RBC Heritage contract raises ante for Hilton Head

Call it Christmas in July.

Hilton Head Island — as well as Beaufort County and the state of South Carolina — received a tremendous gift last week from the Royal Bank of Canada.

RBC announced it will continue as title sponsor of the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing through 2023.

That’s more stability than ever because it is longer than the previous five-year deal, and it is tacked onto the one-year deal already put in place for 2017.

We are confident that Boeing, the presenting sponsor that has a large presence in the Lowcountry with manufacturing plants in North Charleston, will remain in that role as well.

The PGA Tour event has been played over the Harbour Town Golf Links in Sea Pines since 1969. It boosts the local economy and culture literally beyond measure when one considers the international reach of television coverage by CBS Sports and The Golf Channel.

The new contract is a good reflection on the Heritage Classic Foundation, headed by Simon Fraser, which puts on the tournament and has distributed more than $30 million to charity since 1987; as well as tournament director Steve Wilmot and his staff; the host, Sea Pines Resort; the many local and regional tournament sponsors; the army of volunteers who make it happen; and all the Tour players who have supported the tournament for nearly 50 years.

It is reaffirmation of the dream to do something significant and do it well as modern development of the Lowcountry was in its infancy. The dream was carried in large part by the late Charles E. Fraser, founder of Sea Pines and the tournament, along with his late brother, Joseph B. Fraser Jr., the founding chairman of the nonprofit Heritage Classic Foundation.

The new contract shows an increased commitment by RBC with next year’s purse jumping from $5.9 million to $6.5 million, and incremental increases to continue through the contract period.

And it makes Hilton Head a partner with one of the finest names in golf. RBC sponsors two tournaments, is active in golf development, and sponsors the “Team RBC” stable of 14 touring pros who help give the Heritage an attractive field each April. That group of male and female golfers includes Jason Day, and recent Heritage champions Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker and Graeme McDowell.

The new contract also means the tournament’s dependence on Town of Hilton Head Island tax dollars will be cut from $700,000 to $250,000 next year. The public needs a better explanation of why any town money is needed, and what the town gets in return for that money.

RBC rescued the Heritage after its 19-year association with MCI, then WorldCom, then Verizon, ended in 2009 and it was without a title sponsor in 2010. We know from that period how fortunate we are to have this long-term contract and the support of RBC and Boeing.

Now it is this community’s turn to up the ante and increase its support for the tournament in a variety of ways. That includes the sponsorships available to local companies, and the ticket and volunteer support of residents and guests. It also includes fixing up, sprucing up and presenting the best of customer service to guests from around the world — many of them clients of RBC and Boeing from a most enviable demographic. It means constant upgrading of parking, housing, traffic management, beach access and amenities. It means taking pride in an event they say has an annual economic impact of about $100 million, as it presents the beautiful Lowcountry backdrop to the world.

It may be Christmas in July, but it is no time to rest.

This story was originally published July 23, 2016 at 4:58 PM with the headline "RBC Heritage contract raises ante for Hilton Head."