What’s At Stake in 2021 PGA Championship

The 2021 PGA Championship tees off this Thursday from The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, a golf course known for its beauty and difficulty. 

When the South Carolina course last hosted the PGA Championship in 2012, Rory McIlroy won by a record eight strokes and took home $1.45 million in winnings from the $8 million purse. 

This year’s purse has increased to $11 million and the winner gets $1.98 million.

McIlroy, who’s earned more than $56 million on the PGA Tour since 2008, is a favorite to take home this year’s PGA Championship after winning the Wells Fargo Championship earlier this month. 

The Ocean Course, which was featured in DreamWorks’ “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” has forever changed the local economy on Kiawah Island. 

• The island, once desolate, has been developed into a vacation destination with visitors from around the world. 
• Last year, Kiawah saw its highest home sales volume ever with $807 million in sales across 656 transactions.

Designed by Pete and Alice Dye, the par-72 course first made headlines as the site of the legendary 1991 Ryder Cup, commonly known as the “War by the Shore.” 

At the time, the tournament’s opening day coverage on USA Network was the longest stretch of continuous golf coverage in history, introducing golf fans of all walks to the now-iconic location.