Organizers make final preparations ahead of Myrtle Beach Classic
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Myrtle Beach Classic organizers on Wednesday were making the final touches on preparations before everyone arrived for the tournament, which starts Thursday.
Gates opened at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Tracy Conner, the executive director of the Myrtle Beach Golf Course Owners Association, said he’s happy with how preparations are turning out, and while he is nervous because it’s the first year, he’s excited to see fans start arriving.
“Really, really good, you know. It’s a first-year event for the city, brand new golf course, and so everything is new to us,” he said. “And so, a lot of planning has gone into place for this week.”
Since this is the first year that Myrtle Beach is hosting a PGA tournament, they were not sure how the turnout was going to be. Conner said it’s more than he could have asked for.
“We were hoping for that big of a turn out, but I don’t know if we expected the turnout that we’ve received, it’s just completely overwhelming,” he said.
Conner said the community has played a big role in supporting this event.
While this is the first year of the tournament, many people are asking when or if it will be back on the Grand Strand.
“This event, we’ve got it for four years, so it’ll be back, and next year will be hopefully around the same weekend and the same time frame next year, and we’ll have it for two years there following,” Conner said.
He said the event was put together in only nine months, while other tournaments usually have two years.
Conner hopes fans, as well as golfers, have a positive experience and want to come back next year. He said there are a few things that will make this event successful to him.
“Well, I think a couple of things. I think the fan experience, I think if the fans come and have a great time I think that’s the most important thing,” Conner said. “Secondly, to not just have fans come to town and, come to the event but to also integrate the event with the community and have the community come out, and if we do that, that will be a successful event.”
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Hannah Huffstickler is a multimedia journalist at News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2024 after graduating from Coastal Carolina University in December of 2023. Keep up with Hannah on Facebook and Instagram. You can also read more of her work here.
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