The PGA Tour moves from Ohio to South Carolina for the inaugural Palmetto Championship at Congaree.

Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka will headline the one-time event, which is replacing the Canadian Open due to the country’s burdensome COVID regulations.

Joining DJ and Koepka in South Carolina will be a fairly weak field of contestants, including just five others who are ranked inside the world top 50.

As we do each week, here’s a rundown of facts and figures to get you prepped for the Palmetto Championship.

The Skinny

Tournament: Palmetto Championship
Dates: June 10-13, 2021
Where: Gillisonville, SC
Course: Congaree Golf Club
Distance: Par 71, 7685 yards
Architect: Tom Fazio
Field: 156 players, 36-hole cut
Purse: $7,300,000
Winning Share: $1,314,000
FedExCup/OWGR Points: 500/38
Headliners: Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Ian Poulter

How to Follow the Palmetto Championship

TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (GOLF); Sat-Sun: 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (GOLF), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)

PGA TOUR LIVE: Thu-Fri: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (Groups); Sat-Sun: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Groups), 3-6 p.m. (Holes)
Watch on Prime Video

PGA TOUR RADIO: Thu-Fri: 12-6 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 1-6 p.m.
(PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio)

LINKS: Website | Instagram | Facebook

The Course: Congaree Golf Club

Situated on an historic 18th-century estate, and surrounded by over 2,000 acres of lakes and longleaf pine forests in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, architect Tom Fazio designed the championship course to fit in with its natural surroundings.

Prior to the development of Congaree into a golf course, it had long been an estate known by other names. Its earliest known date of existence is 1770, when John Hobard received a grant for 100 acres for services rendered to King George III.

From 1811 to 1828 it went through three different owners with Richard James Davant purchasing the estate from his father in law and changing the name to Davant Plantation. The original Greek Revival home was burned by order of Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman in 1865 along with much of the rest of Gillisonville, SC during the Civil War. Only two auxiliary buildings survived.

Davant dismantled a much simpler, circa 1820 house that was located on a nearby plantation, which he also owned, and transferred it piece-by-piece to the site of his former home.

From 1938 to 1991 the property was transferred three more times, ultimately to Mr. and Mrs. B. H. Rutledge Moore. The Moores resided on the plantation year-round and operated it as a quail hunting preserve.

In 2014, an North Carolina developer under the name Davant Farming and Timber Company bought the property. The development became Congaree. From 2015 to 2017, the historic house was renovated and other facilities were added including a golf course.

Course Skinny

Name: Congaree Golf Club
Locale: Gillisonville, SC
Established: 2018
Type: Private
Holes: 18
Par: 36/35/71
Par 3s: 4 (5, 7, 10, 14)
Par 4s: 11 (1, 3, 6, 8-9, 11, 13, 15-18)
Par 5s: 3 (2, 4, 12)
Length: 7,685 yards
Greens: Bermuda
Designed by: Tom Fazio
Web: Hole-By-Hole

The Field: Overview

Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka will headline the new event in South Carolina. They will be joined by seven other top-60 ranked players, including Englishmen Tyrrell Hatton, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, and Ian Poulter.

Other familiar names include Sungjae Im, Kevin Kisner, Alex Noren, and Harold Varner III, among others.

Top-5 Betting Favorites

Pos-Player(Odds)
1. Brooks Koepka (8-1)
1. Dustin Johnson (8-1)
3. Tyrrell Hatton (14-1)
4. Matt Fitzpatrick (18-1)
5. Tommy Fleetwood (20-1)

The Field: Power Rankings

Outside of the big two, the field is not exceptionally strong, but it is deep in talent looking to triumph at an unfamiliar course.

The following are the top-5 we like the most to land in the winner’s circle:

1. Brooks Koepka
The world No. 8 arrives at Congaree possibly looking for some answers after Sunday struggles at the recent PGA Championship, where he was just one off the 54-hole lead… Brooks’ knee issues have made him difficult to predict, as his last nine starts have comprised four missed cuts and a T38, but also a win and two runner-ups.

World Rank: 8th
Odds To Win: 8-1

2. Dustin Johnson
The world No. 1 and proud South Carolina native has been in an unexplainable slump since February, with just one top 40(!) in his last six stroke-play starts. Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay have been able to escape recent funks by taking a title in a place they had enjoyed success before, and it is not difficult to see Johnson doing something similar this week.

World Rank: 1st
Odds To Win: 8-1

3. Tyrrell Hatton
Pushed out of the top 10 in the OWGR last week by Patrick Cantlay, Hatton has been a complete non-factor in the U.S. since the fall. He tends to run hot-and-cold, though, and playing a weaker field this week could help the elite shotmaker point his season into the right direction.

