PGA Championship August 9-12 | The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island
The Amazing Ocean Course The world’s best golfers take on America’s most difficult course. 6
From Daniel Island to Kiawah
Defending PGA champion earned Tour card after Nationwide event. 10
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Inside
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Kiawah Island’s amazing Ocean Course, which is set up to play at 7,676 yards for the PGA Championship, will test the world’s best golfers.
NSHIP PGA CHAMPIO AUGUST 9-12
| THE OCEAN
AH ISLAND COURSE, KIAW
Players to watch during the 94th PGA Championship t in S.C.? The Biggest Evenhip might top all pions 6 The PGA Cham events held here. other sporting
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For more cover
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On the Cover
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Keegan Bradley, who went on to win the PGA Championship last year, played in the Nationwide Tour Championship on Daniel Island in 2010.
A look a the PGA Tour players with ties to the Palmetto State.
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Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course
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Site map of Kiawah’s Ocean Course as well as a spectator guide for the PGA Championship
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Where does the PGA Championship rank among the biggest sporting events in South Carolina history?
Photos provided by Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Also inside A hole-by-hole look at the
Ocean Course, with tips on how to play each hole
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A look back at some of the most memorable PGA Championships
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Kiawah island
The Amazing Ocean Course
BY TOMMY BRASWELL braswell@postandcourier.com
Crazy. That may be the most fitting way to describe the conception, birth and early days of the Ocean Course, Kiawah Island’s seaside golf gem and the site of the 94th PGA Championship. In May of 1989, the PGA of America held a press conference at the resort to announce it was moving the 1991 Ryder Cup Matches from PGA West in California to Kiawah Island and a golf course that did not yet exist. Golf fans throughout the world wondered if PGA of America board members had lost their minds. But Landmark Land Company, which owned PGA West and had recently purchased Kiawah Island Golf Resort, had a vision and an
ace up its sleeve — an architectural genius in Pete Dye. Dye and Landmark officials took PGA of America officials to the extreme eastern tip of the island and painted their dream, 18 holes over a 21/2-mile stretch bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Every hole would have a view of the ocean. Work quietly began shortly before the 1989 Ryder Cup got underway in England. But as the two teams were battling to a 14-14 tie, something even more dramatic was taking place this side of the Atlantic. On the day the ’89 Ryder Cup began, Hurricane Hugo smashed into the South Carolina coast, its eye coming ashore not far from Kiawah. Please see course, Page S8
Sunday, August 5, 2012: S7
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One Par 4, 395 yards
The Ocean Course opens with
one of the shorter holes on the golf course. Hitting the fairway allows a good opportunity for a birdie and a great start to your round. A drive favoring the left center of the fairway provides the best angle of approach to the green and also avoids the waste area dominating the right side of the hole.
S8: Sunday, August 5, 2012
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Kiawah’s Amazing Ocean Course Course from Page S6
“We had really just got started when Hugo hit that island,” Dye said. “Hugo changed everything. It changed what we were going to do. It tore down all the trees and changed the sand along the edges. Sand dunes disappeared and trees fell into the lagoons. Hugo put us a little behind. We spent three or four months getting the place cleaned up.” Two years later, 24 of the best golfers in the world met at The Ocean Course in what would become known as the “War By The Shore,” one of the most riveting Ryder Cups ever. The competition came down to the last match, the last hole and the last putt. Bernhard Langer barely missed a six-
foot putt in his match against Hale Irwin. Had Langer made the putt, the matches would have ended in a tie and Europe would have retained the Cup. Instead, the Americans celebrated with the coveted trophy in the nearby surf. The star of the show was The Ocean Course. Brutally deDye manding and unforgiving, there was a “last man standing” feeling. Players cursed the course. That’s not an uncommon reaction to some of Pete Dye’s courses. Harken back to the early days of the Tournament Players Championship at Sawgrass and to
PGA West in Palm Springs, Calif. Both courses sparked near revolts from PGA Tour players. But Dye said his philosophy is to challenge the world’s best players, and while they grouse and grumble, their criticisms invariably are about “how demanding the golf course is.” Although there were declarations after the Ryder Cup that a strokeplay event could never be held at the Ocean Course, golfers in the next big event disproved that. Playing a course set up at just over 6,800 yards and with very little wind blowing, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley won the 1997 World Cup with a combined score of 31 under par; Colin Montgomerie was 22 under par to take the individual title; and Ger-
many’s Alex Cejka set the course record with a 9-under-par 63. “In ’91, the course was unplayable, but now it’s grown into a popular, well-respected golf course, one of the world’s finest, if not America’s best resort,” Montgomerie said. The Ocean Course, set up to play at 7,676 yards for the PGA Championship, consistently ranks among the top 100 golf courses. It is currently ranked No. 27 in the U.S. and No. 45 in the world by Golf Magazine and No. 26 in the U.S. by Golf Digest, which also rates The Ocean Course as America’s most difficult golf course. Dye’s reaction? “My measurement of success,” Dye once said, “is that I’ve never built a golf course yet that’s not crowded.”
