Duo hope local experience at Heritage golf tournament is a plus

They might not be household names, at least not yet, but Morgan Hoffmann and Brian Harman will have their fair share of support this week.

The RBC Heritage has plenty of star power, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the field lacks story lines. Hoffmann, 25, is a 2008 graduate of the International Junior Golf Academy, where he moved after winning two New Jersey state high school championships. His familiarity with the island and with Harbour Town Golf Links makes coming back for this PGA event quite the occasion.

“It’s awesome, man,” said Hoffmann, making his second Heritage appearance. “I didn’t come back last year because it didn’t fit in the schedule, but this year it’s great.”

Hoffman said he’s played Harbour Town “a million times” and is looking forward to spending the week in one of the places he used to call home. Things are a little different now – even the new clubhouse, which he said is “really cool” – but there’s definitely some nostalgia involved.

“There are a lot of great memories here,” Hoffman said. “When you’re 16 and 17, you do some stupid things and you remember it for a long time. They’re all great memories.”

But there is the business of the tournament to attend to. Hoffman feels as though he’s in good form, having finished his first Masters tied for 28th. The layout at Harbour Town is different than Augusta National, meaning every player will have to make adjustments and proceed with care.

“Here it’s a lot more plotting your way around the course and more strategic,” Hoffman said. “I feel really good. We have a good game plan, we have a great mentality and mindset. Everything seems to be rolling in the right direction.”

Then there’s Savannah’s Brian Harman, who excelled at last year’s tournament, finishing tied for seventh at 6 under. Harman said the Heritage is a “great tournament,” and is looking forward to getting underway.

“I always look forward to coming to Hilton Head, playing in front of a home crowd,” Harman said.

Playing in front of that kind of support helps, Harman said, especially when he hits a groove. Those can be hard to come by on this course, so Harman said he’s trying to keep his expectations manageable.

“It’s kind of a learning process down here,” he said. “This place takes a lot of discipline, a lot of patience.”

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 12:20 AM with the headline "Duo hope local experience at Heritage golf tournament is a plus."