There are more than a half dozen players on the PGA Tour who are natives and/or residents of South Carolina.
Many of them gave their thoughts on Myrtle Beach hosting its first PGA Tour event while participating in the RBC Heritage tournament last month at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island.
The inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic will be played at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club next year, likely in late spring or early summer.
The Heritage has received exceptional support from players with ties to South Carolina over its 55 years, and the event in Myrtle Beach will likely receive the same backing from eligible players from the Palmetto State. They will likely also have inroads to sponsor exemptions, if needed.
“Being able to drive from home and play a tour event is sweet,” said Kevin Kisner of Aiken, who is one of four PGA Tour members who are members of the historic Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken, along with Matt NeSmith, Richy Werenski and Scott Brown. “[The Heritage has been] our only South Carolina event, and being from South Carolina I consider it a home event.”
Congaree Golf Club in the Ridgeland area has hosted a pair of PGA Tour events in each of the past two years, as well.
While the South Carolina players all expressed excitement for the state to get another PGA Tour event, because the Myrtle Beach Classic will coincide with an elevated event and have a much smaller purse of $3.9 million, they all hope they are qualified to play in the more lucrative event.
“I would absolutely hope not to [be playing in Myrtle Beach], but if that’s the tournament that I’m in, I absolutely will be playing,” said Columbia’s Wesley Bryan, winner of the 2017 RBC Heritage.
Here is what some South Carolina tour players had to say:
_ Lucas Glover: Greenville native and Clemson alum who played in many junior tournaments on the Strand including the George Holliday Memorial Junior at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club multiple times. Four-time PGA Tour winner, including the 2009 U.S. Open.
“The more the better for the state, you know. Anything that brings revenue and draws interest to South Carolina is great. It would be a big draw for sure. It’s obviously a big destination for tons of people, so it would be well attended I’m sure.”
_ Ben Martin: Greenwood native, Clemson alum and Greenville resident who played in the George Holliday and other junior events on the Strand. PGA Tour winner.
“Obviously Myrtle Beach is known by people throughout the country and the world for people going there to play golf, so I’m a fan. I love coming down [to Hilton Head] and the Clemson support and Greenwood and Greenville [support], so I think it would be the same kind of support there. It was cool to have Congaree for a couple years, so anything you can drive to and play on the tour is a pretty good deal.”
_ Wesley Bryan: Columbia native and resident, South Carolina alum and trick shot artist along with his brother George who recently shot videos on six Grand Strand courses for YouTube channels and played in numerous Strand junior events. PGA Tour winner.
“I think No. 1 it’s exciting just for the state in general to have another set of eyeballs for another week, which is really cool. And globally when you think of golf in the United States, Myrtle Beach is probably one of the places that pops up.”
_ Richy Werenski: Massachusetts native who attended high school at the IJGA academy in Hilton Head Island and resides in Aiken, where his wife went to college at USC Aiken. PGA Tour winner.
“I think it’s pretty cool. Any more tour events in South Carolina are good by me, you know, closer to home. I haven’t played too many of the golf courses there but I know they have so many, and I know they can find a good one. It’s one of the biggest golf destinations in the country. It’s huge. I’ve always kind of known about it, I’ve just been lucky enough to have golf courses wherever I’ve gone so I haven’t had to travel much.”
_ Matt NeSmith: North Augusta native, South Carolina alum and Aiken resident. NeSmith shared medalist honors with Jimmy Stanger of Virginia in Coastal Carolina’s 2016 General Hackler Championship at The Dunes Club while helping the Gamecocks to the team title.
“I definitely think it deserves a tournament for sure. I mean, to be called the Golf Capital of the United States and have some really, really great golf courses there, I think it could be a great place to host a tour event. The more South Carolina events we get, I’m all for that. I love the state, I love being here, it’s the place that I call home, I love the golf courses, I love the vibe around the place.”
_ Carson Young: Native and resident of Anderson, Clemson alum who plays out of Greenville and played in countless junior events on the Strand.
“I think it’s great for South Carolina, being a state that is all about golf it seems like all the time, and Myrtle Beach being the mecca of golf. I think it’s great they’re going to have an event there, and I think it’s perfect for it to be an opposite field event for guys that aren’t going to get into a designated event like Wells [Fargo Championship]. I think it’s a great starting point and I think that’s awesome. There are so many golf courses there. I think it’s great for the game.”
