in Harry Hall and Davis Riley.
Teenager Blades Brown also returns after tying for 26th at 10 under last year as a 16-year-old who was playing for his high school team in Nashville. Brown turned pro in December.
There is a rare father-son duo in the field, as Clemson alumnus and five-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd will participate along with his son, Jackson, who is entering his freshman year at Clemson.
The Myrtle Beach Classic is being played simultaneously with the Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club, which features a $20 million purse and 70 or so of the top players on tour.
Tournament additions, changes
Tournament organizers have added a third night of entertainment during the tournament, as a Classic Shag Dance competition will be held Friday night following play at approximately 6 p.m., and will be free to attend for tournament ticket holders.
Seven couples will compete for cash prizes on the outdoor stage at the Fan Zone, near the 17th green and 18th tee. Each couple will choose a song to showcase their skills in the shag, a swing dance that originated more than 40 years ago in North Myrtle Beach, which hosts the national shag championship each spring.
Reigning national champs Claire Huiet and Johnathan Kemp, both age 23, will be among the competitors. Others include Sam West, who is in his mid-50s and has competed in 40 of the national championships, and his sister and partner Sarah Kemp. James Parker, 87 and a former national champion in the master’s division, will dance with Renee Scott.
First place is $3,000, second is $1,700 and third is $700. The competition will be judged by a three-person panel of professional shaggers.
There will be two concerts in the Fan Zone following play, as Chairman of the Board will perform Thursday and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line will perform Saturday.
There will be new options for eating, seating and shopping at the tournament this year as well.
General admission seating and standing room viewing will be added behind the 18th green and there will be additional merchandise areas, including a beach-themed venue called the Sand Bucket Surf Shop on the ocean lawn behind the clubhouse and next to the main entrance.
Food truck vendors will also have a spot, in addition to the traditional concession stops throughout the course, including a food court area in the Fan Zone.
The second Ignite Women’s Brunch at the Myrtle Beach Classic will be held from 8:30-11 a.m. Monday at the Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort and Spa at Grande Dunes, and North Myrtle Beach native Vanna White of Wheel of Fortune fame is scheduled to attend.
The Ignite keynote speaker is Jaime Costanzo, president of the Myrtle Beach Chapter of the LPGA Amateur Golf Association, whose chapter was founded in 2023 and has grown to more than 300 members. Tickets are $65 for chamber members and $75 for nonmembers.
The Wednesday pro-am has become a highlight of tournament week with OneFlight International’s involvement as a title sponsor. The private aviation company is planning to bring 18 Hollywood celebrities to the pro-am.
Participants include White, actors Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, Michael Chiklis, Greg Kinnear, Michael Pena, David Arquette, Carmine Giovinazzo, Esai Morales, and Matt Corboy; actresses Wallis Day and Jennie Garth; actress and singer/songwriter Candice King; comedians/actor Rob Riggle; investor Robert Herjavec of Shark Tank; winemaker Michael Mondavi; former Major League Baseball player Nick Swisher; and long driver and social media influencer Cassandra Meyer.
Myrtle Beach Classic tickets are available at oneflightmyrtlebeachclassic.com.
Tournament organizer are offering two free tickets Wednesday and 25% off tickets Thursday-Sunday to active and retired military personnel as well as first responders. Children under 16 are admitted free with a paying ticketholder.