Sunday, August 5, 2012: S9
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Two Par 5, 543 yards
The tee shot is critical on this
three-shot par 5. A conservative line off the tee will require you to lay-up short of the cross hazard. A long drive down the left hand side allows you to carry the cross hazard on your second shot and sets up a short pitch onto the severely undulating and elevated green. Laying back slightly may allow you to create enough spin to hold this green on your third shot. Strategy, as well as shot making, is the key to a good score on this hole.
S10: Sunday, August 5, 2012
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defending champion Keegan Bradley
‘Seems like a dream’ Bradley’s journey to winning PGA Championship
last year aided by previous success in the Lowcountry
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BY TOMMY BRASWELL braswell@postandcourier.com
t takes just over an hour by automobile to travel the most direct route from the Daniel Island Club to Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s
Ocean Course, where the 94th PGA Championship will be played this week. But Daniel Island is, in some ways, where Keegan Bradley began a whirlwind journey that led him from PGA Tour rookie to major championship winner in the span of 10 months. It was at the 2010 Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island where Bradley became one of 25 golfers who earned a spot on the 2011 PGA Tour. Bradley proved he belonged when he won the HP Byron Nelson Championship, just his 16th PGA Tour event. Ten months after leaving Daniel Island, playing in his first major championship, Bradley beat Jason Dufner in a playoff at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Bradley said he still gets chills watching video highlights, a victory made even more special because he is the son of a PGA of America golf professional. Please see Bradley, Page S12
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Three Par 4, 390 yards
The green complex on the
shortest par 4 on the golf course is the defining feature of this hole. Built on top of a natural sand dune, the green is perched above the surroundings and requires an extremely precise approach shot to get close to the hole and even stay on the putting surface. A drive down the left side shortens the hole, but a drive favoring the right provides a larger margin for error. Be extremely careful on your club selection for the second shot. Missing the green will require a deft touch to save par.
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defending champion Keegan Bradley
Winning PGA a ‘dream’ for Bradley bio
Bradley, from S10
There is a distinction between the PGA of America and the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour is comprised of professional golfers; the PGA of America is comprised of golf professionals — the men and women who give lessons, sell merchandise and operate the cash registers at golf courses. “It kind of hits home what I’ve done,” Bradley said after watching a highlight film. “Seeing (the names of former PGA champions) and knowing their names are on the trophy. That’s the first thing I did was to check and see if my name was on there. “It lets you know what you’ve done. Tiger. Ben Hogan. It seems like a dream that it happened.” Golf was always part of Bradley’s life, although as a youngster growing up in New England he was just as interested in skiing. The son of a PGA club professional and nephew of LPGA hall of famer Pat Bradley, he said he decided on the golf path while standing on a rainy, cold mountain in Killington, Vt. A hard-core New England sports fan, Bradley’s choice to attend St. John’s University in New York City defies conventional logic. “It seemed like a good fit. Coach (Frank) Darby was a good coach. The team was a great bunch of guys and we played some of the best courses in the country on Long Island, Westchester, the Hamptons. It was a great decision for me to go there.” Bradley graduated with a degree in sports management and then began a slow but steady climb through the
KeeganBradley
Height: 6-3 Weight: 190 Age: 26 College: St. John’s University Birthplace: Woodstock, Vt. Residence: Jupiter, Fla. PERSONAL: Lists Bethpage State Park’s Black Course as his favorite golf course ... Never travels without his rain gear. Favorite professional teams are the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots ... Superstitions include always marking his ball with the coin head’s up. Favorite TV show is “Seinfeld” and favorite movie is “Goodfellas.” @Keegan_Bradley file/Brad Nettles/staff
Keegan Bradley, who played at The Ocean Course in March, has had three top-10 finishes since winning the PGA Championship last year in Atlanta.
mini-tour ranks to the Nationwide Tour and then to the PGA Tour. Bradley said he has always “flown under the radar,” dating back to his days as a junior golfer. “I had what I thought was a pretty good college career. I never really got noticed,” he said. Bradley has not won since the 2011 PGA Championship, but he has been in the hunt with three top-10 finishes, including a playoff loss to Bill Haas in the Northern Trust Open, and has won $1.8 million. “It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been asked to do a lot of special things,”
Bradley said of the changes to his life since winning the PGA Championship. “I’ve been able to throw out the first pitch at a Red Sox-Yankees game. I’ve been able to drop the first puck at a Bruins game. I got to flip the coin at a Patriots game. I’m still waiting to hear from the Celtics. I’ve done a lot of stuff you dream about as a kid. “There’s been a little more media, more attention, but I’m getting used to it. It makes me appreciate what guys like Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods have done with the attention.”
