by Joe Wedra, originally posted May 7, 2025 by My Horry News
State officials and government leaders, including S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette praised the 2025 ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic and its impact at a press conference at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club on Wednesday, May 7.
McMaster and Evette were joined by others, like Sen. Luke Rankin and Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune, as a part of an official event to kick off the tournament.
Evette said the event is a major boost to the state, helping attract even more fans to the area through the media exposure the tournament brings.
“The first thing they want to do is sit down, get in front of their computer, book a room and come here to play golf, right here in South Carolina and right here in Myrtle Beach,” Evette said. “This is our second year of this tournament, and it’s a very exciting time.”
McMaster praised the Myrtle Beach area as being a welcoming place to host a PGA Tour event. A key talking point amongst tournament leaders for the past several months has been the “overdue” nature of the PGA Tour coming to Myrtle Beach.
“That’s 60 miles of unbroken white sand,” McMaster said, gesturing to the oceanfront view beyond the Dunes Club ballroom. “They call it the Grand Strand. You can’t find it anywhere else… all kinds of things have attracted people here for years and years. It’s always the people and it’s always the place.”
Evette said the event is a major boost to the state, helping attract even more fans to the area through the media exposure the tournament brings.
“The first thing they want to do is sit down, get in front of their computer, book a room and come here to play golf, right here in South Carolina and right here in Myrtle Beach,” Evette said. “This is our second year of this tournament, and it’s a very exciting time.”
McMaster praised the Myrtle Beach area as being a welcoming place to host a PGA Tour event. A key talking point amongst tournament leaders for the past several months has been the “overdue” nature of the PGA Tour coming to Myrtle Beach.
“That’s 60 miles of unbroken white sand,” McMaster said, gesturing to the oceanfront view beyond the Dunes Club ballroom. “They call it the Grand Strand. You can’t find it anywhere else… all kinds of things have attracted people here for years and years. It’s always the people and it’s always the place.”
Rajput said celebrities like Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell enjoyed playing in the Wednesday pro-am event, and have already indicated that they would like to be apart of the event in 2026.
Tracy Conner, interim president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, said at Wednesday’s press conference that the current contract with the PGA Tour is through 2027 and that conversations will begin this fall about “extensions and other opportunities.”
Evette said the Classic, and the game of golf as a whole, continues to have a significant positive economic impact for the state. All leaders at Wednesday’s press conference seemed to indicate that the event has a very realistic chance of sticking in the area for years to come.
“I think it is unlimited, the amount of economic impact it has and the draw that it has, bringing people to South Carolina,” Evette said of the tournament’s benefits.
Tournament play begins on Thursday at the Dunes Club and will continue throughout the weekend with the final round taking place on Sunday.