This gator didn’t have a ticket to RBC Heritage. But it watched from the 14th hole
READ MORE
The RBC Heritage on Hilton Head
From the PGA Tour event’s history on Hilton Head Island to how to get tickets now, here’s everything you need to know about this week’s event.
Expand All
Volunteers at RBC Heritage aren’t phased by sightings of the tournament’s scaly spectators.
Alligators tend to sunbathe near the 14th hole of Harbour Town Golf Links, said Mike Downing, who has volunteered at the hole during the tournament for six years. The critters are often seen gliding through the course’s lagoons and, sometimes, taking a stroll onto the green.
“They’re very unpredictable,” said Steve Sherry, a full-time resident of Hilton Head Island and the volunteer “captain” of hole 14. “They can move faster than any of us.”
Attendees on Thursday morning spotted a large alligator sunning itself and slinking through a lagoon near the 14th hole. That same morning, American golfer Michael Brennan sank a birdie at the notoriously difficult hole, according to the PGA, to maintain his first-round lead.
At last year’s tournament, volunteers briefly roped off the path near the same hole as an alligator ambled across the walkway, according to Downing.
This year’s reptilian resident of hole 14 hasn’t tried to cross the path, the volunteers said — at least not yet.
Asked if the volunteers had names for the course’s alligators, Sherry responded, “Not that I want to share.”
Mating season for alligators
April marks the beginning of mating season for the American alligator, which call the lagoons of the Lowcountry home. Gators are frequent spectators at Hilton Head’s annual PGA Tour event, which this year is being played on the restored and slightly updated Harbour course.
The tournament’s second of four rounds is set to begin Friday morning. Following the scheduled end of play on Sunday, the champion will don a tartan plaid jacket and receive a $20 million purse.
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 1:38 PM.