I’ve been able to throw out the first pitch at a Red Sox-Yankees game. I’ve been able to drop the first puck at a Bruins game. I got to flip the coin at a Patriots game. I’m still waiting to hear from the Celtics. I’ve done a lot of stuff you dream about as a kid. Keegan Bradley
Sunday, August 5, 2012: S13
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Four Par 4, 453 yards
Keep your tee shot left of the
pot bunkers to allow for the widest part of the fairway and the best approach angle to the green. From the forward tees, a three wood or less off the tee takes the cross hazard out of play for longer hitters. A left hole location can be reached by a run up shot to the pin. A right hole location requires a soft shot over the two waste areas guarding the right side of the green. A very deep waste area collects balls rolling over this green.
Five Par 3, 207 yards
The Eastern most hole on
the course turns back towards the ocean. A massive green may lure you into complacency but hitting the wrong side will result in a very difficult two-putt. Club selection may vary as much as three clubs depending on the hole location.
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state ties
Palmetto Flavor At least a half dozen players in the field have connections to the state of South Carolina BY TOMMY BRASWELL braswell@postandcourier.com
There will be a 6 (perhaps 7) in 156 chance that a South Carolina golfer will claim the PGA Championship’s Wanamaker Trophy at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. The field announced earlier includes former Clemson stars Jonathan Byrd, Lucas Glover and Kyle Stanley, Greenville native Bill Haas (Wake Forest), former Coastal Carolina golfer Dustin Johnson and former Big Break star Tommy Gainey of Bishopville. William McGirt, a former Wofford golfer, was the first alternate. The only PGA Championship winner South Carolina ever produced was World Golf Hall of Fame member Henry Picard in 1939. As much as Charleston loves and reveres Picard, who also won the 1938 Masters, he wasn’t living in Charleston when he beat Byron Nelson, 1-up in 37 holes, at Pomonok (N.Y.) Country Club. Picard was born in Plymouth, Mass., came to Charleston in his late teens to work at the Country Club of Charleston and later moved on to some of the most prestigious golf clubs in the country before retiring to Charleston where he died in 1997 at the age of 90. Picard was the head pro at Hershey (Pa.) Country Club and known as the Hershey Hurricane when he beat Nelson. Four of the players with ties to South Carolina — Glover, Byrd, Haas and Johnson — began honing their game through South Carolina Junior Golf Association and later South Carolina Golf Association tournaments. Glover won the South Carolina Amateur Championship three straight years, 1998-2000. Haas won the S.C. Amateur in 2003.
Masters winner Bob Goalby, also grew up in the Greenville area. He followed in his father’s footsteps to Wake Forest where in 2004 he was the national player of the year. In 2011, Haas won the Tour Championship and claimed the FedEx Championship, the PGA Tour’s season-long points race. He won for the fourth time this year at the Northern Trust Open near Los Angeles. Dustin Johnson has the most wins of any Palmetto State golfer with six, including this year’s FedEx St. Jude’s Classic. Johnson, Happ Lathrop, SCGA who grew up in Columbia and lives in Myrtle Beach, came extremely close to winning the 2010 PGA at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis. But he was assessed a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in “To have in our home state, an area that had been deemed a our first major championship, it bunker by the PGA of America. makes you proud of what they That dropped him from a spot in a have done,” said Happ Lathrop, playoff into a tie for fifth. executive director of the South Gainey has perhaps the most Carolina Golf Association. “We unusual resume of the South Cardidn’t give them the talent, but we olina contingent. He once worked gave them a good learning arena. as a cart attendant at Dunes That’s pretty special.” West, began playing mini-tours Glover, a Greenville native, went and caught his big break on The on to become a two-time AllGolf Channel’s Big Break V and American at Clemson and in 2009 Big Break VII. He has not won in won the U.S. Open at Bethpage four years on the PGA Tour but Black in New York. He has three has nine top-10s, with the best a PGA Tour wins, the most recent runner-up spot to Davis Love III coming at the 2011 Wells Fargo at Disney in 2008. Gainey also Championship in Charlotte. has two Nationwide Tour wins. Byrd, who grew up in Columbia, Should McGirt make his way was a three-time All-American into the field, he would add more at Clemson and has earned five local flavor. In addition to playwins on the PGA Tour. Stanley ing at Wofford and residing in came across the country, from Boiling Springs, McGirt also Gig Harbor, Wash., to play at works with Danny Stewart, the Clemson and maintains a home head teaching professional at the in Bluffton. He won his first PGA Country Club of Charleston. In Tour title this year in Phoenix. his second year on the Tour, McHaas, the son of former PGA Girt has two top-10s, including a and Champions Tour star Jay runner-up finish in the Canadian Haas and great nephew of 1968 Open.
