Myrtle Beach Classic 2024 Tips: 150/1 one of six for South Carolina

The second part of this week’s PGA Tour double-header takes place in South Carolina with a brand new event: the Myrtle Beach Classic at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club.

Let's jump right in with star golf tipster Jamie Worsley's Myrtle Beach Classic Predictions, which range from 70/1 to 150/1!

Whilst the higher-ranked players on the PGA Tour tee it up in the limited-field Wells Fargo Championship, this event provides those on the outside of the Signature Events looking in with the ideal opportunity to play their way into those more lucrative tournaments.

THE COURSE

Located in the famous “Grand Strand” – an area of South Carolina famed for its abundance of golf courses - The Dunes Golf and Beach Club was designed by Robert Trent Jones Snr. in 1948 and has regularly ranked among the top courses in the state. It has been renovated by Jones Snr’s son, Rees, several times over the last two decades, most recently in 2023.

Whilst new to the PGA Tour it has been used in several pro events over its history, namely the 1962 US Women’s Open, the PGA TOUR Champions’ Tour Championship and PGA Tour Q-School. Whilst it has also hosted the General Hackler Championship – a men’s amateur event – since 2015.

The course usually plays as a par 72, but with the par 5 8^th transformed into a par 4 for the tournament it will instead play as a par 71, measuring 7347 yards. It possesses 11x par 4s (375-500 yards), 4x par 3s (170-219 yards) and 3x par 5s (532-635 yards).

Situated on the Atlantic Coast, this sandy, rolling golf course is framed by trees tall trees and features water in-play on six holes.

The fairways are narrow and protected by a plethora of strategically-placed bunkers that pinch the landing areas to make them even tighter, often on the angles of the various doglegs. However, the rough shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge and providing you miss on the correct side and don’t stray so far that you bring tree-trouble into play, players will have a shot into the green.

The bermudagrass greens are relatively large and weather permitting, will be set up to play fast this week. Most of the greens are elevated and well-contoured, protected by heavy bunkering which can be tricky to play out of.

The most famous hole on the course is the mammoth 625-yard par 5 13^th. This 90-degree left-to-right dogleg will take two long hits to reach in two, with players having to navigate the lake to the right of the fairway and then carry that same water for their second shot, whether that be a layup or attempting to hit the green.

It doesn’t look the most obvious birdie chance, however at under 540 yards, the other two par 5s should more than make up for that with plenty of birdies+ throughout the week.

Ultimately, it’s tough to know exactly what to expect as the PGA Tour pros tackle this course for the first time this week. Though looking at the course and the incoming conditions, I’d expect a fairly solid test, with a winning score of around -18.

THE WEATHER

Thunderstorms are forecast to play a part over the opening two rounds of the event and accompanied by some heavy rain, it will likely soften the course up.

Though there are gusts forecast to exceed 20mph, the wind generally doesn’t look too severe over the weekend and if that is the case, the players should score well on a potentially receptive course in the final two rounds.

KEY STATS

• SG: Approach
• SG: Off-the-Tee
• SG: Putting (bermudagrass)
• Par 4 Scoring

If the course indeed plays soft, quality approach play should set up plenty of good birdie looks and it’s these strongest iron players that I’d favour at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club.

When going into an event blind, I often prefer to take all-round quality ball-strikers and with narrow fairways, many of which need to be navigated smartly, the driver could also prove key.

It can be seen as nothing but a positive to be on players who have a proven ability of putting well on bermudagrass and with the variety and volume of par 4s on offer, it’s these holes that I expect to prove most vital in South Carolina.

CORRELATING EVENTS

With no comp form on offer it’s not straightforward to correlate events to this week’s course, though there are plenty on the PGA Tour that share some of the characteristics.

Looking at the basics, what we have is a coastal, largely tree-lined course with bermudagrass-based greens. This is something that is also true of the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club, the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links and the Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course.

