South Carolina’s first sign of spring: RBC Heritage is on the horizon
Visit Harbour Town Golf Links on a sun-splashed February day, and the area buzzes with activity.
There’s golf, of course, on Sea Pines Resort’s most famous course. But there’s more: Drills whine, machines ferry building material. Workers are here, there and everywhere installing scaffolding for bleachers that will be in demand in April.
The weather has teased with a few warm winter days, but this scene — preparations for the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage presented by Boeing — is South Carolina’s harbinger of spring.
Indeed, the 57th edition of the Heritage is just around the corner, April 17-20, and everything is taking shape to deliver on tournament director Steve Wilmot’s mantra: Provide a great experience for the players, fans and sponsors.
“We want to be outstanding every year and even better the next year,” Wilmot said.
He has discovered what works and what needs to change through the years, and one lesson stands out: having more fans is not always better.
He remembered tournament Saturday in 2019, and the course jammed with spectators did not make for a memorable experience. Heavier traffic, long lines at concession stands and restrooms, and sluggish gallery movement demanded change.
The upgrade had to wait a couple of years, until after normalcy returned following the pandemic, and officials restricted attendance to a daily maximum of about 22,000.
Wilmot likely never thought limiting ticket sales would be a good idea when he joined the Heritage staff in 1986, nor after the became tournament director in 1997. He probably has “seen everything” in his tenure, including the growth of the staff from four then to 13 full-time employees and seven interns today.
“You have to learn from experience,” he said.
One factor he will not need to fret over again this year is the quality of the players. The Heritage is again a “signature” event with a field limited to around 70 with no cut who will compete for a $20 million purse.
The last three champions — Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Jordan Spieth — testify to the excellence, but the players are only part of the equation. Sponsors and fans are equally important.
“You have to build relationships, and we’ve done that,” Wilmot said. “We’ll continue to do that, too. We’ve upgraded food and beverage, have more restrooms and have bleachers on almost every hole.”
The sum creates “a place to be” atmosphere, but setbacks have popped up along the way. The big one? Losing Verizon’s sponsorship in 2010, and then staging the 2011 tournament with loans and the Heritage Classic Foundation reserve funds created doubts about the future.
The Royal Bank of Canada and Boeing stepped in, and, to use one of Wilmot’s pet phrases, the Heritage has been “full speed ahead” since.
Still, the changes at the top of the professional golf world can create doubts. Smaller fields are coming in 2026 and some long-time supporters have dropped corporate sponsorships. Questions about whether RBC will continue to support two PGA tournaments linger.
But Wilmot remains confident.
Standing near Harbour Town’s first tee and looking over the ninth green, he sees and hears the flurry of activity that says spring — and the Heritage — are again on the horizon.
“I’m confident about ’26 and beyond,” he said. “We’ve got a lot to build on and it’s all coming together.”
Chip shots. RBC Heritage tickets are available online at www.rbcheritage.com. ... Sam Jackson (West Columbia, men’s player of the year), Todd White (Spartanburg, men’s senior player of the year) and Madison Messimer (Myrtle Beach, junior girls’ player of the year) earned honors from the Carolinas Golf Association. The players captured the same awards from the South Carolina Golf Association. ... The Heritage Classic Foundation, a non-profit organization that stages the PGA Tour tournament, announced the distribution of a record $3.93 million to charity thanks to a successful 2024 event. The foundation has contributed $56.9 million since its creation in 1987. The organization’s six charitable pillars this year include: arts and culture, $685,200; children, $942,500; education, $248,000; environment, $213,900; health and welfare, $1,712,000; and scholarships, $191,000. ... Tickets and sponsorship information for the South Carolina Golf Ball, a fund-raiser for the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation, are available on line at www.scjga.org or at the South Carolina Golf Association at (803) 732-9311. The event is set for April 10 at USC’s Pastides Alumni Center. ... USC’s women’s team, ranked fifth nationally, plays host to a strong field in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate tourney March 3-5 at Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island. The event will be televised by The Golf Channel. ... USC’s men, ranked 15, play the first of three March tournaments March 8-10 in the John Hayt Invitational in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 9:35 AM with the headline "South Carolina’s first sign of spring: RBC Heritage is on the horizon."