To have in our home state, our first major championship, it makes you proud of what they have done. We didn’t give them the talent, but we gave them a good learning arena. That’s pretty special.
Johnson
Byrd
Glover
Trahan
Haas
Gainey
Sunday, August 5, 2012: S15
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Six Par 4, 455 yards
There is no need to challenge
the left side on this slight dogleg left par 4. A drive into the center of the fairway provides the best angle of approach into the green. Don’t be tempted by a back left hole location; play to the middle and make your par. Be wary of club selection as this is one the deepest greens on the golf course.
Seven Par 5, 527 yards
The second par 5 provides a
legitimate chance for a birdie and can be reached in two shots during favorable wind conditions. The tee box on this hole tempts you to carry the massive waste area guarding the right side. Don’t be deceived. The left hand side of the fairway is larger than it appears. A drive in the middle of the fairway will leave a three wood to the green, or a good angle for a lay-up. Be wary if playing downwind; the green slopes away and a shot landing in the middle or back can easily go over.
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PGA championship Spectator guide same parking fee as a regular vehicle each to ride their bike to the Championship. All bitime they enter the PGA Public Lot. Parking cycle parking will be complimentary. There are two recommended travel routes passes for these vehicles may be obtained in to Kiawah Island during Championship Week: the same way as the general public, either in Juniors get in free ORANGE ROUTE: Traffic traveling north- advance or at the gate. bound or eastbound from outside the The PGA of America will offer up to four Charleston area (Savannah, Hilton Head complimentary junior ground admissions Public parking Island, Columbia, I-95, 1-26) with every paid adult ticket. Junior admisUse US Hwy 17. Turn onto Main Road The PGA Public Parking Lot for spectators sions apply to youth age 17 or younger, and (becomes Bohicket Road) and follow signage ($20 a day) will be behind the Freshfields may be obtained at the main spectator ento PGA Public Parking Lot Village Shopping Center, located between trance admissions office on the day of entry. GREEN ROUTE: Traffic traveling from all Kiawah and Seabrook Islands. There will be Wanamaker ticket upgrades for juniors may areas northeast of Kiawah (James Island, no public parking on Kiawah Island during be purchased for $25 per day at admissions. Charleston, Mount Pleasant) the PGA Championship. Please note that junior tickets do not gain acUse Maybank Highway. Turn left onto River There will be no overnight parking in the cess into private hospitality areas. Rd. Turn left onto Betsy Kerrison Parkway and PGA Public Parking Lot, and any vehicles follow signage to the PGA Public Parking Lot. left overnight will be towed at the owner’s active military expense. Active military personnel receive compliShuttle, taxis, etc. mentary daily grounds access. A valid active Bicycles There will be a specific section of the PGA military ID is required on the day of attenPublic Parking Lot for shuttles, taxis, limo Bike racks will be available at the PGA Public dance to receive the free ticket, which can and private vehicles to drop off and pick up Parking Lot, the Ocean Course entrance and be obtained at the admission sales and will guests. These vehicles will be subject to the all On-Island Shuttle stops, for those wishing call office. One additional spouse ticket will
Travel Routes
Personal eletronics such as hand-held games, radios, televisions, iPods, iPads, etc. All oversized chairs Weapons of any kind Signs, placards and posters Alcoholic beverages Coolers, ladders, milk crates and pets
when on the course
Make sure your ticket is visible all the time. Stay behind gallery ropes and cooperate with marshalls. Be considerate of others and kneel or sit if you are in the front row of the gallery.
Restrooms
First Aid
Shuttle
Shaded Cool Down area
Grandstand
ATM
ADA viewing Food & Bev.
THE OCEAN COURSE
Pete Dye Village
Dunes Skyboxes
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Media Center Media Shuttle
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Betsy Kerrison Pkwy.
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Clubhouse
Champions Club
James Is.
Johns Is.
Kiawah Island
Oceanfront Village
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Drinks
Entrance gate
PGA Performance Center
L T Leaderboard, Thruboard
TNT 1-7 p.m. TNT 1-7 p.m. TNT 11 a.m.-2 p.m. WCSC 2-7 p.m. TNT 11 a.m.-2 p.m. WCSC 2-7 p.m.