Whilst not wholly similar, the more exposed RSM Classic at the Sea Island Resort and Cognizant Classic at PGA National are coastal with large bermudagrass greens.

Having said all that, one course that I really liked is the Country Club of Jackson, home of the Sanderson Farms Championship. Though inland, the course plays to a comparable yardage, has similarly-sized bermudagrass greens and perhaps most importantly, features narrow, tree-lined fairways that lack protection from the rough.

THE FIELD

Ryan Fox is the highest-ranked player in the field at #61 and one of just 12 from inside the top 100.

Among the sponsors invites is American Jordan Gumberg, making just his third pro start in the U.S after winning on the DP World Tour earlier in the year in South Africa.

This typically eclectic opposite field includes several recent winners on the PGA Tour, such as Matt Wallace and Erik Van Rooyen – both of whom won in 2023 – and Daniel Berger will be hoping to show his class and build on his 13^th-place finish in the CJ CUP Byron Nelson last week,

SELECTIONS

Market leaders: Daniel Berger 22/1, Ben Griffin 25/1, Erik Van Rooyen 25/1, Davis Thompson 28/1, Beau Hossler 30/1

A weak field on a new course feels like the perfect chance to speculate and I’ve stayed well clear of the top end of the betting.

I begin at the 66/1 mark this week and after some promising approach play so far this year, I’m taking coastal specialist, Patton Kizzire to earn a first PGA Tour win in six years.

1 pt Patton Kizzire each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 70/1 

Kizzire started the year positively with a 13^th-place finish in the Sony Open but followed with a string of missed cuts. He broke that run with a 23^rd-place finish in the Corales Puntacana Championship and after a decent showing with a finish of 28^th in the Zurich Classic, he finished 24^th in last week’s CJ CUP Byron Nelson, where he fired four consecutive rounds in the 60s.

He looked strong with the short game there, but it was his approach play that stood out most, ranking 14^th. This has not just been a feature of his recent play – ranking 12^th in this field over the last 20 rounds – but for the season as a whole, currently ranked as the 25^th-best iron player on tour in 2024.

Whilst not quite the weapon it once was, he’s still often a formidable putter on bermudagrass-based surfaces and with a ranking of 11^th in par 4 scoring, he has an appealing statistical profile for this challenge.

Based at the Sea Island Resort in Georgia, he’s used to golf on the Atlantic Coast. His affinity for coastal golf is further represented by his win in the 2018 Sony Open and with a strong record in the Sanderson Farms Championship – including a 4^th-place finish in 2015 – another plus, he looks to have every chance this week.

1 pt Carl Yuan each way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 80/1

Carl Yuan has a very attractive book of comp form and though often an unpredictable sort, that is not necessarily a negative this week, as it means we get a bigger price on a talented player who doesn’t have to be showing an awful lot beforehand to contend.

This is reflected in his form figures this year, where he’s missed eight of 12 cuts but recorded two top-5 finishes, coming in the Sony Open on his first start of the year, finishing 4^th and six starts ago he was 5^th in the Valspar Championship.

Yuan is at his best with the driver, ranking 25^th on tour this season. He was producing many competent performances in approach too at the beginning of the season but that has waned over recent events and he’ll need to rediscover it this week.

Aside from that 4^th-place finish in Hawaii to begin the year, the enigmatic Chinese star also recorded finishes of 4^th in Bermuda and 6^th in the Sanderson Farms Championship at the end of last year. His one Korn Ferry Tour win in Louisiana in 2022 came on a loosely tree-lined bermudagrass-covered course and was designed by Trent Jones Jnr. It would be pretty apt should he record his first PGA Tour win on a Trent Jones Snr. design this week.

1 pt Ryan Moore each way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 70/1 

Ryan Moore has been the second-best iron player in this field over recent starts and with some strong performances in correlating events at the end of last year, the five-time tour winner looks an appealing price for a sixth win this week.

Moore started the year by missing four cuts in a row but has gradually got into his stride, making five of his last seven and recorded a 5^th-place finish in the Valspar Championship four starts ago.

