2021 PGA Championship: Top 10 power rankings at Kiawah Island
The second major of the year is here. It’s the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
The resort opened 1974 with five courses designed by separate architechts. Kiawah Island rose to prominence when the Ocean course opened just in time to host the 1991 Ryder Cup. It was one of the more competitive and memorable editions that lives on with the moniker “War by the Shore.”
The Ocean course hosted the 1997 and 2003 World Cup of Golf, 2005 PGA Professional Championship, 2007 Senior PGA Championship and 2012 PGA Championship.
In 2000, it was used in the filming of the movie “The Legend of Bagger Vance.”
The Ocean course plays to a par 72 and stretches out to 7,849 yards, making it the longest venue in major championship history.
Erin Hills was the previous longest at 7,741 for the 2017 U.S. Open. It boasts the highest slope rating (155) and one of the highest course ratings (79.1) in the U.S.
It’s regarded by various media outlets as the most difficult course in the U.S.
Paspalum grass was introduced prior to the 2012 PGA Championship. That was the first major played on that type of grass, which is favorable for seaside conditions. It’s a bit stickier and lacks grain common on Bermuda greens.
Players will be tasked with having to navigate a course that tests all areas of the game. Tons of waste bunkers and native areas will penalize wayward shots.
The green complexes are fairly large, but undulating. You can run approach shots up, but you’ve got to be precise to get it close. Most holes have an array of tee boxes, which will allow for the PGA of America to mix and match with yardages depending on wind and other conditions.
The weather forecast week looks a lot better than Sunday’s deluge at the AT&T Byron Nelson. There’s no imminent chances of rain with temperatures in the 60s-80s. Wind is expected to consistently be in the low double digits, which is enough to make an impact.
Like on most coastal courses, a steady wind is what makes Kiawah Island such a tough task.
Could we see things get firm and fast to make this look more like a U.S. Open?
The PGA Championship is known for having the deepest field of the four majors. Everyone in the top 100 in the Official World Golf Rankings is virtually assured a spot. There are 20 PGA professionals who get their chance at fame by qualifying via the PGA Professional Championship held this spring.
Notable absences from the field due to injury are Matthew Wolff and Tiger Woods. Brooks Koepka has been on the shelf for long stretches since winning in Phoenix in February, but he’s giving it a go this week after playing last week in Texas.
Webb Simpson two weeks ago and Dustin Johnson a week ago pulled out of events citing injury. Both are in the field at time of writing.
It should be a fun week at Kiawah Island as we look to see if someone can separate himself like Rory McIlroy did in 2012, or if it will be an all-out dogfight reminiscent of the ’91 Ryder Cup.
Let’s get into the top 10 power rankings: