Myrtle Beach Classic 2025 Tips: Tosti to cook in South Carolina

The second part of this week’s PGA Tour double-header takes us to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, where a strong field (for an alternate-field event) has assembled for the Myrtle Beach Classic at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club. Many of whom are chasing that final spot in next week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

Our golf tipster Jamie Worsley is back with another in-depth preview of the event. He has picked out six golfers he likes the look of, as he takes us through his Myrtle Beach Classic 2025 Betting Tips...

TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

The Myrtle Beach Classic debuted on tour last season and the event was won in fine fashion by Chris Gotterup, who fired -22 to beat Alistair Docherty and Davis Thompson into second place by an impressive six-shot margin. He returns to defend this week.

THE COURSE

The Dunes Golf and Beach Club is located on the Atlantic Coast, in the Grand Strand in South Carolina—an area famous for its plethora of golf courses. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones Snr. in 1948 and has been renovated several times by his son, Rees over the previous two decades, most recently in 2023.

Although it was new to the PGA Tour last year, the course has been no stranger to tournament golf, hosting the 1962 US Women's Open, the Tour Championship on the Champions Tour and PGA Tour Q-School. In addition, it has also held a couple of high-profile amateur events: the General Hackler Championship since 2015 and the 1960, 1988, 2005 and 2016 editions of the Southern Amateur.

The course is converted from a par 72 to a par 71 for this event—the par 5 8^th transformed into a par 4—and measures 7347yds. It possesses 4x par 3s (170-219yds), 11x par 4s (375-500yds) and 3x par 5s (532-625yds).

The Dunes is a sandy, rolling course, with imposing pine and oak trees framing most holes. Its white-sand bunkers are big and bold, and there are numerous water hazards throughout, with marshes, ponds and lakes coming into play on six holes in total.

Narrow fairways are protected by strategically placed bunkers that often sit at the angle of the many doglegs, tightening the landing areas further. The rough was a non-issue last year, with players comfortably able to advance the ball onto the green when straying from the short grass; at just half-an-inch longer, it still shouldn't act as much of a deterrent this week.

Bermudagrass covers the well-contoured greens, which are about average in size and intended to play fast. The majority of them are elevated, protected by deep greenside bunkers that can prove challenging to play out of.

The signature hole on the course is the lengthy 625yd par 5 13^th. This 90-degree left-to-right dogleg will take two huge hits to reach in two, with players needing to steer clear of the lake to the right of the fairway and then carry that same water for their second shot. Whether that be with a layup or attempting to reach the green in two.

Even though that isn't the most obvious birdie chance, the other two par 5s are sub-540yds and should see plenty of birdies and eagles this week. Whilst there are ample other opportunities situated around the course.

That being said, despite Gotterup's impressive -22 winning score in 2024, the course played more difficult for the rest of the field, with the runners-up each finishing on -16. It also played very soft there after heavy rain made the course receptive, and it will again depend on the weather as to how tough the course plays this year.

THE WEATHER

Conditions are dry, warm and bright in the build-up to this week's event. However, this is all predicted to change as the tournament begins.

From Thursday onwards, thunderstorms are forecast to be a constant threat and will bring with them some moderate rainfall, enough to soften the course up. This will likely mean receptive conditions again and with the wind not too punishing, we should expect to see some low scores in South Carolina.

KEY STATS

• SG: Off-the-Tee/Driving Distance

The top of last year's leaderboard was littered with players who drove the ball strongly and possessed power. With similar conditions this year, I see no reason why those same types won't fare well yet again.

Chris Gotterup ranked 9^th in driving distance, whilst his two nearest challengers both drove it well; Alistair Docherty ranked 4^th off-the-tee and 2^nd in driving distance, and Davis Thompson ranked 8^th OTT and 17^th in driving distance.

We can find further impressive driving performances from Kevin Yu and Ryan Fox in 4^th, who ranked 2^nd and 5^th OTT respectively; both also ranked inside the top 10 in driving distance.

• SG: Approach

Receptive greens are always at the mercy of the strongest iron players and it's no surprise to see some of the main contenders excel in this area in 2024.

Indeed, winner, Chris Gotterup ranked 5^th in approach; runner-up, Davis Thompson ranked 6^th; 4^th-place finishers, Ryan McCormick and Jorge Campillo ranked 8^th and 10^th respectively.

• SG: Putting (bermudagrass)
• Birdie or Better %

Players who excel on bermudagrass greens will feel most confident in converting those birdie chances this week. It was striking how prevalent the putter was in last year's renewal, with seven of the top nine ranking inside the top 10 on the greens.

CORRELATING EVENTS

Sanderson Farms Championship (Country Club of Jackson)

Despite having staged just one event, The Dunes developed some strong form ties with the Country Club of Jackson last year, and it's easy to see why.

The courses are of a similar length and pose a comparable tee-to-green test, possessing narrow fairways that aren't penal when you miss and high greens-in-regulation percentages into the bermudagrass putting surfaces.

Notable correlating form:

Kevin Yu:

Myrtle Beach (4^th) / Sanderson Farms (1^st)

Beau Hossler:

Myrtle Beach (4^th) / Sanderson Farms (2^nd, 10^th)

Ryan Fox:

Myrtle Beach (4^th) / Sanderson Farms (11^th)

Chesson Hadley:

Myrtle Beach (10^th) / Sanderson Farms (2^nd)

Patton Kizzire:

Myrtle Beach (10^th) / Sanderson Farms (4^th)

John Deere Classic (TPC Deere Run)

Two of last year's top three in the Myrtle Beach Classic have also gone well in the John Deere Classic. Each course is forgiving for long and slightly wayward drivers, while scoring is typically low at the John Deere.

Notable correlating form:

Chris Gotterup:

Myrtle Beach (1^st) / John Deere (4^th)

Davis Thompson:

Myrtle Beach (2^nd) / John Deere (1^st)

Kevin Yu:

Myrtle Beach (4^th) / John Deere (6^th)

Puerto Rico Open (Grand Reserve Country Club)

Grand Reserve Country Club possesses almost identical tee-to-green averages as those that were displayed at The Dunes last year; from driving accuracy and GIR percentages, to scrambling success rates.

Notable correlating form:

Chris Gotterup:

Myrtle Beach (1^st) / Puerto Rico (7^th)

Kevin Yu:

Myrtle Beach (4^th) / Puerto Rico (7^th)

Chesson Hadley:

Myrtle Beach (10^th) / Puerto Rico (1^st)

Sony Open (Waialae Country Club)

Last up is the Sony Open. Comp form is very thin on the ground here but as a coastal, tree-lined course with similarly narrow fairways, bermudagrass greens and a comparable challenge in approach, I'm sure it will develop stronger form ties in time.

Notable correlating form:

Patton Kizzire:

Myrtle Beach (10^th) / Sony (1^st)

THE FIELD

Tom Kim is the highest-ranked player in the field at #41 and one of 12 from inside the world's top 100. He is closely followed by #56 Mackenzie Hughes, and it also includes tour winners: Kevin Yu, Taylor Moore, Harry Hall and Davis Riley.

Chris Gotterup returns to defend; 17-year-old Blades Brown is among the sponsors exemptions; whilst Aaron Wise makes his first start on the PGA Tour in over 12 months, and only his second in the last two seasons.

Myrtle Beach Classic Odds

SELECTIONS 

Market leaders (1/4 5 places): Mackenzie Hughes 20/1, Tom Kim 25/1, Taylor Moore 25/1, Thorbjorn Olesen 28/1, Kevin Yu 30/1

These opposite-field events always present an excellent opportunity for someone to earn a breakthrough victory on the tour. That's something that I've leaned on strongly for this week's selections, which begin with Argentina's Alejandro Tosti.

1 pt Alejandro Tosti each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 50/1

Tosti found the going a little tough in his rookie season on tour but 2025 has been much more promising, as he's shown greater consistency. He picked up his first top 10 of the season in the Mexico Open back in February and has been particularly impressive lately, recording finishes of 2^nd in the Corales Puntacana Championship, 5^th in the Houston Open and 12^th in the Texas Open across his last five starts.

Although eventually finishing 67^th last week, he started well enough with opening rounds of 68 and 67, and I'm happy to forgive him a poor weekend based on his recent form.

He's been the second-best tee-to-green player in this field over his previous 20 rounds, showing improvements in approach. His driver remains a real asset, ranking 25^th for the season and as the eighth-ranked player in driving distance, this course should suit.

Tosti opened with a 65 in this event last year to sit 3^rd after the opening round but following three rounds in the 70s, he slipped to 63^rd. His game is in much better shape this time around and as a player who should be comfortable in this part of the U.S due to his Florida ties, I'm confident that if he makes a similar start this year, he'll be a prominent feature at the finish.

1 pt Patrick Fishburn each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 50/1

Patrick Fishburn found form at a similar time to this last year and with his long game looking sharp, he can improve on his 20^th-place finish in the Myrtle Beach Classic on debut.

Fishburn has missed the cut in eight of his 13 starts this season but there have been a couple of eye-catching performances. He began the season with a 6^th-place finish in the potentially correlating Sony Open and went one better than that just three starts ago in the Texas Open.

