The First Look: Myrtle Beach Classic

It’s a new week on the PGA TOUR and for the first time this season, it will mark the debut of a new event.

The Myrtle Beach Classic will be hosted at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, an Additional Event alongside the Wells Fargo Championship.

With a field comprised of several TOUR winners and Korn Ferry Tour graduates, a fun group of sponsor exemptions and wily veterans looking for a breakthrough title, it should make for a great week at the beach. There’s even a set of brothers, with South Carolina’s acclaimed Bryan Bros. duo (Wesley and George IV) on the scene.

Here’s everything else you need to know as the TOUR returns to the Grand Strand.

FIELD NOTES: Leading the way in Myrtle Beach is four-time TOUR winner Daniel Berger, who continues his comeback trail after being out for almost a year-and-a-half with a back injury… Other notable TOUR winners in the field include Joel Dahmen, Matt Wallace, Nico Echavarria, J.J. Spaun and South Carolina native Kevin Kisner… 2017 RBC Heritage winner Wesley Bryan will compete following his runner-up at the Corales Puntacana Championship… Ben Kohles is set to return to action after his heartbreaking runner-up result at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson… With 300 FedExCup points available to the winner, it’s prime time for plenty of 2023 Korn Ferry Tour graduates to cash in and set up the rest of their season… Among those Korn Ferry Tour grads is Jimmy Stanger, who won the 2016 Hackler Collegiate Championship at The Dunes… The highest-ranked player in the field is Ryan Fox, who looks to string together a few more solid results to build his case for a spot on the Presidents Cup’s International Team.

HIGHEST-RANKED PLAYERS IN THE FIELD

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Sixteen-year-old Blades Brown will make his TOUR debut. It’s the second straight week a 16-year-old will compete on the PGA TOUR after England’s Kris Kim made the cut at THE CJ CUP Bryon Nelson. Last year, Brown was the youngest stroke play co-medalist in U.S. Amateur history – breaking a 103-year-old record previously held by Bobby Jones. His is the reigning Tennessee Boys’ Junior and Men’s Player of the Year, the first player to ever achieve the double… Matt Atkins earned a spot in the field after winning “The Q at Myrtle Beach” that featured a mix of YouTubers and South Carolinian pros. Atkins has made 26 TOUR starts and is a Korn Ferry Tour winner. He finished T29 at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Veritex Bank Championship two weeks ago… George Bryan IV joins brother Wesley in the Myrtle Beach field. Bryan IV finished runner-up to Atkins at “The Q” but received a sponsor exemption anyway. He made his TOUR debut at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship last season and made the cut. The brothers boast more than 325,000 followers on their popular YouTube channel… Coastal Carolina University alum Morgan Deneen will make his fourth career TOUR start. Deneen is an assistant pro at The Dunes… Taylor Dickson, a winner on the Korn Ferry Tour this season at the Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank, will make his PGA TOUR debut… Alistair Docherty will play his first TOUR event since 2019. He currently stands No. 97 on the Korn Ferry Tour’s season-long standings… Dalton Ward will make his first TOUR start since Monday qualifying for the WM Phoenix Open last year. Ward is from nearby Sumter, S.C... Evan Harmeling will tee it up for the third time on TOUR this season. He finished T10 at the Puerto Rico Open earlier in 2024. He has made four cuts so far this season on the Korn Ferry Tour, highlighted by a T5 (which included a Sunday 61) at his last event – the Veritex Bank Championship… University of Arizona alum Jordan Gumberg will tee it up on TOUR for the first time at a non-major since 2021. He won the SDC Championship on the DP World Tour earlier this year… Also among the sponsor invites are TOUR winners Jonathan Byrd, Bill Haas and D.J. Trahan… Brandon Berry, Brian Davis, Braden Thornberry and William McGirt were the four Monday qualifiers.

SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: After this week’s Wells Fargo Championship, the next Signature Event on the PGA TOUR schedule is the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. The Aon Swing 5 qualification for that event begins this week in Myrtle Beach, with the Charles Schwab Challenge and the RBC Canadian Open the other two events in the series for hopeful qualifiers… This Myrtle Beach Classic is played as an Additional Event to the Wells Fargo Championship, the sixth Signature Event of the season.

COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 UPDATES: Thanks to his T4 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Byeong Hun An moved up one spot in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 to No. 8, with Matthieu Pavon moving into the No. 9 spot… There was no other movement in the TOUR TOP 10 with Scottie Scheffler continuing his stranglehold on the top… Last year’s Wells Fargo Championship winner Wyndham Clark remains No. 2… Taylor Pendrith’s win at THE CJ CUP saw the Canadian move to No. 34 in the standings… An and Chris Kirk remain the only players who have been in the TOUR TOP 10 every week so far this season.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 300 FedExCup points.

COURSE: The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, par 71, 7,347 yards. Originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1948 – it was just the second golf course built in Myrtle Beach, now known worldwide for its plentiful golf courses. The Dunes was renovated by Rees Jones in 2003, 2013, 2018 and 2023 while awaiting the PGA TOUR’s maiden venture. No. 8 will play as a par 4 (usually a par 5) while last year’s renovation included re-grassing and leveling all championship tees, building new championship tees on Nos. 1, 2, 6, 8 and 14, rebuilding lake edges on Nos. 1, 10 and 18, rebuilding the practice green and building a new chipping green and practice bunker.

The Dunes does have some history with the TOUR. It hosted the PGA TOUR Champions season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship from 1994 to 1999 and was the host venue for PGA TOUR Q-School’s Final Stage in 1973.

72-HOLE RECORD: Inaugural event

18-HOLE RECORD: Inaugural event

LAST TIME: Inaugural event

HOW TO FOLLOW (all times ET):

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 9:30-11:30 a.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday-Sunday: 3-5 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Special programming alerts:
  • 'Live on the Range,' this Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Get up close and personal with your favorite PGA TOUR stars as they dial in their game ahead of the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship during PGA TOUR Live's "On the Range." Tune in this Wednesday for expert analysis, Golfbet previews, DraftKings betting insights, player interviews and more.
  • 'PGA TOUR Originals: Greatness Has a Home – The Wells Fargo Championship': Tune in this Saturday from 2:30-3 p.m. on CBS for a look at the illustrious legacy of Quail Hollow Club with a focus on its two decades as the host venue for the PGA TOUR's Wells Fargo Championship. Hosted by CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz, the show highlights the origins of Quail Hollow Club and relives pivotal moments on and off the golf course as one of the TOUR's premiere proving grounds for golf's biggest stars.