Hole YDS Par Hole YDS Par 1 396 4 10 447 4 2 557 5 11 593 5 Like us on Facebook: 3 390 4 12 412 4 facebook.com/ThePostandCourier 4 458 4 13 497 4 5 188 3 14 238 3 6 480 4 15 444 4 Scan this QR code with 7 579 5 16 581 5 your smart phone to go 8 198 3 17 223 3 to postandcourier.com/ Cooling spots 9 494 4 18 501 4 pga 3,740 36 3,936 36 There are public cooling zones on the back Total 7,676 yards Par 72 and front nines and the main entrance. These
There are nine public bleachers available on site. Two on the driving range, No. 1 and No. 18. And, one on No. 12, No. 15 and No. 16. The best spots to watch are on the bleacher behind No. 16 on the left side. This has a great view of No. 17. Also, the bleacher on No. 1, you can see No. 9 from it, too.
Spectator shuttle
Information
on TV
Yardage Chart
Follow us on Twitter: @postandcourier and use the hashtag #pgachamp
vantage points
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leave at home
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Monday–Wednesday . . . . 7 a.m.–7:30 p.m. Thursday–Friday . . . . . . . 6:45 a.m.–8 p.m. Saturday–Sunday . . . . . . 7:30 a.m.–8 p.m.
also be complimentary with the presence of cooling zones will provide shade and comfort an active military ID, even in the event of a for spectators. Some will have special cooling championship sellout. benches, which emit air conditioning. Thursday Friday danger from wildlife More online Saturday Saturday Do not disturb or feed alligators, snakes or For more coverage of the 94th PGA Sunday other natural wildlife while on the grounds Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Sunday of the Ocean Course. Course, go to postandcourier.com/pga
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Volunteer HQ
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S18: Sunday, August 5, 2012
The Post and Courier
TOp 10 Only time will tell if the 2012 PGA Championship makes this list of the top 10 sporting events/moments in the state of South Carolina.
1. 1991 Ryder Cup Ocean Course thriller; U.S. wins “War by the Shore” 2. 1988 “Puntrooski football Game” No. 10 FSU defeats No. 3 Clemson with iconic trick play 3. 1975 Family Circle Cup tennis Evert edges Navratilova during tennis’ golden age 4. 2003 Darlington spring nascar race Ricky Craven nips Kurt Busch by .002 seconds 5. 2010 usc football upsets alabama Stephen Garcia throws 3 TD passes to stun No. 1 Tide 6. 1965 USC basketball over No. 3 Duke McGuire Era college basketball goes big time 7. 1987 USC-Clemson football game No. 12 Gamecocks down No. 8 Tigers in Columbia 8. 2012 Columbia baseball Regional Best NCAA baseball rivalry; Gamecocks win in 12 9. 1990 Clemson ACC basketball title Basketball Tigers top Duke for regular season crown 10. 1960 NFL’s Colts come to town Unitas among Baltimore stars at Charleston exhibition
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The Top 10, so far S.C. sports history: Before the PGA, there was the Ryder Cup and “Puntrooski”
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BY GENE SAPAKOFF || gsapakoff@postandcourier.com
South Carolinians fought the British and pirates. Spanish settlements, African artistry and French forts make the Palmetto State a must study for any serious student of American history. True, until the first shot of the 2012 PGA Championship, we fall a bit short in sports. But for a state with no big-league teams, South Carolina’s up-until-now list of top 10 sporting events, like its food, is surprisingly rich and diverse. The list includes only events that took place inside the state: Please see TOp 10, Page S20
Corey Pavin and the 1991 United States Ryder Cup team won the ‘War by the Shore’ at The Ocean Course.
file/staff
Sunday, August 5, 2012: S19
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Eight Par 3, 197 yards
The eighth is a seemingly
simple par 3 that can become a tough two putt depending on the hole location. The back third of the green is about three feet lower than the front. If playing downwind, you will need to play for the front of the green and run the ball back to the hole. If playing into the wind, you can become more aggressive and aim directly at the pin. The water behind the green shouldn’t come into play.
S20: Sunday, August 5, 2012
Top 10
sporting events in South Carolina history TOp 10 from Page S18
1. “War by the Shore”
3
4
5
8
10
The U.S. reclaimed the precious Ryder Cup in a hard-fought “War by the Shore” victory that came down to Germany’s Bernhard Langer missing a six-foot putt on the 18th hole. The 14½-13½ conquest put the Ocean Course on the map two years after Pete Dye’s dazzling design was almost wiped off Kiawah Island by Hurricane Hugo. What a cast. Captain Dave Stockton’s U.S. team included the late Payne Stewart, Corey Pavin, Fred Couples, Hale Irwin, Lanny Wadkins and Mark O’Meara. Europe was loaded, with Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Colin Montgomerie and David Feherty.
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Alabama went on to finish the season at No. 10. South Carolina was No. 22, but claimed its first SEC East title.
6. McGuire Madness
Head coach Frank McGuire’s basketball glory years at South Carolina included an ACC championship, guard John Roche on the cover of Sports Illustrated and a preseason No. 1 ranking. The turning point: a 1965 upset of No. 3 Duke at Carolina Field House, a 73-71 victory that sparked hoop hysteria and stands as the first of many Gamecock wins over nationally ranked foes under McGuire.
