2021 PGA Championship Going To Kiawah's Ocean Course
/The Post and Courier's Tommy Braswell with the exclusive.
An announcement is coming Friday. Hopefully an improved traffic plan will be part of the announcement.
But there were criticisms of the Ocean Course, primarily accessibility. There are only two roads leading to the island and most spectators had to make an hour-plus journey from Charleston and then take shuttle buses from the off-island parking complex.
A Saturday rainstorm also further complicated the issue with a massive traffic jam ensuing as the 40,000 attending the event tried to depart at the same time. Warren said the parking area would be re-engineered to make getting in and out easier.
Golfblot's Steve Elling has a nice summary of the logistics reviews from 2012 (DiMeglio, Spander, Jenkins) and writes:
The mind-numbing logistics involved in getting to the remote, seaside venue in a largely unpopulated area for the 2012 PGA Championship were uniformly ripped by fans and media alike, in 40,000-part harmony.
That was hardly a universally held opinion. Media covering the event faced a 1-hour, 45-minute shuttle trip — each way — to the remote facility. The access for fans was just as crimped and painful.
**The official announcement from PGA.com.
“Ever since The Ocean Course was introduced to the world, it has been a supreme test for the greatest players in golf,” said PGA of America President Derek Sprague. “From a down-to-the-last putt thriller of a Ryder Cup in 1991 to Rory McIlroy closing a record-setting performance in the 2012 PGA Championship, there has never been a shortage of thrills on The Ocean Course. We anticipate that tradition of excellence continuing in 2021 at the PGA Championship.”
