2021 Palmetto Championship: Top 10 power rankings at Congaree
There’s no course history to rely on to prognosticate for this week’s Palmetto Championship at Congaree.
The event is a one-off for 2021, replacing the Canadian Open on the schedule. The 2020 and 2021 Canadian Opens were canceled due to Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions.
It will be great to get Canada back in the fold for 2022. Until then, we as viewers get to see the pros take on a new course.
Congaree Golf Club is in the low country in Gillisonsville, South Carolina, about 75 miles southwest of Charleston.
It’s a Tom Fazio design that opened in 2018. A lot of land was moved to build this course that was built on a former plantation homestead.
It quickly racked up accolades, including “best new private course for 2018” and “best new course built during the decade of 2010-19” by Golf Digest. Golf Digest also ranked it No. 39 in its 2021-22 list of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.
It attempted, but failed, to land the 2025 Presidents Cup. How this week goes would seem to impact if more events will return.
Congaree was built for the modern game as it stretches to 7,685 yards and a par 71.
The fairways and greens are Bermuda. There is no rough on the course. Wide fairways make this look to be an easy test off the tee as long as you don’t go too far astray into the sandy waste areas.
Congaree thrives under firm and fast conditions, not unlike the sandbelt courses in Australia. The green complexes have some character to them that would be best brought out with some fire in the course.
You need to be able to chip well from tightly mown lies and collection areas.
The weather forecast suggests chances of rain that coulden soften the course but not likely to throw the tournament off schedule.
There are always a few big names who opt to get some tournament reps the week before a major. It really is just a few this time.
No. 1 Dustin Johnson and No. 7 Brooks Koepka are the only top 10 players from the Official World Golf Rankings in the field, and DJ is a native South Carolinian.
The U.S. Open is across the country in Southern California at an entirely different style course in Torrey Pines. Unless you’re not qualified or need the FedEx Cup points, it makes sense for a player to skip the trek to Congaree.
We’ve got a standard field of 156 players for the Palmetto Championship. There was the rare Sunday qualifier to round out the field to make way for Monday’s U.S. Open sectional qualifiers.
That’s an important thing to note for prognisticators this week. Is the guy you’re backing coming off of 36 holes on Monday? Did he play the week before, too?
Fatigue can be an issue. Players may also pull out of the Palmetto Championship if they lock up their spot to Torrey Pines on Monday. Something to note if you like to set your DFS lineup early.
Sports and golf fans alike are itching for men’s golf’s third major, but this week should offer an interesting, new prelude.
Let’s get down to the 10 players who could be doing the conga on the 72nd green at Congaree.