7. 1987 Braggin’ Rights
South Carolina’s 20-7 win over Clemson at Williams-Brice Stadium in 1987 remains the Palmetto State “braggin’ rights” football game with the highest combined rankings, No. 12 2. “Puntrooski” for the Gamecocks and No. 8 for the Tigers. In 1988, No. 10 Florida State’s 24-21 victory over Brad Edwards’ 40-yard interception return No. 3 Clemson was the first clash of top 10 sealed it for South Carolina. college football teams at Death Valley. Deion Sanders, hardly intimidated, ran over to The 8. College baseball rules Clemson leads the overall series and South Hill and waved for the Tigers to run down. Danny Ford’s physical bunch felt good about Carolina won back-to-back national champia 21-21 tie with FSU facing fourth-and-4 at its onships in 2010 and 2011, just part of what own 21 with 1:30 remaining. That’s when Le- makes Tigers vs. Gamecocks the best college Roy Butler appeared out of nowhere running 78 baseball rivalry over the last few seasons. yards to set up Richie Andrews’ game-winning Aching to reverse a South Carolina trend highfield goal. Upback Dayne Williams took the lighted by two wins over the Tigers in Omaha punt snap and slipped it between Butler’s legs in 2010, Clemson arrived at the 2012 Columin what venerable Beano Cook dubbed, “The bia Regional as undaunted underdogs. South Carolina won a Saturday winner’s bracket greatest play since ‘My Fair Lady.’ ” game, 5-4, but it took 12 gripping innings 3. Chris and Martina before a crowd of 8,242 at Carolina Stadium. The Family Circle Cup during the 1970s at Years of intensity were captured in one hot Hilton Head was appointment viewing, full of afternoon, and the Gamecocks eliminated NBC time slots in the tennis golden age. The Clemson the next day in another one-run women’s tournament and its big money in- game (4-3). fluenced participation in women’s sports, and there was no more captivating final than Chris 9. Clemson’s ACC title Evert’s 1975 victory over Martina Navratilova. The Tigers in 1990 with a 97-93 win over No. 3 Duke clinched the only ACC regular 4. Craven and Busch season basketball championship in school hisTrading paint to the millisecond end, Ricky tory, and did so when the ACC was a powerCraven won the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 house. Future NBA veterans Dale Davis and in the spring of 2003 by .002 seconds over Kurt Elden Campbell, both first-team All-ACC, led Busch in probably the best finish at “The Track the way and Clemson made 8 of 9 free throws Too Tough to Tame.” The finish is tied for the in the final 1:19. closest finish in NASCAR history. Craven said he didn’t know who won 10. Johnny U. until peeking at the leaderboard during a cool Charleston has played host to Major League down lap. It’s a fitting representative race for Baseball, NFL, NBA and NHL exhibition NASCAR roars at the iconic superspeedway games, but one sticks out. The NFL’s Baltimore Colts defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 31-21, since 1950. on Aug. 26, 1960, just 20 months after their 5. Rolled Tide famed overtime win over the New York Giants Stephen Garcia’s best game as a college foot- in “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” ball quarterback was well-timed, three touch- Johnny Unitas topped a marquee full of Colts down passes in South Carolina’s 2010 upset future Hall of Famers on display at The Citaof No. 1 Alabama. It was the first Gamecocks del’s Johnson Hagood Stadium. victory over a top-ranked team. “I think that this game was meant to be,” Reach Gene Sapakoff at 843 937-5593 or on Twitter @sapakoff coach Steve Spurrier said of the 35-21 win.
Sunday, August 5, 2012: S21
The Post and Courier
Nine Par 4, 464 yards
This is a beautiful hole and a
challenging finish to the front nine. While intimidating from the tee, this fairway is wide and favors a right to left ball flight. Be careful of the false front on this green. A tricky up and down waits left, right and back. The green is elevated and is protected by a pot bunker behind. You should attack this green from right to left.
S22: Sunday, August 5, 2012
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Ten Par 4, 439 yards
This is a great risk-reward hole
to start one of the most beautiful back nines in golf. A drive down the center or left-center of the fairway will set up a mid-toshort second shot to a green nestled down in the dunes. Avoid the deep waste area off the tee and this hole can be your first chance at a birdie on the back nine. A waste area to the left front of the green and a waste area behind guard the angled green that can be attacked by a variety of shots.
Eleven Par 5, 562 yards
This is a great three-shot par 5.
The tee shot requires you to avoid the small, deep waste areas protecting the right side of the fairway. An accurate lay-up is the key to a good score on this hole. Be wary of trying to get too close to the green, as it is better to lay back on the right hand side, and take the waste area left out of play. A good lay-up will leave a pitch to a relatively flat, but elevated green. An accurate pitch should yield a good chance for a birdie.
