7 Things to Know about the Palmetto Championship

A week away from the U.S. Open, the PGA Tour is headed to Ridgeland, South Carolina, for the Palmetto Championship at Congaree Golf Club. Here are 10 things to know before the event begins on June 10.

1. The Palmetto Championship is a one-time replacement for the RBC Canadian Open

Due to on-going COVID 19 restrictions at the Canadian and U.S. border as well as the unpredictable nature of golf in Canada during the pandemic, the RBC Canadian Open was not on the PGA Tour schedule for the second straight season. Golf courses were only just re-opened on May 20, 2021 North of the border.

The Palmetto Championship will be contested at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina. The 7,655-yard, par 71 track is hosting a PGA Tour event for the first time but is no stranger to being talked about as an elite golf course. Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses in America rankings (released in May 2021) listed Congaree as the 39th best golf course in the country.

Congaree opened in 2017 with just two members, Dan Friedkin and Bob McNair. The philanthropic mission of the club is unique as members are referred to as “ambassadors” who pay for membership primarily through mentorship opportunities. According to a PGA Tour article, “the annual Congaree Global Golf Initiative identifies dozens of high school students from around the world who have the talent to play college golf but who lack the financial or social advantage of some of their peers.”

2. A week ahead of the U.S. Open, this week’s field has just 5 of the top 25 players in the world.

With the U.S. Open the following week on the complete opposite side of the country, most of the world’s best are electing to skip the Canadian Open filler event. Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Tyrell Hatton, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Sungjae Im are the only players in the top 25 of the OWGR.

3. Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson getting their only tournament in between the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

It might be peculiar to see two guys like Kopeka and DJ playing the week before a major on the other side of the country, but that’s because neither has played since Kiawah Island. Koepka finished runner up while Johnson missed the cut. Other than a top 15 finish at the RBC Heritage a week after The Masters, DJ hasn’t finished inside the top 15 since a T-8 finish at the Genesis back in February.

4. Congaree is not a short golf course.

Playing almost 7,700 yards this week, Congaree definitely has the goods to challenge the players on the PGA Tour. The front nine has two different par 4’s stretching over 480 yards and a par 5 that stretches out to 650 yards. While the back nine isn’t quite as extreme the par 4s don’t get much shorter on the unique 37 out, 35 in, par 72 course.

You’re going to see a lot of waste areas at this course as Tom Fazio created a lot of forced carries with the already available sand on the property. It’s the kind of course that doesn’t have a lot of rough, but players will find themselves in a big waste bunker if they’re just a couple of yards off the fairway. Also being in South Carolina, it will remind you a little of Kiawah Island.

5. Remember the name Wilco Nienaber.

So, Wilco Nienaber is a 21-year-old South African splitting his time between the European Tour, Challenge Tour and Sunshine Tour (South Africa’s top tour). He won the 2021 Dimension Data Pro-Am at the beginning of May on the Challenge Tour. On the surface, Neinaber isn’t completely separating himself from the rest of the pack, but he has qualified for the U.S. Open due to being first in the Order of Merit on the Sunshine Tour. And he is LONG. Like really long. He’s averaging 329 yards off the tee this season in South Africa and he’s fourth in birdie average per round. He hits it long and scores well when he does.

He’s making his PGA Tour debut this week in South Carolina on a course that is going to play in the ballpark of 7,700 yards. He certainly won’t be the favorite, in fact he’s quite the opposite at over 100-1, but he’s going to surprise some people with his talent and distance. Please enjoy this video of Nienaber hitting a drive 439 yards at last year’s Joburg Open.

6. A Sponsors Exemption Spotlight

Nienaber is on the list of sponsor exemptions this week and he’s joined by a group of players with sponsor’s invite.

Cole Hammer – the University of Texas star is the 13th ranked amateur in the world. He was a 2018 U.S. Amateur finalist as part of a crazy summer that also involved a Western Amateur win and the U.S. Four Ball Amateur Championship. He was also a part of the 2021 Walker Cup team and is a first alternate for the 2021 U.S. Open next week at Torrey Pines.

John Pak – Before turning pro, Pak was the No. 4 ranked Amateur in the world was also a 2021 Walker Cup team member. The Florida State Seminole finished first in the PGA Tour University 2021 class meaning he will have full status for the remainder of the Korn Ferry Tour season.

Davis Thompson – another highly decorated amateur, he is No. 2 in the WAGR with a top 25 finish on the PGA Tour at the RSM Classic at Sea Island. The Georgia Bulldog just finished his senior season and finished second in the 2021 PGA Tour University class.

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Smylie Kauffman, David Lispky, Ridgeland native, Bryson Nimmer and John Rollins also received sponsor exemptions.

7. The winner is…

Brandt Snedeker. Due to his OWGR outside of the top 25 you haven’t seen Snedeker in either major this season, but he’s been playing some good golf. He has three top 11 finishes in his last six starts and two top 17 finishes in his last three. Koepka and DJ are obviously the frontrunners this week, but Snedeker is definitely in better form than DJ and without Koepka’s performance at Kiawah he’s had a much better last couple months than him as well.

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