Who will play in this year’s RBC Heritage? The field could be strongest in years
No fans. No concessions. No hospitality areas. No grandstands or bleachers. No vendors. No pro-ams.
No problem.
Officials look toward the rescheduled RBC Heritage, the PGA Tour’s stop in South Carolina now planned for June 18-21 at Sea Pines Resort’s Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, discount the negatives and visualize a win-win scenario.
Different? Sure.
Questions? No doubt.
But if the coronavirus outbreak that has upset all phases of life does not complicate the picture again, the tournament not only will feature some of the game’s greatest players but also will be a beacon toward a return to normalcy.
Given the circumstances that the Tour pros will be itching to return to competition, the field in June could be the strongest in terms of star power since the days that Palmer, Nicklaus, Watson, Miller, Faldo and Irwin made an annual trek to Hilton Head Island.
The Heritage’s week-after-the-Masters date historically has kept some players from making the trip to Hilton Head in past years, but “our fields are stronger than we get credit for,” said Charlie Roundtree III, a trustee on the Heritage Classic Foundation and one of the Palmetto State’s foremost proponents of golf. “We might not have Tiger or Phil but we have great players, and this year might be the best yet considering guys want to get back to playing. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rory (McIlroy) and Rickie (Fowler) play this year.”
The Heritage turns into a made-for-TV event without fans. “Ambassadors” for RBC, the title sponsor, almost surely will play, which means Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson and Matt Kuchar are likely participants.
Patrick Cantlay, who has top-10 finishes in each of his three Hilton Head appearance, and Bryson deChambeau are probable. Kevin Kisner, No. 36 in the world rankings, joins Johnson, No. 5, in leading the South Carolina contingent. Wesley Bryan, coming back from shoulder surgery, won the 2017 Heritage.
No doubt, most players are chomping at the bit to compete for the first time since the Tour canceled events after one round of The Players in mid-March. The revised schedule calls for four no-fan events, beginning with the Colonial a week prior to the Heritage.
“It will be like the start of a new season,” said Kisner, the Aiken resident who lost the 2015 Heritage in a playoff and is a member of the players’ council for the Tour. “I know some guys have not been able to practice because their courses have been closed. Everyone has to make decisions about travel and such. Guys want to play, but you just don’t turn it on without preparation.”
Tiger Woods has played the tournament only once, in 1999. Phil Mickelson played early in his career but has not been to Harbour Town since 2002.
“There are still a lot of moving parts,” Kisner said. “The biggest thing we have to do as a Tour is to get it right.
“We have to figure out how few people we can get by with and still have a quality event. We want a controlled environment at the start and go forward from there. We don’t want to compromise the quality of the event, and we want a safe environment.”
A key element will be testing for the coronavirus. How will tests be administered? To whom? Will there be enough tests available?
“One thing we will not do is take away tests from the public,” Kisner said.
Tournament director Steve Wilmot echoes the importance of testing and said, “Let’s be very clear on this: the Tour will do the right thing or we could not play in June. We just have to plan that we will. Safety and well being for all involved is our primary concern.”
Johnson, Simpson, DeChambeau and Kisner are all committed to play a week earlier in Texas (June 11-14) at the PGA Tour’s first event of the resumed season, the Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth’s Colonial Country Club. Other top Colonial commitments are No. 10 Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson. That tournament is expecting more big-name commitments next week, according to a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Fleetwood, Spieth and Johnson are expected to play in Hilton Head, too. The field for the Heritage at Harbour Town won’t be finalized until the Friday prior to the tournament (June 12). The Heritage, like the Colonial, has been expanded from 132 to 144 players this year.
The Heritage had been scheduled for April 16-19 and no one expected the tournament to be played this year after the cancellation. Infrastructure had been removed by the time the Tour called with a proposed June date.
“We in the Foundation thought, ‘If this will help get the world going again, let’s do it,’” Wilmot said. “We cherish the opportunity.”
The cancellation cost the tournament more than $1 million in expenses plus the loss of $800,000 in ticket revenue.
“The tournament will be completely different from a logistical standpoint,” Roundtree said. “The date is different, the course will play different and circumstances such as no fans are obviously different.”
