RBC Heritage lineup adds pair of rising international players
Japan’s Hideto Tanihara, a surprising fourth at last week’s WGC Match Play, and European Ryder Cup member Rafa Cabrera Bello have become the newest additions to the field as the commitment deadline nears for the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.
Both players, among the top 50 in the world rankings, will make their first appearance at the PGA Tour’s annual stop at Harbour Town Golf Links.
They join a roster that features two-time winner Jim Furyk, current champion Branden Grace, reigning Masters titleholder Danny Willett and recent PGA Tour winners in Adam Hadwin, Marc Leishman and D.A. Points.
The tournament’s 49th edition also brings back former Harbour Town champions Matt Kuchar, Graeme McDowell and Brandt Snedeker. Players have until April 7to add themselves to the lineup.
Heritage Week begins April 10 with the traditional opening ceremonies fronting Calibogue Sound, with competition getting underway three days later.
Daily tickets, which rise from $65 to $85 starting Saturday, remain on sale along with weeklong badges and a selection of clubhouse packages. Purchases can be make online through RBCHeritage.com, at Kroger locations in Hilton Head Island and Bluffton or by calling the tournament office at 843-671-2448.
Starting April 8, tickets and badges may be purchased only in person at Harbour Town.
Tanihara, whose 14 career victories all have come on the Japan Tour, is in the midst of his first extended competition in the United States.
The veteran pro upended Jordan Spieth on the first day of last week’s WGC Match Play, winning his group and reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Dustin Johnson. Nonetheless, his performance was good for a Masters invitation as he rose into the top 50 in the world rankings.
Harbour Town will be his third consecutive stop on U.S. soil, something he’s never done before. It’s also just his second start on the U.S. mainland in an event that isn’t a major championship or World Golf Championships event.
Cabrera Bello made his first Ryder Cup squad last year after a season in which he recorded four top-3 finishes worldwide without a victory. The Spaniard also was fifth at last year’s Olympic Tournament in Brazil and third at the 2016 WGC Match Play.
Jeff Shain: 843-706-8123, @jeffshain
Current RBC Heritage commitments
Mark Anderson, Aaron Baddeley, Blayne Barber, Ricky Barnes, Brooks Blackburn, Zac Blair, Jonas Blixt, Jason Bohn, Steven Bowditch, Scott Brown, Wesley Bryan, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Chad Campbell, Bud Cauley, Alex Cejka, Greg Chalmers, K.J. Choi, Stewart Cink, Chad Collins, Ben Crane.
Glen Day, Bryson DeChambeau, Graeme DeLaet, Luke Donald, Jason Dufner, Ken Duke, Ernie Els, Bob Estes, Matt Every, Derek Fathauer, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Jim Furyk, Tommy Gainey, Robert Garrigus, Brian Gay, Lucas Glover, Fabian Gomez, Branden Grace, Bill Haas, Adam Hadwin.
James Hahn, Brian Harman, Tyrell Hatton, David Hearn, Russell Henley, J.J. Henry, Jim Herman, Charley Hoffman, Morgan Hoffmann, Billy Horschel, Charles Howell, Mark Hubbard, John Huh, Billy Hurley III, Yuta Ikeda, Freddie Jacobsen, a-Cheng Jin, Andrew Johnston, Sung Kang, Martin Kaymer.
Jerry Kelly, Michael Kim, Si Woo Kim, Chris Kirk, Kevin Kisner, Patton Kizzire, Colt Knost, Russell Knox, Jason Kokrak, Matt Kuchar, Martin Laird, Danny Lee, Marc Leishman, Spencer Levin, David Lingmerth, Luke List, Andrew Loupe, Shane Lowry, Peter Malnati, Steve Marino.
Ben Martin, Graeme McDowell, William McGirt, Troy Merritt, Bryce Molder, Francesco Molinari, Grayson Murray, Kevin Na, Louis Oosthuizen, Ryan Palmer, Rod Pampling, Pat Perez, John Peterson, Carl Pettersson, D.A. Points, Ian Poulter, Chez Reavie, Kyle Reifers, Sam Saunders, John Senden.
Webb Simpson, Vijay Singh, Brandt Snedeker, Kyle Stanley, Shawn Stefani, Brett Stegmaier, Robert Streb, Brian Stuard, Daniel Summerhays, Hudson Swafford, Hideto Tanihara, Nick Taylor, Vaughn Taylor, Tyrone Van Aswegen, Harold Varner III, Camilo Villegas, Johnson Wagner, Boo Weekley, Danny Willett.
a-denotes amateur
Note: Even though a player has committed, he can remove his name from the field anytime before the entry deadline of 5 p.m. on April 7.
This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 8:08 PM with the headline "RBC Heritage lineup adds pair of rising international players."