The McGladrey Classic preview

The PGA Tour is back in the USA this week for The McGladrey Classic. Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey defends the title over the Seaside Course at Sea Island in Georgia.

Tommy Gainey defends McGladrey Classic (Getty Images)
Fergus Bisset
By
published

Lowdown: The PGA Tour is back in the USA this week for The McGladrey Classic. Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey defends the title over the Seaside Course at Sea Island in Georgia.

The prize fund has increased at this year's McGladrey Classic - up to $5,500,000, with $990,000 going to the winner. The event also carries FedEx Cup points for the first time and the winner will receive invitations to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, The Players, The PGA Championship and the Masters.

Webb Simpson is on the start sheet this week, so too other big-name players like Matt Kuchar and Zach Johnson.

The Seaside course at Sea Island is a classic Harry Colt and Charles Alison design dating from 1929. Tom Fazio completed a renovation in 1999. It's been the venue for some significant amateur competitions over the years including the US Senior Amateur and the US Senior Women's Amateur.

This tournament was first contested on the PGA Tour in 2010 when Heath Slocum was the winner. Ben Crane took the title via a playoff against Webb Simpson in 2011.

In last year's tournament, Tommy Gainey fired a scintillating final round of 60 to sneak in ahead of David Toms and Jim Furyk.

This is a course where scoring can be low, but the wind can have a big impact on the test and there may be some stiff sea breezes to contend with at some point this week.

Venue: Seaside Course, Sea Island, Georgia Date: Nov 7-10 Course stats: par 70, 7,055 yards Purse: $5,500,000 Winner: $990,000 Defending Champion: Tommy Gainey (-16)

TV Coverage: Thursday 7 - Sky Sports 4 from 6pm Friday 8 - Sky Sports 4 from 6pm Saturday 9 - Sky Sports 4 from 6pm Sunday 10 - Sky Sports 4 from 6pm

Player Watch: Charles Howell III - He was tied 5th at the Shriners, then tied 7th at the CIMB Classic. He also has twice finished in the top-10 in this event. Add those stats together and you have a likely candidate this week.

Luke Guthrie - He was tied 5th with Howell at the Shriners and played brilliantly at the BMW Masters to finish alone in fourth. He's one of the form players out there at the moment so watch out for him to continue his run.

Jeff Overton - He's been sneaking under the radar but has enjoyed an excellent start to the 2013-14 season - his worst finish so far being a tie for 16th. He was tied sixth in this event back in 2011.

Key hole: 18th. At 470 yards, the closing par 4 on the Seaside Course is a real tester, it often ranks as the toughest on the course and could witness some slip-ups late on in proceedings.

Where next? European Tour - Turkish Airlines Open preview

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

Latest