Which layouts top the public-access and private course rankings in South Carolina?
South Carolina is one of the most popular golf destinations in the country, with top layouts stacked alongs the Atlantic coast. From major-championship sites to PGA Tour venues to elite private clubs, the Palmetto State’s golf offerings are a gift that just keeps giving. Keep scrolling to see the best of them.
Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.
(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960 (c): Classic course, built before 1960
Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses.
Phil Mickelson made history in more ways than one with his PGA Championship victory.
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Clobbering Father Time, bullying big bad Brooks Koepka and getting the better of Pete Dye’s bruiser hard by the sea, Phil Mickelson etched his name in golf’s historical record with a staggering victory Sunday in the 103rd PGA Championship.
While doubters waited for Mickelson to falter, seeing as he hadn’t won since 2019, hadn’t finished top 10 in a major since 2016 and recently sought out meditation to deal with focus issues, he didn’t lose his concentration nor his balance during a rollercoaster round on the harsh, windswept Ocean Course at Kiawah Island to become the oldest major championship winner ever.
After sleeping on a one-shot lead, Mickelson, 200-1 to win on Thursday and a few weeks from turning 51, survived a helter-skelter first 10 holes where he and playing partner Koepka exchanged body blows to the tune of four two-shot swings and one three-shot swing and then didn’t stagger despite a few more thrills and spills on the back nine and signed for a 1-over 73 to win by two shots.
Inspired by the boisterous pro-Phil galleries, the People’s Champion won his sixth major and supplanted Julius Boros, who won the 1968 PGA Championship at 48, as the oldest to win a major.
A complete list of the gear Louis Oosthuizen is using this week at the 2021 PGA Championship:
DRIVER:Ping G400 (9 degrees set at 8.75), with Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 S shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS:TaylorMade SIM2 (15 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Red 7 X shaft; Ping G425 (20.5 degrees at set 19.25), with Fujikura Ventus Red 9 X shaft
IRONS:Ping Blueprint (4-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts
WEDGES:Ping Glide 2.0 Stealth (50 degrees bent to 48, 54 degrees bent to 55), Glide Forged prototype (60 degrees bent to 59), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Black shafts
Seemingly out of left field, ‘ol Lefty just may have one more major in him.
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Jordan Spieth sounded as if he was channeling “the most interesting man in the world,” in those old Dos Equis commercials when he said, “I don’t watch golf, but I promise you I’m going to turn it on to watch him today.”
“Yeah, it’s Phil, right,” he added. “It’s theatre.”
Mickelson, dressed in all black like another ageless wonder, Gary Player, and sporting his now familiar Highway Patrolman shades, put on a world-class performance Saturday, threatening to run away with the 103rd PGA Championship before a few stumbles.
He closed with five pars to shoot 2-under 70 and take a one-stroke lead over Brooks Koepka at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.
After sharing the 36-hole lead, the 50-year-old Mickelson charged ahead with four birdies in his first seven holes.
In much more docile conditions at the Pete Dye layout, he looked like the golfer who has won 44 PGA Tour titles and five majors rather than the one that hasn’t lifted a trophy in more than two years or recorded a top-20 finish this year other than against the round bellies at the PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic.
Phil Mickelson reacts after his putt on the eighth green during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports
Phil the Thrill dazzled, sending the announced attendance of 10,000 per day – the crowds are at least triple that – into a delirious frenzy. Throaty cheers of “Let’s go Phil,” filled the air making it sound if not like 1999 then at least a pre-COVID world with Mickelson dispensing thumbs up to his fans as if giving out candy on Halloween.
By the time he canned a 7-foot birdie putt at 10 to reach double-digits under par, his lead had swelled to five strokes and Phil’s faithful were ready to crown him champion.
“I felt I had a very clear picture on every shot,” Mickelson said of his torrid start.
But if we’ve learned anything about Mickelson over the years, it is that he never makes it easy.
As Spieth pointed out, Mickelson always provides theater and his five-stroke lead faded away as Mickelson hit into a fairway bunker at 12, took his medicine and made bogey, then snap-hooked his tee shot into the drink at 13, had to re-tee and made double bogey. Meanwhile, Louis Oosthuizen made birdies at Nos. 11 and 12, and salvaged a bogey after driving into the water at 13, too. He shot 72 to trail by two and could’ve been even closer if he had made a few putts, including missing a gimme for birdie at 7 and taking three putts from 21 feet at No. 17.
“I think we all got lucky that he came backwards to the field,” Oosthuizen said of Mickelson.
Phil Mickelson reacts after a putt on seventh green during the third round of the PGA Championship at Louis Oosthuizen looks on. Photo by David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports
The other beneficiary of Mickelson’s nervy back nine was Koepka. As Mickelson sprayed a drive right at the par-5 16th that stopped in a sandy area under a golf cart, Koepka was up ahead on the green converting his third birdie of the inward nine.
“Objects in mirror are closer than they appear,” an overserved fan said. “BK, baby!”
They were knotted at 7 under until Koepka missed a 7-foot par putt at 18.
