MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — William McGirt knew he needed an eagle on the par-5 18th hole at TPC Myrtle Beach to have a chance to qualify for the PGA Tour’s Myrtle Beach Classic.

He got one, then won a two-for-one playoff to advance out of the Monday qualifier with a 5-under-par 67, earning one of four spots up for grabs in the Grand Strand’s inaugural PGA Tour event.

“(Monday) was a great day,” McGirt told The Robesonian. “I had my son caddying for me so that made it extra special. I eagled 18 to get in the playoff. I had checked the scores walking off 16 green and also 17 green. I knew 5 under would be a playoff. He looked at me walking to 18 tee and said let’s go make three. And we did.”

While the urgency of a Monday qualifier is different — with a low round generally required to earn a spot in the main tournament — McGirt said there wasn’t much pressure, despite the fact he wanted to qualify for the event not far from his childhood home in Fairmont.

“There really isn’t much pressure in those qualifiers to me,” McGirt said. “You have to play well and you have to be a bit lucky because you can play a phenomenal round and have four people play better than you and you have nothing to show for it. I just try to play the best I can and see what happens.”

The Myrtle Beach Classic, being conducted for the first time, is an alternate-field PGA Tour event being played at The Dunes Club, a 7,450-yard Robert Trent Jones design. The course has previously hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 1962 and the PGA Tour Champions’ season finale in the 1990s, but this week will be the Grand Strand’s first event on a major professional tour since 2000.

McGirt, who is playing the 2024 PGA Tour season on conditional status, was the third alternate for the event before earning his spot through the Monday qualifier. Getting into the field for this event in particular was significant for McGirt.

“I really wanted to play this event pretty bad,” McGirt said. “Growing up 65 miles or so from Myrtle Beach, I’ve spent plenty of time here. We used to spend a week every year at a place about a mile from the Dunes Club. I used to look over every time we drove by a wish I could play the course. I’ve actually only played it once and that was the week before I went to Wofford to start my freshman year. It’s been almost 27 years. I remember a few holes but not many.”

McGirt will tee off on the first hole at 11:41 a.m. on Thursday and on the 10th hole at 7:01 a.m. Friday, paired with Nick Watney and Callum Tarren.

McGirt spent Tuesday and will spend Wednesday preparing for the event by familiarizing himself with the course, as will the rest of the field in the first-time event.

“I know they have lengthened the course by about 500 yards or so,” McGirt said. “It’ll be interesting to get to see it (Tuesday). I think the prep will be about the same as any other week except maybe spending more time on and around the greens since I’m not familiar with them. I picked up a yardage book (Monday) when I registered and the greens are much more shallow that I remember. The golf course looked like it was pristine. The guys I talked to all raved about the condition of it. I’m looking forward to it.”

McGirt enters the Myrtle Beach Classic ranked 214th in the FedExCup standings for the 2024 season. He will make his third start of the PGA Tour season, after a tie for 43rd at the Corales Puntacana Championship three weeks ago; he also missed the cut the following week in a Korn Ferry Tour event in Texas.

McGirt has made the cut in seven of his last eight PGA Tour starts, dating back to last July, with a best finish of tied for 28th at the RSM Classic last November.

The Myrtle Beach Classic is an alternate-field event, with less points and prize money than the Wells Fargo Championship being played this week in Charlotte, which has a stronger field as one of the PGA Tour’s Signature Events.

Erik Van Rooyen and Ben Griffin are among the betting favorites in a wide-open Myrtle Beach field. Other notable names in the field include Daniel Berger, Wesley Bryan, Kevin Kisner and former FedExCup champions Brandt Snedeker and Bill Haas.