Sunday, August 5, 2012: S23
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Twelve Par 4, 466 yards
A large driving area should
provide a medium length approach to a green guarded by water on the right hand side. There is little trouble left of the green, so do not tempt the water on the right. A conservative iron shot to the middle of this green allows for a birdie chance and eliminates a big number.
Thirteen Par 4, 404 yards
Strategy is the key to this par 4.
Challenging the water guarding the right side of the fairway shortens this hole and takes the two pot waste areas on the left, out of play. A drive finding the fairway leaves a short to medium length iron shot into a well protected green. The ideal approach shot is the front left or center left of the green. No need to challenge a back hole location as the green narrows significantly and the risk of water and waste area are too great.
S24: Sunday, August 5, 2012
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Fourteen Par 3, 194 yards
This is a spectacular par 3 with
an extremely severe green complex. Your only choice is to hit the green or likely make a bogey or worse. The waste area on the left is a place you do not want to find your ball, as an up and down for par is very unlikely. A miss to the right rolls all the way to the bottom of the collection area and allows for multiple options on your second shot. If par is your score here, be very grateful.
Fifteen Par 4, 421 yards
As a blind tee shot with a
saddle shaped fairway, balls tend to kick toward the center. Avoid the waste area on the left side and pot bunkers left and right of the green. An approach shot missing short and right leaves a straight forward chip and a good chance for par. An approach missed long leaves a difficult up and down. This small green may yield a birdie if you can find the putting surface.
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Sunday, August 5, 2012: S25
Sixteen Par 5, 579 yards
Drive the ball down the right
side of the fairway. In favorable wind conditions, the green can be reached in two shots by bouncing the ball onto the right side of the green. Avoid the massive waste area guarding the front and left of the green to leave a short pitch to a small, elevated green. Judging the wind can be difficult since you are below the dunes and are hitting up-hill to an exposed green. Club selection is vital.
S26: Sunday, August 5, 2012
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Players to watch Tiger Keegan Bradley Woods
Bubba Watson
Age: 36 Resides: Hobe Sound, Fla. What’s interesting: Everything. Woods has made a grand comeback this year with three PGA Tour wins (zero in 2010 and 2011); he has won 14 majors, second only to Jack Nicklaus (18); putted against Bob Hope on the Mike Douglas Show at age 2. 2012 highlights: 3 wins, including AT&T National Best PGA Championship finish: Won in 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007
Age: 26 Resides: Jupiter, Fla. What’s interesting: He comes to Ocean Course as the defending champion (defeated Jason Duffner in a three-hole playoff to win 2011 PGA Championship); he is the nephew of World Golf Hall of Fame member Pat Bradley. 2012 highlights: Finished second at the Northern Trust Open in February Best PGA Championship finish: Bradley’s 2011 PGA Championship title was his first major
Age: 33 Resides: Scottsdale, Ariz. What’s interesting: Self-taught, unorthodox shot-maker; grew up in tiny Florida panhandle town of Bagdad; a lefty; played at University of Georgia; wife Angie played basketball at Georgia; uses a flashy pink driver. 2012 highlights: 2012 Masters champion (defeated Louis Oosthuizen in playoff) Best PGA Championship finish: Finished second in 2010
Webb Simpson
Ernie Els
Phil
Age: 27 Resides: Charlotte What’s interesting: 2012 U.S. Open winner; three-time All-American at Wake Forest (ACC Player of the Year in 2008); majored in Religion at Wake Forest; skipped British Open to be with wife Taylor for birth of their second child. 2012 highlights: U.S. Open is one of three career PGA Tour wins Best PGA Championship finish: Played in 2011 but failed to make the cut
Age: 42 Resides: West Palm Beach, Fla. What’s interesting: 2012 British Open winner, his fourth major (1994 and 1997 U.S. Open, 2002 British Open); ended a streak of nine first-time winners at majors. 2012 highlights: Open championship came during a year in which Els did not even qualify for the Masters Best PGA Championship finish: Finished tied for third in 1995 and third in 2007
Age: 42 Resides: Rancho Sante Fe, Calif. What’s interesting: “Lefty” is a fan favorite with three Masters wins among his 40 PGA Tour wins; a pilot and the son of a Navy pilot; “Bones” Mackay is one of golf’s most popular caddies. 2012 highlights: Won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February Best PGA Championship finish: Won in 2005
Adam Scott
Rory McIlroy
Zach Johnson
Age: 32 Resides: Crans sur Sierre, Switzerland What’s interesting: How will he handle the first major after blowing a fourshot lead over the last four holes of the British Open? Will the Aussie (played at Nevada-Las Vegas) gain sympathetic fans? 2012 highlights: Second at British Open was his best finish; tied for 15th at Masters. Best PGA Championship finish: Tied for third in 2006
Age: 23 Resides: Holywood, Northern Ireland What’s interesting: Won the 2011 U.S. Open by eight shots; dates tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, 2011 Family Circle Cup champion; never know when he might say something amusingly testy. 2012 highlights: Won the Honda Classic in March. Best PGA Championship finish: Tied for third in both 2009 and 2010.