“That was the worst putting performance I think I’ve ever had in my career,” he said. “Can’t get much worse.”
But Koepka, who could win his third PGA title on Sunday and match Mickelson with five majors at age 31 – before Mickelson had won any – played himself into the final group on Sunday, bum knee and all.
“I’m right where I want to be, and we’ll see how tomorrow goes,” Koepka said.
So is Mickelson, who is the fourth player to hold the 54-hole lead or co-lead in a major at age 50 or older since 1934, and would become the oldest player to win a men’s major championship. A sixth major would tie him with Nick Faldo and Lee Trevino.
Fellow 50-something Steve Stricker, who threatened to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this year, isn’t surprised to see Mickelson atop the leaderboard. They teamed up in a practice round earlier this week against Zach Johnson and Masters runner-up Will Zalatoris. When Mickelson and Stricker jumped to a 3-up lead after three holes, Mickelson turned to his partner and said loud enough for his opponents to hear, “You know, Strick, I thought we’d be more up at this point.”
“And we were 3-up after 3. Typical Phil,” Stricker said. “He still has a tremendous amount of desire to compete at this level, and that’s why he’s doing it and that’s why he’s playing well.”
Mickelson will need every bit of that moxie and Phil swagger and the guile and experience built up from a lifetime of competing for trophies big and small if he is to win his first major since 2013 and hoist the Wanamaker Trophy 16 years after he did so at Baltusrol. Spieth, for one, likes Mickelson’s chances, saying, “he’s got four good rounds in him at any course,” especially given the change in wind direction expected to wreak havoc on Sunday.
“I would actually point out that tomorrow’s wind direction is very suitable for a lefty on that into-the-wind nine holes when you get it in off the left with a lot of trouble on the right side, he can start it off left and hold the wind or even draw it back into those pins,” Spieth said.
And just like that, seemingly out of left field, ‘ol Lefty just may have one more major in him.
Brooks Koepka didn’t worry when Phil Mickelson was five ahead Saturday at the PGA Championship and he’s not worried about a windy Sunday.
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Standing on the tee of the 12th hole on The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in Saturday’s third round of the 103rd PGA Championship, Brooks Koepka was five shots behind leader Phil Mickelson.
Think Koepka was worried?
Yeah, that would be a resounding no.
The big, bad man fears nothing, sweats nothing and treats dealing with pain in both his knees this week as basically no big deal.
He likely hasn’t even done a double take seeing the many alligators lurking in the waters throughout Pete Dye’s masterpiece by the sea.
As for urgency, that’s really not a word in his vocabulary. The native Floridian knows major championships are marathons to grind through instead of sprints to high-step through. So a five-shot deficit? No biggie.
“I saw Phil was at 10 (under) and I was at 5, but just go about my business,” he said. “I can’t control what he’s doing, I just need to play better. Simple.”
It’s that matter-of-fact approach – united with his enormous physical talents and supreme confidence – that has served Koepka well in the game’s four biggest tournaments. Come Sunday’s final round, he’ll be gunning for his fifth major since the calendar turned to 2017 and his third PGA title in four years.
While Mickelson – who has stunned the golf world with his star turn when few people expected the 200-1 shot to have any chance – came back to the field a bit, Koepka turned in a back-nine 34 and despite three-putting from just off the green on the final hole for bogey, signed for a 2-under-par 70.
At 6 under after rounds of 69-71-70, he’ll start the final 18 alongside Mickelson in the final group, the two separated by one shot.
“At least I can see what Phil is doing and then I don’t have to turn back and look and see what he’s up to,” Koepka said. “Looking forward to it. Got a chance, and everybody will be in front of me, so I know what I’ve got to do.”
One thing he knows he’s has got to do is putt better.
“I left a lot out there. I’ve got a chance to win, so that’s all I wanted to do today is not give back any shots and be there tomorrow with a chance, and I’ve got that,” he said. “But that was the worst putting performance I’ve ever had in my career. Can’t get much worse. I thought 70 was about the highest I could have shot.
“I’m right where I want to be, and we’ll see how tomorrow goes. Just be within three of the lead going into the back nine and you’ve got a chance.”
As for his knees that were bandaged in the third round, he hasn’t had many problems. He’s toned back his workouts and said the strength in both knees, especially his surgically repaired right knee, has increased. He hasn’t had any issue pushing off the knee when hitting driver, something that, while he didn’t fear it, was a bit of a concern.
What isn’t a concern is the forecast for the final round, which calls for a completely different wind direction than the players have seen all week. You guess it; wind doesn’t bother him much, either.
“It doesn’t matter. Just got to go out and go play good golf,” he said. “Doesn’t matter what direction the wind is going. The goal is still the same. Just need to putt better. Simple. If I strike it anything like I did the last three days, I’ll have a chance.
“It’s a tough golf course. I thought it definitely played easier for sure, but this golf course you can make one little mistake and it can be costly. That’s why it’s a major championship. I think this place is perfect for it, and it will be fun to watch.”
Everything you need to know for the final round of the PGA Championship.