His approach play was key there, ranking 7^th and he’s maintained that in his following starts, ranking 27^th in the field over his last 20 rounds. He’s also looked better with the driver, ranking 33^rd over the same period and as a big-hitter who is typically sound with the putter, his skillset should enable him to perform here.

Fishburn began this event with a two-over 73 to sit 104^th after the opening round last year. However, following with rounds of 66-66-68, he ascended to 20^th by the end of the week and hit the ball excellently, ranking 4^th in the field in ball striking.

1 pt Hayden Springer each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 60/1

Hayden Springer has some striking comp form in relation to this challenge and as a big-hitter who is striking his irons well and putts bermudagrass competently, he can earn his breakthrough PGA Tour win this week.

Springer has missed just two cuts in his nine starts this season and recorded three top 20s, including in the Zurich Classic. His best result came courtesy of a 6^th-place finish in the Farmers Insurance Open on his first start of the year and he then finished 15^th in the Houston Open four starts ago.

He’s got better with the driver as the season has progressed, ranking 24^th in this field over the course of his last 20 rounds, whilst he’s also top 40 in driving distance. His irons have been the most consistent aspect of his game, ranking 62^nd for the year and gaining strokes with the putter, it’s no surprise to see him rank 39^th in birdie or better %.

Springer bombed out in this event last year, finishing joint-last after two rounds. However, his game was in no state at the time and having recorded finishes of 3^rd in Puerto Rico, 7^th in the John Deere Classic and 8^th in the Sanderson Farms Championship, he has ample correlating form that suggests he is capable of a much better performance at The Dunes.

1 pt Davis Riley each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 60/1

There are few players in this field performing as strongly as Davis Riley at present, ranking 6^th in total strokes-gained over his last five starts. He has the attributes to put on a show at this venue and looks an attractive price to do so this week.

It looked like more of the same for Riley at the beginning of this season, as he followed his disappointing end to 2024 by failing to make a cut in his first five starts. His results have completely flipped since finishing 48^th in the Cognizant Classic; following by making his next seven cuts and he especially impressed when 6^th in Puerto Rico, 7^th in the Valspar Championship and 21^st in The Masters.

The short game is still doing most of the hard work, but this power-packed player now has much more control over the driver. Meanwhile, there has been more than one taking display in approach, including ranking 5^th at Augusta.

Riley’s 66^th-place finish at The Dunes last year doesn’t do him justice and with that performance in Puerto Rico looking a handy piece of form, I expect him to improve greatly on that result this time around.

1 pt Danny Walker each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 70/1

Hailing from Florida, Danny Walker is at his most content on the East Coast. He looks a strong statistical match for this challenge and possessing plenty of experience of the venue from his amateur days, he's an interesting contender this week.

Walker showed promise on his fourth start of the season, finishing 13^th in the Mexico Open, but it was his 6^th-place finish in THE PLAYERS Championship that really announced him as a player to follow. He followed that with a trio of missed cuts, but he appears to have found form again the last two weeks, playing well alongside Ryan Gerard when finishing 12^th in the Zurich Classic and he was 25^th in last week's CJ CUP Byron Nelson.

He ranks 31^st on tour from tee-to-green and has been especially strong with his irons of late, ranking 6^th in this field in approach over his last 20 rounds. Sitting 37^th in driving distance, he has the power to take advantage of this course and as the 13^th-ranked player in birdie or better %, he also has the required scoring prowess.

Walker didn't play here last year, nor does he have any comp form, but he does have some experience of the layout. He played in the General Hackler Championship as an amateur on three occasions, finishing 9^th in 2016 and 14^th in 2018; experiences that should be a significant help as he makes his debut in this event.

0.75 pts Norman Xiong each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 175/1

Although missing the cut, Norman Xiong hit the ball excellently in last week's CJ CUP Byron Nelson. As a big-hitter with winning form on Robert Trent Jones designs, and possessing some encouraging comp form, this former #3 amateur looks well worth chancing to earn a breakthrough PGA Tour win at a huge price.

Xiong has only teed it up on the PGA Tour four times this season but has shown promise. He finished 40^th at Torrey Pines in the Farmers Insurance Open and two starts ago, he was 12^th in Puerto Rico. While that MC in Texas was somewhat disappointing, he only missed by one after firing two rounds of 69 and gained strokes off-the-tee and in approach in each round.

It's with the driver that he excels, ranking 2^nd in this field in 2025 and is an explosive 8^th in driving distance. That being said, his tee-to-green game as a whole has been mightily impressive this year, an area in which he also ranks 2^nd in this field.

Xiong didn't play in this event last year, though finishes of 9^th and 12^th in Puerto Rico bode well. In addition, he achieved his first pro success on another Robert Trent Jones design in 2022, winning the Wichita Open on the Korn Ferry Tour at Crestview Country Club.

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