How South Carolina and Congaree course landed yet another PGA Tour event
Back in the day, the hero of a TV western series solved problems after sending his card: “Have Gun, Will Travel.”
Nowadays, the folks at Congaree Golf Club and the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism provide solutions with a similar theme: “Have Golf Course, Will Host on Short Notice.”
Just look at what unfolds this week: The PGA Tour’s CJ Cup in South Carolina will be played at the Congaree course in rural Jasper County rather than the planned stop in Korea.
Sound familiar? Remember how the Palmetto Championship at Congaree came together at the 11th hour and took place on the same course in June of last year?
The scenarios take on the appearance of one of those matches made in heaven, almost as fairy tale. Opportunity knocked, the stars aligned and they all lived happily ever after.
Consider this: Golf tournaments, especially big ones, require long lead-ins. The organizations know years in advance where their events will be played and plan accordingly. U.S. Open at Pinehurst in 2047, anyone?
Then along came the COVID pandemic and the PGA Tour scrambled to replace the 2021 RBC Canadian Open, canceled due to travel restrictions. Opportunity knocked and Congaree and the South Carolina PRT answered.
A one-time deal, officials agreed regarding the Palmetto Championship at Congaree, which the state paid $6 million to sponsor and simultaneously spread the gospel of South Carolina golf to television audiences throughout the world.
“We had 72 days to put everything together,” Congaree director of golf Bruce Davidson said.
Sixteen months later, it’s déjà vu.
Pandemic concerns forced officials to abandon plans to return the CJ Cup to its roots in Korea. They needed a site _ and right now. Another one-shot deal. Another opportunity. Another answer. Moth to the flame.
The PGA Tour loves Congaree — for more reasons than a golf course built to stage championships. The club’s Global Golf Initiative fits with the Tour’s charity endeavors and is a model to “grow the game.”
Tour officials became aware of Congaree during the club’s quest to secure the 2026 Presidents Cup. That competition went elsewhere, but Congaree’s presentation made a lasting impression.
“We always had Congaree in our mind because it’s a special place to come to,” Tour executive Ty Votaw, now retired, said prior to the 2021 Palmetto Championship at Congaree.
Tyler Dennis, president of the PGA Tour, echoed the same thought Wednesday during a State of South Carolina’s Golf Celebration press conference at the Governor’s Mansion.
“Congaree did such a phenomenal job with the Palmetto Championship that we thought it made perfect sense to ask” the club to host the CJ Cup on short notice, Dennis said. “We thought about places, the time of year and kept coming back to Congaree.”
The club accepted, and Duane Parrish, director of the state’s PRT, raised his hand, too. South Carolina will kick in $5 million to be the presenting sponsor and, Parrish said, “the state will receive television exposure worth $54 million.”
The tournament represents another “big deal” for golf in the state, Parrish said. He pointed to the game’s $3.3 billion economic impact in South Carolina in 2021.
The sponsors “clearly wanted to create a great event on an iconic golf course in the right place,” tournament director Andre Silva said. “Congaree was a very easy decision for them.”
Obvious differences: weather and quality of field.
The Palmetto Championship came in June the week prior to the U.S. Open and attracted few big names. The CJ Cup in South Carolina will be in October and a world-class field will compete.
“The process began in May,” Congaree director of golf Bruce Davidson said. “The PGA called and the sponsors (from Korea) had to come and be comfortable with the setup. The state wanted to be involved, too.
“By June, we knew the tournament would be here, but the contracts and details had to be worked out before we could make an announcement.”
Dennis thought about the incongruity of how the stars aligned and said, “A lot of people would never think we would have a PGA Tour event in Jasper County, and here we are again.”
Moth to the flame.
How to watch
Thursday-Sunday: 3-6 p.m., Golf Channel
CJ Cup tickets
Daily grounds tickets are available at www.cjcupsouthcarolina.com.
PGA/PGA Tour tournaments in South Carolina
PGA Tour
RBC Heritage Classic, Harbour town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, annually 1969-present
Palmetto Champion at Congaree, Congaree Golf Club, Ridgeland, 2021
The CJ Cup in South Carolina, Congaree Golf Club, Ridgeland, 2022
PGA of America
Ryder Cup, The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, 1991
PGA Championship, The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, 2012
PGA Championship, The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island 2021