One man stole the show on Saturday at the PGA Championship: Phil Mickelson. The 50-year-old kept his quest for a sixth career major title alive at Kiawah Island as he cruised through the first half of his day with five birdies in his opening 10 holes, then held it together over the back nine for a 70 that left him at 7 under. That’s one shot better than his closest pursuer, Brooks Koepka.
The possibilities for Sunday’s final certainly are exciting.
Here’s everything you need to know for that final round of the PGA Championship. All times listed are Eastern Standard Time.
Everything you need to know for the final round of the PGA Championship.
One man stole the show on Saturday at the PGA Championship: Phil Mickelson. The 50-year-old kept his quest for a sixth career major title alive at Kiawah Island as he cruised through the first half of his day with five birdies in his opening 10 holes, then held it together over the back nine for a 70 that left him at 7 under. That’s one shot better than his closest pursuer, Brooks Koepka.
The possibilities for Sunday’s final certainly are exciting.
Here’s everything you need to know for that final round of the PGA Championship. All times listed are Eastern Standard Time.
Jon Rahm spoke to media after the third round of the PGA Championship, and he didn’t sugar-coat his frustrations.
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Say what you will about Jon Rahm, but he is certainly honest and doesn’t shy from his emotional nature.
The world No. 3 has had a short fuse all week in the 103rd PGA Championship on The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, his putter the main culprit for the steam coming out of his ears on occasion.
After opening with 72-75 to stand at 3 over heading into the weekend, Rahm couldn’t mount a charge to give himself a chance on Sunday. He bogeyed the last two holes and ended with an even-par 72.
After signing his scorecard, he was asked to go to the outdoor quick quote area. He was likely wondering why he was being summoned but he agreed. And then the first question dealt with course conditions and whether they were ripe for scoring for the leaders in the third round.
Take it away, Mr. Rahm.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care, to be honest,” he said. “I hit the ball tee to green as well as I could have for the most part and barely made any putts. And yeah, I’m not really happy, and to be honest, being in 40th place and finishing bogey-bogey like that, I really don’t want to be here right now.
“I mean, clearly the scores are out there. It’s very doable right now – 68, 67 is out there, it’s possible. I had a very good chance. I just couldn’t make a putt.”
Tell us how you really feel, Jon? And with that, the interview was done, and Rahm was gone.
Everything you need to know for the third round of the PGA Championship.
The weekend has arrived at the 103rd PGA Championship on Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course in South Carolina.
The wind wreaked havoc on several scorecards throughout the day (driving one player, Erik van Rooyen, mad enough to take his frustration out on a tee marker at the par-3 17th). By the end of the day, 50-year-old Phil Mickelson was tied at the top of the leaderboard with Louis Oosthuizen and looking to make some magic in the final two rounds.
Here’s everything you need to know for the third round of the PGA Championship. All times listed are Eastern Standard Time.
The grandstand on No. 18 of Kiawah’s Ocean Course offers prime viewing for fans and a big target for players.
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – It’s an inviting target.
Heck, you can’t miss it when you’re standing on the 18th tee.
And many players didn’t miss it in the first round, a few more in the second round.
The target in question? The two-story hospitality row that runs some 300 yards down the left side of the fairway on the punishing par-4, 505-yard 18th on The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.
With the grandstand just 12 yards from the left edge of the first cut on the left-to-right finishing hole, it not only provides optimum views of the ocean and the 18th hole but is being eyed by the players looking to avoid the danger that runs the entire right side of the hole.
To many, it makes sense to err on the side of caution because the grandstand has been deemed a temporary immovable obstruction, which allows players a free drop. Better still, a long portion between the grandstand and the rough left of the fairway on the 18th is flat and features matted-down grass that tees up welcomed lies. Further, the angle to the green is just fine.
So, seriously, who wants to mess with the right side of the fairway that is home to all kinds of nasty vegetation, uneven lies and sand areas?
“It’s definitely comforting that it’s there,” said Keegan Bradley, who shot 69 in the first round to get on the first page of the leaderboard. “The right side of the hole, the bunkers are so dead over there.
“I wasn’t trying to hit it in there by any means, but definitely from that up tee, it’s in play. I feel bad for all those people up there. They’d better have their hard hats on today. They’re going to be firing them in there all day.”
Bradley did hit the grandstand and after taking his drop, just missed the green but two-putted for par. Sebastian Munoz’s tee shot in the first round ended up in a garbage bag smack up against the grandstand. No worries. He took his drop and made par. Brooks Koepka took a drop in the area in the first round and made par, too. Scores of players, including Rory McIlroy, missed the fairway to the left in the first round.
So the very large obstruction is comforting. Is it controversial? Some in golf circles think so and took to social media to express some outrage.
But the grandstand may not prove pivotal at all on the weekend. It will depend on how the PGA of America sets up the course.
Players were peppering the grandstand in the first round when the tee was moved up 31 yards and the hole played at 474 yards. The second round, the hole played from 486 yards, which is one reason far fewer players are reaching it on Friday.
And if the hole does play from 505 yards, into the wind?
“I don’t think from the back tee it’s in play at all,” Bradley said.