Age: 36 Resides: St. Simons Island, Georgia What’s interesting: Emerged from nowhere – actually, Iowa – to win the 2007 Masters; played on 2006 and 2010 Ryder Cup teams. 2012 highlights: Two of his nine PGA Tour wins have come this year, at the Crowne Plaza Invitational and the John Deere Classic. Best PGA Championship finish: Tied for third in 2007.
Mickelson
Sunday, August 5, 2012: S27
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Seventeen Par 3, 221 yards
One of the most famous and
treacherous holes in golf, this green is guarded by water short and right, making club selection extremely important on this visually intimidating par 3. Anywhere on the middle of the green is a great shot and should result in a par. This hole can make or break a great round, so be conservative off the tee to give yourself a chance for par.
S28: Sunday, August 5, 2012
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ocean course highlights
Ocean Course Opens Ryder Cup 1991
Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf 1996
World Cup
UBS Warburg Cup
1997
2001
U.S. earned a 141/2-131/2 victory over Europe in matches dubbed “War By The Shore.” The outcome wasn’t settled until Bernhard Langer missed a par putt on the final hole. If Langer had made the putt, Europe would have earned a tie and retained the Ryder Cup.
The LPGA’s Dottie Pepper and Annika Sorenstam went head-to-head in the madefor-television event, the stroke-play competition, held at the Ocean Course. Pepper shot 75 and Sorenstam 77. Pepper, who had a five-shot lead going to 17, finished par-triple bogey to Sorenstam’s birdie-bogey finish. Had it been match play, Pepper would have won, 3 and 2.
With mild conditions and a generous 6,800-yard setup, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley combined for a 31-under-par 545 total and beat Scotland by five strokes. Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie shot 68-66-66-66—266, 22 under par, to win the individual title. Alex Cejka set the course record with a 63.
The U.S., captained by Arnold Palmer, scored a 121/2-111/2 win over the International team, captained by Gary Player. The matches, made up of players 40 and older, included ’91 Ryder Cup contestants Mark O’Meara, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Hale Irwin, Sam Torrance, Raymond Floyd, Mark Calcavecchia and Ian Woosnam. In a rematch of their ’91 Ryder Cup encounter, Langer and Irwin halved their singles match.
World Cup
PGA Club Pro Championship 2005
Senior PGA Championship 2007
PGA Championship
University of Illinois golf coach Mike Small shot a final-round 65 and won the PGA of America’s Club Professional Championship with a 1-over-par total of 289, the highest winning score in CPC history. Travis Long of Henderson, Nev., was two shots back in second.
Zimbabwe native Denis Watson made up four shots over the final two holes, shooting a final-round 68, to pass Argentina’s Eduardo Romero in the final dress rehearsal for the 2012 PGA Championship. Watson shot 9-under-par 279 for his first victory since 1984. He finished two ahead of Romero, the 54-hole leader. Romero’s downfall was the par-3 14th where he pulled his tee shot into the face of a sand bunker that resulted in an unplayable lie and an eventual double bogey. Only six players were under par for the 72-hole tournament.
2003 South Africa’s Rory Sabbatini and Trevor Immelman shot a final-round 74 for a 13-under-par 275 total to beat England’s Justin Rose and Paul Casey by four shots. Rose and Casey shot a final-round 67. Unlike the 1997 World Cup when the format was straight stroke play, the 2003 World Cup alternated between better ball and alternate shot. This was the first time a PGA Championship had been mentioned as a possibility and Casey said such an event would be “embarrassingly difficult.”
2012 The Ocean Course will host the first PGA Tour major in the state of South Carolina on Aug. 9-12.
Sunday, August 5, 2012: S29
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Eighteen Par 4, 439 yards
With the Atlantic Ocean just to
your right, this finishing hole is one of the strongest par 4s on the course. A favorable wind condition will help a drive hit toward the right center of the fairway carry the crest of the hill and leave a shorter shot into the green. Into the wind, players should favor the left center of the fairway leaving a longer iron, hybrid or a fairway wood shot into a well-protected green. Players should avoid the pot waste areas guarding the right side of the fairway and the large waste area on the left side of the green. An approach shot that favors the right side of the green should lead to a well-deserved par.
S30: Sunday, August 5, 2012
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Sunday, August 5, 2012: S31
S32: Sunday, August 5, 2012
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