He’s driving the ball in typically accurate fashion but it is that aforementioned approach play that jumps off the page, not only ranking 2^nd in this weak field over his last twenty rounds but he is 10^th for the season on tour overall. It was this club that drove him to that top 5 at the Valspar, as he ranked 2^nd in the field in approach that week.

Finishes of 5^th in the Bermuda Championship and 8^th in the RSM Classic at the end of 2023 are encouraging pieces of form on coastal bermudagrass-laden courses and signals a player who should like what he finds at Myrtle Beach.

1 pt Troy Merritt each way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 80/1

Troy Merritt recorded his first tour victory at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in the 2015 Quicken Loans National and following a strong period of approach play, which helped him to a best finish of the year last week, he can win a third PGA Tour title on another of the legendary designer’s courses this week.

Merritt’s form has been up and down this year but his approach play has remained consistently solid and especially potent over his most recent starts; ranking 16^th in this field over the last 20 rounds.

It was well on show last week, as he finished 9^th in the CJ CUP Byron Nelson – his first top 10 of the year – ranking 18^th. This was his third top 25 of 2024, following finishes of 24^th in the Sony Open and 23^rd in Puerto Rico; both on costal courses.

The putter isn’t quite doing the business so far this year but he has putted well on bermudagrass plenty in the past and as a top-50 par 4 scorer, he should be comfortable on those most important holes this week.

With a 3^rd-place finish in the RBC Heritage and 9^th in the Sanderson Farms Championship, among several other strong showings on comp courses, Merritt has much in his favour to pick up where he left off in Texas.

0.75 pts Henrik Norlander each way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 110/1 

Henrik Norlander has looked generally sound when teeing it up on the PGA Tour this year and having finished runner-up at two of the comp courses mentioned, there are many positives as he heads to The Dunes G&BC this week.

Norlander started his year with a 20^th-place finish on the Korn Ferry Tour and immediately followed with two top 15s on the PGA Tour, coming in the Mexico and Puerto Rico Opens.

After missing the cut in Houston he’s since gone on to make his next two and looking largely comfortable with his irons, I fancy him to continue his promising run this week.

He ranks 15^th on tour in approach this season and whilst the sample size is small, this is the area in which he’s shone most throughout his career. As a good par 4 player and competent bermudagrass putter, this course looks a good fit for the Swede.

Norlander has finished runner-up in both the RSM Classic and Sanderson Farms Championship, as well as possessing several other top 5s across those two courses. Not only that, but his last pro win in the Wichita Open on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019 came at the Trent Jones Snr-designed Crestview Country Club and I’m hoping that will be a good omen for his chances this week.

0.75 pts Hayden Buckley each way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 150/1

Hayden Buckley huge amounts of promise in the early days of his PGA Tour career and whilst struggling for form for the best part of 12 months now, this course presents him with the perfect opportunity to get back on track.

Buckley has missed eight of 12 cuts so far this year and recorded a solitary top 30 in the Phoenix Open. He did look a little better last week in Texas, where he opened with a round of 65, though slipped down to 52^nd by the end of the week, despite a decent 4-under 67 to close.

Looking an excellent driver throughout much of his short career, the club just hasn’t fired this year though he did improve off-the-tee in the Byron Nelson. Also signing off that week with one of his strongest approach performances of the season, there are signs that his ball-striking may be coming to the boil.

Buckley often looks at his best on bermudagrass-based greens, as shown by his solo win on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2021, that came in the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Florida. He’s transferred his liking for the surface to the PGA Tour, with his three best finishes over the last three years coming when 2^nd in the 2023 Sony Open, 4^th in the 2021 Sanderson Farms Championship and 5^th in the 2023 RBC Heritage.

That represents an attention-grabbing collection of comp form and is enough to convince me to take a shot at this former top-40 amateur at a big price this week.

You can find all Jamie's latest Golf Betting Tips over on our dedicated golf Insights hub.