Ocean Course prepares for state’s first men’s major 2012 PGA Championship WHAT: First of men’s majors to be held in South Carolina. WHEN: Aug. 6-12, 2012 WHERE: The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort TICKETS: Visit www.PGA2012.com or call (800) 742-4653 Sixteen months before the 2012 PGA Championship — the first men’s major golf tournament in South Carolina — unfolds along the Atlantic coast, enthusiasm surrounding the preparation suggests the competition will be a must-see event. Almost 20 years later, golf fans still talk passionately about the 1991 Ryder Cup matches at the Ocean Course. The spotlight returns to the tougher-than-nails layout on Kiawah Island in August of 2012, and officials hope to create another collection of memories. “One year out, we expect all the tickets and all the hospitality to be sold and all the volunteer positions filled,” Brett Sterba, the championship director, said Wednesday. “The response has been absolutely amazing.” Fans purchased 94 percent of the tickets during a six-week period late in 2010. Hospitality sales have reached 70 percent, and 38 percent of the opportunities for volunteers had been claimed before the positions became available to the public. The beauty of the scenario, said Kiawah Island Golf Resort president Roger Warren, is the interest “reaches statewide and beyond.” More than 60 percent of the tickets and more than 65 percent of hospitality have been bought by people more than 50 miles from Charleston. “The financial impact is going to be enormous,” Warren said, citing a College of Charleston study that estimated the event’s economic impact at between $84 million and $95 million. That does not include the value of 134 hours of television coverage that will be beamed around the world, which Warren estimated could be worth another $75 million. Daily tickets for the Saturday round are sold out, and those for Friday and Sunday are scarce. Those will be placed on sale in August following the 2011 PGA Championship. “We have used a different business model” for the 2012 tourney, Warren said. “We want fans to have fun, and we’re working to guarantee they have fun. We don’t want the course so crowded that there are long lines at concession stands or to board shuttle buses. We know how many will be there and we expect to meet their needs.” Sterba estimated that about 30,000 will be on the course daily, a number that includes volunteers and media. On the popular 17th hole, a pivotal spot in the Ryder Cup matches, officials have created an amphitheater that will accommodate more than 7,000. “But nothing we have done in preparation for the tournament changes the way the course will play,” Sterba said. “The golf course will be challenging.” Architect Pete Dye added two new tees and changed one to facilitate crowd movement. “Everyone knows how difficult the 17th hole (a 197-yard par-3 over water to a narrow green) is, and the 18th will play at probably 500 yards with the second shot from about 200 yards into the wind,” Warren said. “Nobody will be hitting a (second-shot) wedge into 18. “The weather is pretty consistent in August with winds usually 15-20 miles per hour, and, of course, wind makes the difference on the Ocean Course. The landing areas get squeezed and the best players in the world will be challenged.” Those challenges could lead to a repeat of the Ryder Cup and create memories to last a lifetime.

Web site created by My Scribe