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In what PGA Tour officials say is “a one-time change,” the 2011 Heritage will be April 18-24, the same week as the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, the Champions Tour team event in nearby Savannah, officials announced today.
Since 1983, the Heritage has been played the week after the Masters, which this year is scheduled April 7-10. The Valero Texas Open in San Antonio will now have the week after the Masters, April 14-17.
The Heritage has struggled for months, so far unsuccessfully, to find a title sponsor to replace Verizon. The foundation that runs the tournament has scrambled in recent weeks to secure two, $1 million commitments from Hilton Head Island and Beaufort County governments to stay on the tour’s schedule should a new sponsor fail to emerge.
“First, in light of recent speculation about the Heritage’s immediate future, we are pleased to confirm that it will return to the PGA Tour schedule in 2011,” Rick George, the PGA Tour’s chief of operations, said in a news release. “While having two events in the same market during the same week is not an ideal situation, it does provide us the unique opportunity to showcase the best of the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour to that region, and we expect both tournaments to continue to be very successful events.”
Tour officials say the date change is “due to an anomaly in the 2011 schedule that adds an extra week between the Masters and The Players Championship,” and they hope it will return to its traditional spot in the future.
“This is a one-time change to the PGA Tour schedule, and our hope and intent is for The Heritage to return to its long-standing position the week after the Masters in 2012,” George added. “Our thanks to both tournaments for agreeing to the resolution, and we know they will work together to provide the best experience for area golf fans, while also positively impacting the local economy and many deserving charities.”
The Valero Texas Open agreed to move from May to April to fill this year’s extra week.
“However, due to a variety of reasons, the original date proposed by the PGA Tour was not workable for the Valero Texas Open, which made the week following the Masters the most viable option,” according to the release.
Heritage director Steve Wilmot said adjustments to the tournament are likely to accommodate the new date.
“While there will be some adjustments due to the schedule change, we look forward to another highly successful Heritage tournament in 2011,” he said. “Our thanks go out to the many Heritage fans, volunteers and sponsors for their understanding, and we look forward to returning to our traditional post-Masters date in 2012.”
Joe Rotellini, executive director of the Legends event in Savannah, said he wants to work with Heritage organizers to make the dual tournaments successful.
“The Heritage Classic has been a PGA Tour staple for many years, and we are happy for their foundation, tournament staff and the folks in the Hilton Head community that the Heritage Classic is on the 2011 Tour schedule,” he said. “They have worked hard to get it done. We look forward to working with Steve and his team on possible partnerships for this one-year phenomenon.”
TOUR NEWS RELEASE Below is the PGA Tour’s news release today announcing the new dates for the Heritage and the Legends of Golf in Savannah will both be April 18-24:
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL — The PGA TOUR announced today a one-year only schedule change that moves The Heritage (Hilton Head Island, SC) a week later to April 18-24 in 2011. Traditionally played the week following The Masters, The Heritage in 2011 will be held the same week as the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, the Champions Tour team event in nearby Savannah, GA.
This one-time change is due to an anomaly in the 2011 schedule that adds an extra week between the Masters and THE PLAYERS Championship. The Valero Texas Open agreed to move from May to April to fill the extra week. However, due to a variety of reasons, the original date proposed by the PGA TOUR was not workable for the Valero Texas Open, which made the week following the Masters the most viable option.
“First, in light of recent speculation about The Heritage’s immediate future, we are pleased to confirm that it will return to the PGA TOUR schedule in 2011,” said Rick George, PGA TOUR chief of operations. “While having two events in the same market during the same week is not an ideal situation, it does provide us the unique opportunity to showcase the best of the PGA TOUR and the Champions Tour to that region, and we expect both tournaments to continue to be very successful events.
“This is a one-time change to the PGA TOUR schedule, and our hope and intent is for The Heritage to return to its long-standing position the week after the Masters in 2012,” George added. “Our thanks to both tournaments for agreeing to the resolution, and we know they will work together to provide the best experience for area golf fans, while also positively impacting the local economy and many deserving charities.”
“While there will be some adjustments due to the schedule change, we look forward to another highly successful Heritage tournament in 2011,” said Steve Wilmot, tournament director of The Heritage. “Our thanks go out to the many Heritage fans, volunteers and sponsors for their understanding, and we look forward to returning to our traditional post-Masters date in 2012.”
“The Heritage Classic has been a PGA TOUR staple for many years and we are happy for their Foundation, Tournament Staff, and the folks in the Hilton Head community that the Heritage Classic is on the 2011 TOUR schedule,” said Joe Rotellini, executive director of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. “They have worked hard to get it done. We look forward to working with Steve and his team on possible partnerships for this one-year phenomenon.”
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour.
The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
In 2010, the three Tours collectively have tournaments in 34 states and in 12 countries outside of the U.S. PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 600 million households in 231 countries and 30 languages.
Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2009, tournaments on the three Tours generated nearly $109 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR’s all-time total of charitable contributions to nearly $1.5 billion.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the company is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