World Rank: 11th
Odds To Win: 14-1

4. Matt Fitzpatrick
The stars seemed to be aligning for the 26-year-old Englishman to contend at last week’s Memorial Tournament. We were absolutely dumbfounded when he missed the cut entirely, cancelling out his eight birdies in the first two rounds with nine bogeys and a double.
World Rank: 21st
Odds To Win: 18-1

5. Patton Kizzire
The 6-foot-5 Auburn product was a shocking dud at last week’s Memorial Tournament, missing the cut off the heels of consecutive T3s on Tour, and looking easily like his best self since his two-win 2018 season.

World Rank: 108th
Odds To Win: 40-1

Read Joel Cook’s Power Rankings…

The Field: How They Qualified For the Palmetto Championship

How the 156 players made it into the field this week for the inaugural Palmetto Championship at Congaree in South Carolina.

Winner: PGA/U.S. Open (2016-2020)
Dustin Johnson
Brooks Koepka

Winner: The Players Championship (2017-2021)
Si Woo Kim

Winner: The Masters Tournament (2016-2021)
Danny Willett

Winner: WGC Events (2019-2021)
Kevin Kisner

Winner: Invitational (2017-2021)
Jason Dufner (Memorial)
Tyrrell Hatton (API)

Tournament Winner in Past 2 Seasons
Ryan Armour
Austin Cook
Tyler Duncan
Harris English
Brice Garnett
Brian Gay
Branden Grace
J.B. Holmes
Sungjae Im
Sung Kang
Michael Kim
Patton Kizzire
Russell Knox
Satoshi Kodaira
Martin Laird
Nate Lashley
Troy Merritt
Keith Mitchell
Cheng Tsung Pan
Pat Perez
Scott Piercy
J.T. Poston
Ted Potter, Jr.
Ian Poulter
Andrew Putnam
Chez Reavie
Brandt Snedeker
Hudson Swafford
Nick Taylor
Martin Trainer
Kevin Tway
Richy Werenski

Career Money Exemption
Luke Donald
Hunter Mahan
Bo Van Pelt

Commissioner Exemption – 2 Foreign Players
Garrick Higgo

PGA Section Champion\Player of the Year
Kelly Mitchum

Top 125 on Prior Season’s FedExCup Points List
Byeong Hun An
Matt Fitzpatrick
Mark Hubbard
Danny Lee
Alex Noren
Robby Shelton
Doc Redman
Henrik Norlander
Charley Hoffman
Xinjun Zhang
Sepp Straka
Harold Varner III
Vaughn Taylor
Patrick Rodgers
Brian Stuard
Tommy Fleetwood
Scott Harrington
Matthew NeSmith
Sam Ryder
Adam Schenk
Scott Brown
Beau Hossler
Lucas Glover
Luke List
Scott Stallings
Rory Sabbatini
Tom Lewis
Bo Hoag

Top 125 (Prior Season Nonmember)
William Gordon
Erik van Rooyen

Sponsors Exemption: 2018/19 FEC/2019 KFT
Wilco Nienaber
Davis Thompson

Sponsors Exemption: Members not otherwise exempt
Smylie Kaufman
John Rollins

Sponsors Exemption: Unrestricted
Cole Hammer
David Lipsky
Bryson Nimmer
John Pak

Major Medical Extension
James Hahn
Kevin Chappell
Kevin Stadler
William McGirt
Sean O’Hair
John Huh
Jonas Blixt
Harrison Frazar

2018-19 Top 125 FEC/2019 Top Finishers Korn Ferry Tour
Peter Malnati
Doug Ghim
Tyler McCumber
Kyle Stanley
Jhonattan Vegas
Chase Seiffert
Anirban Lahiri
Vincent Whaley
Cameron Percy
Michael Gligic
Kramer Hickok
Rafael Campos
Hank Lebioda
Bronson Burgoon
Joseph Bramlett
Roger Sloan
Kristoffer Ventura
Chesson Hadley
David Hearn
Rob Oppenheim
J.J. Spaun
Rafa Cabrera Bello
Grayson Murray
D.J. Trahan
Ryan Brehm
Sebastian Cappelen
Nelson Ledesma
Kiradech Aphibarnrat
Fabián Gómez
Mark Anderson
Rhein Gibson
Nick Watney
Ben Taylor
Aaron Baddeley
Chris Baker
Michael Gellerman
Matt Every
Lucas Bjerregaard
Jim Knous

126 – 150 Prior Season’s FEC Points List (Reordered)
Camilo Villegas
Ben Martin
Peter Uihlein
Seamus Power
Josh Teater
Wes Roach
Bill Haas
Roberto Castro
Johnson Wagner
Zack Sucher
Ryan Blaum
Dominic Bozzelli
Shawn Stefani

Reorder Category – Cat. 34 thru 38
Padraig Harrington
Ricky Barnes
Jonathan Byrd
Greg Chalmers
David Lingmerth
Andres Romero
George McNeill
D.A. Points
Charlie Beljan
Richard S Johnson