“But the tournament is such a big plus for the area and the state. Even though there won’t be the usual revenue, the state benefits from the television exposure around the world. ... You can’t afford advertising for South Carolina like we will get from the tournament. The television ratings on Father’s Day weekend should be terrific. A lot of details remain to be worked out, but there’s no reason to think it will not be a great tournament and a great experience.”
Heritage in June: Could world’s best play in Hilton Head?
The world’s top 10 golfers and how often they’ve played at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island.
1. Rory McIlroy | Appearances: 1 (2012). Best finish: T58 (2012)
2. Jon Rahm | Appearances: 0. Best finish: N/A
3. Brooks Koepka | Appearances: 0. Best finish: N/A
4. Justin Thomas | Appearances: 2 (last 2016). Best finish: T11 (2015)
5. Dustin Johnson | Appearances: 4 (last 2019). Best finish: T16 (2018)
6. Adam Scott | Appearances: 1 (2001). Best finish: MC (2001)
7. Patrick Reed | Appearances: 3 (last 2015). Best finish: T48 (2014)
8. Patrick Cantlay | Appearances: 3 (2019). Best finish: T3 (2017, ’19)
9. Webb Simpson | Appearances: 10 (last 2019). Best finish: 2 (2013)
10. Tommy Fleetwood | Appearances: 1 (2019). Best finish T25 (2019)
-- Others --
Jason Day | Appearances: 5 (last 2016). Best finish: T9 (2011)
Bryson deChambeau | Appearances: 4 (last 2019). Best finish: T3 (2018)
Rickie Fowler | Appearances: 4 (last 2012). Best finish: T8 (2010)
Jim Furyk | Appearances: 20 (last 2019). Best finish: 1 (2010, ’15)
Matt Kuchar | Appearances: 16 (last 2019). Best finish: 1 (2014)
Marc Leishman | Appearances: 10 (last 2019). Best finish: T9 (2013)
Phil Mickelson | Appearances: 7 (last 2002). Best finish: 3 (2002)
Justin Rose | Appearances: 4 (last 2008). Best finish: T7 (2004)
Xander Schauffele | Appearances: 2 (last 2019). Best finish: T32 (2018)
Bubba Watson | Appearances: 1 (2007). Best finish: MC (2007)
Tiger Woods | Appearances: 1 (1999). Best finish: T18 (1999)
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These questions need to be answered for Heritage
Some questions to be answered prior to the rescheduled RBC Heritage:
▪ Testing: Who? When? How often? What happens with a positive test?
▪ Volunteers: How many? Duties? Personnel will be needed for walking scorers, Shotlink and perhaps spotters.
▪ Housing: Where will players and caddies stay?
▪ Social distancing: How to control “gathering” places such as the practice range and media center?
▪ Locker rooms and clubhouse: Will they be open for players?
▪ Players’ dining: Will the usual meals for players be provided? Or will their food be “grab and go”?
▪ Interviews: How will players interact with the media? Virtually?
▪ Resort visitors: Vacationers will be at Sea Pines. How will people who rent property along fairways or walk along the road near the first green and tees on Nos. 9 and 16 be separated?
▪ Media: Instead of the tournament’s regional sports media, the tournament becomes a national story for both sports and health, creating a larger media contingent.
▪ Courtesy cars: Will they be available?
▪ Flights: Will players want to fly in? Will international players be able to return to the United States?
▪ Restrooms on course: Even without fans, players and caddies will need them. How and when are they sanitized?
▪ Who will play? The field will not be finalized until the Friday prior to the tournament. Officials expect players will be anxious to return to competition.
▪ How different will the experience be for the players to compete without fans?
▪ How much difference will playing in June on bermudagrass make rather than April’s overseeded conditions? In warmer conditions?
▪ Will the coastal winds be significantly different and cause different challenges for players?
▪ How will players adjust for different sight lines with no hospitality tents and bleachers to define the course?
▪ Will the lack of volunteer spotters to locate errant drives lead to more lost balls and thus penalty strokes?
This story was originally published May 2, 2020 at 5:00 AM.