Europeans Poised to Dominate at PGA Championship
The Open Championship may not be taking place until July, but many European golfers will feel right at home during this week’s PGA Championship, which is set to take place at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.
Many golfers know the style of golf played in Europe is slightly different than the style of golf that’s usually played in North America. This change in style is mostly due to the varying course set ups you’ll see in Europe and how they compare to American courses.
European countries, especially places like England and Scotland, love their links style set ups. These courses are usually located along a coast with undulating fairways and sandy soil underneath the turf. Many of these tracks, due to them being wide open with very few obstructions, invite extremely windy conditions that the golfers have to deal with on a consistent basis.
Parkland courses on the other hand, which you’ll see the majority of the time in the United States, are inland tracks that have a fair amount of trees and man-made water hazards.
While Kiawah Island Golf Resort is located in South Carolina, the Ocean Course is as close as you’ll see to a European links style course in the United States. With it being located on the coastline, wind is going to play a large factor at this week’s PGA Championship and the golfers who are used to playing in these conditions will have a leg-up on the competition.
For the true golf nerds out there, the grass that’s used at Kiawah is called paspalum, which is a rarely seen turf on the PGA Tour. Paspelum grass is much more popular on courses that are featured on the European Tour, most notably the Abu Dhabi Championship and the Saudi International.
Paspalum grass, featured on @kiawahresort's greens, is a rarity on the @PGA, as the @CoralesChamp is the only tournament to feature it.
— A Golf Fact (@FactGolf) May 17, 2021
Prior to winning the 2012 @PGAChampionship at Kiawah, Rory McIlroy noted “The Bear’s Club” (his home course in Jupiter, FL) had paspalum grass.
Still don’t believe me that Europeans will have a leg-up on their American counterparts this week? The last time that the PGA Championship was held at Kiawah, saw seven of the top 10 finishers in the event hailed from a European Country. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy won the 2012 event with a final score of 12-under par, 8-strokes better than runner-up David Lynn.
If you’re looking to back this theory there are some enticing options at WynnBET. The defending champion Rory McIlroy is set as the +1100 favorite but there are plenty of other options as well that may present some better value.
Englishman Paul Casey, who is still seeking his first Major Championship, is currently set at +6000 to win the event. After a runner-up finish at the 2020 edition of the event, Casey could be primed to finally get a Major win this week. He has 15 European Tour wins including three on the Middle East swing of their schedule, which features the rare paspalum grass.
Another English golfer with +5500 odds that could be a tempting betting option is Tyrrell Hatton. The 29-year old has 10 professional wins including six on the European Tour and he seems to thrive on links style courses. His sole win in 2021 so far came at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which features, you guessed it, paspalum turf.
This event may take place in the United States, but it’s the Europeans who will take center stage during Sunday’s final round.