Kiawah Island Golf Resort

The Kiawah Island Golf Resort is a resort located in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, United States, near the city of Charleston. The resort opened in 1974 [http://www.kiawahresort.com/about-the-resort/our-heritage.php] . It has five golf courses, most notably the Ocean Course.

The Ocean Course has hosted major golf tournaments like the Ryder Cup and the Senior PGA Championship.

The Courses

The Ocean Course

The Ocean Course is the most famous course at Kiawah Island. It was designed by Pete & Alice Dye, and it opened in 1991. The course was designed so that players have a view of the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean but also to expose golfers to the often-strong winds in the area. The Ocean Course has been named to several lists of good golf courses by publications such as "Golf Digest" and "Golf Magazine" as well as being named a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" by Audubon International.

The Ocean Course is a par 72 course. From the tournament tees, the Ocean Course measures 7,356 yards with a slope rating of 77.2/144. The course has unmarked tee boxes that can stretch the course to 7,873 yards.

The Ocean Course was featured in the 2000 film "The Legend of Bagger Vance".

Turtle Point

The Turtle Point course was designed by Jack Nicklaus. It has also received accolades from "Golf Digest" magazine. Turtle Point has hosted regional tournaments such as the Carolina Amateur.

The Turtle Point course is a par 72 course. From the tournament tees, it measures 7,061 yards and has a slope rating of 74.2/141.

Osprey Point

The Osprey Point course at Kiawah Island was designed by Tom Fazio. It is recognized as one of the "50 Best Golf Courses for Women" by "Golf for Women" magazine.

The Osprey point course is a par 72 course. It measures 6,932 yards from the tournament tees, and it has a slope rating of 73.3/135.

Oak Point

Designed by Clyde Johnston, the Oak Point course was purchased by the Kiawah Island Resort in 1997. He designed the course on what was once plantations that grew tomato and indigo.

Oak Point plays to a par of 72, and it measures 6,701 yards from the tournament tees with a slope rating of 72.4/137.

Cougar Point

The Cougar Point golf course was originally named Marsh Point, and Gary Player redesigned it in 1996. It is a par 72 course, and from the tournament tees it measures 6,875 yards. It has a slope rating of 74.0/138.

Tournaments held

Of the five golf courses at the Kiawah Island resort, only the Turtle Point course and the Ocean Course have held notable tournaments.

The Ocean Course first became famous for the 1991 Ryder Cup. The United States golf team defeated the Europe golf team 14½ – 13½. The windy Ocean Course made for difficult playing conditions, and the United States team barely won when Bernhard Langer of Germany missed a putt that would have defeated his opponent Hale Irwin and won the cup for Europe.

In 1996, the Ocean Course hosted the televised series Shell's Wonderful World of Golf where Annika Sörenstam played against Dottie Pepper.

The Ocean Course hosted the World Cup of Golf twice – in 1997 and in 2003. In 1997, Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley won the team title, with Colin Montgomerie winning the individual title. When the World Cup returned in 2003, Trevor Immelman and Rory Sabbatini won the team competition.

The PGA Club Professional Championship was played at the Ocean Course in 2005. Mike Small, the golf coach at the University of Illinois, won the event with a score of 289.

Most recently, the Senior PGA Championship was held at Kiawah Island's Ocean Course in May 2007. Denis Watson won his first golf tournament in twenty-three years, beating Eduardo Romero by two strokes.

The PGA Championship will be played at the Ocean Course in 2012.

External links

* [http://www.kiawahresort.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.pga.com/seniorpga/2007/index.html Official website of 2007 Senior PGA Championship]