‘Feel more freedom’: RBC Heritage fans enjoy tournament after last year’s limited crowds
Back to normalcy.
That’s the prevailing feeling among fans spectating the first round of play Thursday at a breezy and warm RBC Heritage Presented By Boeing on Hilton Head Island.
Following a subdued and fan-limited tournament last year, Lamont Lucas, 49, of Columbia, said the difference is palpable.
“Everybody’s socializing, having a good time. Feel more freedom,” said Lucas.
Lucas works in banking and fell in love with golf 25 years ago. He has made the trip down to Harbour Town Golf Links for the past six years.
“The talent they have, the guys, it’s amazing,” Lucas said, of watching pro golfers play up close.
Fans are watching those golfers play in front of their eyes after COVID-19 restrictions stifled crowd size last year and kept people home.
Angela McSwain, director of marketing and communications for the Heritage Classic Foundation, previously said tournament organizers expected 120,000 spectators to attend the 2022 event between Tuesday and Sunday.
Khaki shorts, beers and mixed drinks in hands, and plaid articles of clothing scattered the golf links. Families with young children experiencing their first-ever golf tournament stood alongside seasoned tournament viewers.
Michael Andrews, 33, of Alexandria, Virginia, said this is his first year coming to the Heritage with a family of his own, which includes his wife, Christina, and 10-month-old son, Jacob. All three members wore different colored polo shirts. Andrews said he hopes his son takes up golf as a player or at least as a fan.
“Sharing this experience with his son is the biggest thing for us. He grew up with his dad coming [to Heritage] so the tradition lives on,” said Christina Andrews. “Now we get to introduce it to our family.”
![Christina Andrews (left) and her husband, Michael Andrews (right), attend their first golf tournament as parents of 10-month-old Jacob (center) on Thursday, April 14, 2022. “Sharing this experience with his son is the biggest thing for us. He grew up with his dad coming [to the Heritage] so the tradition lives on,” said Christina Andrews.](https://www.islandpacket.com/public/latest-news/7lj4m1/picture260424237/alternates/FREE_1200/IMG_687_fitted%20(1).jpeg "IMG_687_fitted (1).jpeg")
‘I can’t do anything but watch’
It is a family affair for the father of one pro-golfer, Billy Horschel.
Billy Horschel Sr. looked on intensely Thursday in a navy polo shirt, sunglasses and a long goatee sitting in a portable chair.
On Thursday morning, he said his son, Horschel, was “hanging in there.” Horschel Sr. said he’s been watching his son play since 2009, when Horschel got his PGA Tour card out of college.
He said he has watched his son play in so many tournaments that he’s used to the nerves.
“I’m like an old dog now. I’m not that nervous anymore,” Horschel Sr. said. “I can’t do anything but watch.”
Ricki Rogers, a Hilton Head resident since 2014, was clad in a pink polo shirt worn by volunteers and hushed a crowd while a golfer lined up his shot on Thursday afternoon.
She said she has volunteered at the Heritage for the past eight years. It’s a lot different this year for the better, she said.
“During the pandemic people were afraid to be near each other, they were afraid if you sneezed,” said Rogers. She admits the problems with COVID-19 aren’t over but said Heritage’s fandom this year is “fantastic.”
“It’s a great atmosphere. The people are having a good time and enjoying themselves and enjoying the golf,” she said. “I hope it continues, and I hope we beat the coronavirus.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 3:00 PM.
