The 2012 PGA Championship feels like a lifetime ago. Rory McIlroy, fresh off a win at the Wells Fargo Championship, hopes to turn back the clocks to once again conquer the feared Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. McIlroy blistered the 2012 PGA Championship field like only he and Tiger Woods can seem to do, shooting 13-under to win by eight shots.
The 2021 PGA Championship makes a return to the iconic Pete Dye design hugging South Carolina's marshy coastline May 17-23. This time around, there will be limited spectators, but the same rules apply on such a daunting layout. Tread lightly. Especially on a course with a scorecard that can stretch to as long as 7,876 yards.
The Ocean Course, covered in sticky paspalum grass, throws it all at players - elevated greens, waste bunkers that stretch entire holes and enough marshes, ponds and O.B. hazards to dole out a month's worth of penalty strokes. When the wind kicks up, the scores will most certainly soar. It's considered one of the 10 best public golf courses in the country in the latest Top 100 rankings by Golf Magazine and Golf Digest. It's also lauded among the public as well, having made our Golfers' Choice U.S. Top 50 for 2021. When combined with Charleston and Kiawah Island's four other 18-hole courses, it is part of the top 100 golf destinations in the world according to our editorial staff.
The venue, also host of the 1991 Ryder Cup, should make for compelling major championship theater. You can see live scoring during the event and more coverage of the field and the course at PGAChampionship.com. Here's a hole-by-hole tour:
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Par 4 | 396 yards
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As long as players don't miss right, the first hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort will ease players into the 103rd PGA Championship. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 5 | 557 yards
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Players will attempt to bite off as much of the salt marsh carry as they can on the second hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 4 | 390 yards
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The tiny trees in the middle of the fairway and a table-top green protect the third hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 4 | 484 yards
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With two marsh carries, the fourth hole is the No. 1 handicap on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 3 | 207 yards
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An hour-glass shaped green greets players on the par-3 fifth hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 4 | 490 yards
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Sand frames both sides of the sixth hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 5 | 579 yards
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The seventh hole is a dramatic par 5 on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 3 | 198 yards
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The eighth hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort plays 197 yards from the tips. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 4 | 514 yards
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The ninth hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort bends slightly left with trouble lurking left as well. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images ![Turtle Point Golf Course]()
FROM $277 (USD)KIAWAH ISLAND, SC | Enjoy 5 nights' accommodations in a Resort Class Villa at Kiawah Island Golf Resort and play 4 rounds of golf at Osprey Point, Turtle Point, Cougar Point and Ocean Course. -
Par 4 | 447 yards
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The salt marshes run along the 10th hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 5 | 593 yards
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The 11th hole might feel like the most narrow fairway on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 4 | 484 yards
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The approach to the 12th hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort is a daunting one, even for the best players in the world. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 4 | 497 yards
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A canal runs alongside the 13th hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 3 | 238 yards
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The 14th hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort is an exposed par 3 with great views of the ocean. Gary Kellner/PGA of America -
Par 4 | 466 yards
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With ocean right and bunker left, the 15th green is tough to hit on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 5 | 608 yards
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The 16th hole on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort is a 579-yard par 5. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 3 | 223 yards
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The par-3 17th hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort was a torture chamber for the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images -
Par 4 | 505 yards
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The 18th hole provides a scenic and dramatic finish for a round on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images For those interested in tee times or golf packages to play the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort later this year, find out more about the green fees and booking policies here and here.
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4 Min ReadMarch 17, 2021The PGA Championship host and former Ryder Cup host is one of the most feared and beautiful rounds of golf in America.![]()
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Ocean Course should play firm and fast
Someone should have proof read the copy under the photos of each hole!