Old & young: Jeff Maggert, Ryan Ruffels receive RBC Heritage exemptions

Add a two-time major winner last year to the roster for next month’s RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing — OK, not that one, but a Harbour Town mainstay who now spends his summers at Sea Pines.

Jeff Maggert, who parlayed a pair of 2015 senior majors into his most lucrative year as a professional, was one of two new sponsor exemptions announced Wednesday by tournament officials. Australian teen Ryan Ruffels was the other.

They join a list now at more than 30 Heritage commitments, including reigning major champions Jason Day (PGA Championship) and Zach Johnson (Open Championship), plus U.S. Amateur and NCAA titleholder Bryson DeChambeau.

Others to sign up early include five-time Heritage champion Davis Love III and recent tartan jacket winners Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker and Graeme McDowell.

As for Jordan Spieth, the reigning Masters and U.S. Open champion has given no indication about what he’ll do after his Masters defense. He tied for 18th at last week’s Valspar Championship outside Tampa, and at least one rival has expressed concern about his scheduling.

“I’m worried about him because I don’t know if he’s playing too much and he’s doing too many things with golf and sponsor obligations,” Jason Day said at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.

“You can look at his world ranking and how many events he’s played over the last couple years, and you can see that he’s kind of wearing himself thin.”

The 48th Heritage will be contested April 14-17, with the traditional Monday opening ceremony set for April 11.

It will be the 18th Heritage appearance for Maggert, 52, who hasn’t missed a Harbour Town start since 2005 and bought a second home at Sea Pines five years ago. He owns four top-20 finishes in the event, though his last came in 2006.

“I’d love a few more cracks at Harbour Town,” Maggert told The Island Packet last fall.

Maggert won his first senior major last May, capturing the Regions Tradition in a playoff over Kevin Sutherland. Three months later, he won the U.S. Senior Open with a final-day 65 that left him two shots clear of Colin Montgomerie.

Combined with two more victories and six other top-10 finishes, Maggert’s earnings of $2.2 million exceeded his best season in a quarter-century on the PGA Tour.

Ruffels, just 17, turned pro last January and has made the cut in both of his PGA Tour starts thus far. The 2014 Players Amateur participant may be best known for ruffling Phil Mickelson’s feathers recently by disclosing he took $5,000 off the three-time Masters champion in a friendly game a year ago.

Weeklong badges and daily tickets are available for purchase at RBCHeritage.com, via Kroger outlets in Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce offices or by calling the tournament at 843-671-2448.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 6:08 PM with the headline "Old & young: Jeff Maggert, Ryan Ruffels receive RBC Heritage exemptions."