With the big dogs over at Quail Hollow for the Wells Fargo Championship, some of the lesser stars will mix it up in the opposite-field Myrtle Beach Classic. Damien Kayat previews.
2024 US PGA Tour
Myrtle Beach Classic
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club
9-12 May 2024
This week brings us the third of four ‘opposite-field’ events this season, with the less decorated PGA Tour members looking to make hay while the stars descend on the Wells Fargo Championship. This year marks the debut of the Myrtle Beach Classic.
I normally know very little about the upcoming ‘opposite-field’ events. But the US PGA Tour and tournament organisers showed some commendable innovation for this event, hosting a play-in tournament for fringe pros and YouTube stars.
It was a really intriguing way of tapping into that undeniably vast swathe of YouTube golfing enthusiasts (many of whom would rather watch Good Good and Rick Shiels than any regular tour event). Matt Atkins beat George Bryan in a playoff to automatically qualify.
The tournament organisers- no doubt realizing how huge the Bryan Bros’ YouTube clout is- decided to also invite George despite his playoff defeat. I wonder if Mr. Atkins would have caught an invite if Bryan has emerged victorious in that play-off.
Myrtle Beach Classic
This week’s inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic will also mark the PGA Tour debut of the Dunes Club. This tree-lined Robert Trent Jones Sr design dates back to 1948. It is a pretty meaty 7,348-yard par-71 coastal layout that runs alongside Lake Singleton, with water in play on almost all of the holes.
The layout looks pretty firm and the fairways only measure around 25 yards across. This will put a premium on strong, accurate driving. It will be hard to find the greens from the ryegrass rough. But there are certainly plenty of scoring opportunities if you find the fairways (or if you get it out far enough that it doesn’t matter).
Conditions are expected to be quite blustery in the opening rounds while the weekend is tranquil. You might have to keep your eye out for which side of the draw players fall on in the opening two days of play.
The Contenders
This week almost feels like an unofficial Bryan Bros Golf YouTube video. George obviously earned his invitation with his performance in that gimmicky play-in event. Wesley will also feature this week and he will feel quietly confident about contending.
Wesley finished runner-up to a demented Billy Horschel at the last ‘opposite-field’ field event held in the Dominican Republic. Elsewhere, Erik van Rooyen and former Ryder Cupper Daniel Berger lead the markets. Englishman Matt Wallace was bang in contention last week but couldn’t quite generate enough heat come Sunday.
Burly New Zealander Ryan Fox has been largely subdued since joining the tour and this week could represent a great opportunity for him to make his name out there.
To Win Outright:
Erik van Rooyen 25/1 | Daniel Berger 25/1 | Davis Thompson 28/1 | Ben Griffin 28/1 | Beau Hossler 30/1
Value Bets
Ryan Fox- To Win 35/1 | To Place 15/2
I really like Ryan Fox’s chances at the Dunes. He is a brilliant driver who ranks in the top 30 on tour for average Driving Distance. That should come in handy on this layout. I also think the vastly experienced New Zealander may have a leg up on some of his younger opponents on a brand-new course. He finished inside the top 40 at Augusta and then finished in a tie for fourth playing alongside Garrick Higgo at the Zurich. Those results could prove to be a catalyst for the New Zealander. Also, he has played well in links conditions before and shouldn’t be too deterred by the weather forecasts for the early rounds.
Welsey Bryan- To Win 125/1 | To Place 25/1
I don’t care what type of preceding form Welsey Bryan had; it’s ridiculous to have him trading at 125/1 after finishing runner-up so recently (particularly in this field). He also happens to be a South Carolina native whose only PGA Tour victory came in his home state (the 2017 RBC Heritage). Bryan is an extremely popular figure and I’m sure he will enjoy an enthusiastic following this week.
The Man to Beat- Davis Thompson- To Win 28/1 | To Place 6/1
This is a slightly pick counterintuitive considering he only ranks 125th in driving accuracy this season. But Thompson has just been playing really solidly of late, picking up five top-25 finishes on tour this year. He ranks 25th in Birdie Average (which usually comes in handy in these gettable ‘opposite-field’ events). Thompson won a Korn Ferry event in neighbouring North Carolina in 2022 and he should feel pretty comfortable in these conditions.
