The 56th edition of the RBC Heritage tees off this week at picturesque Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
As an elevated event, the field will feature many of the PGA Tour’s top-ranked golfers, including eight of the top 10.
In all, 69 golfers will vie for the tournament’s signature plaid jacket, along with a first-place check totaling $3.6 million.
Here’s more on what to expect at this year’s RBC Heritage.
PGA Tour Skinny
Tournament: RBC Heritage
Title Sponsor: RBC
Dates:Â Apr. 18-21, 2024
Where: Hilton Head Island, SC
Course:Â Harbour Town Golf Links
Distance: Par 71, 7099 yards
Architect: Pete Dye
Format: 72-holes, stroke play
Purse: $20,000,000
Winning Share: $3,600,000
Defending Champion:Â Matt Fitzpatrick
How to Follow the RBC Heritage
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RBC Heritage History
The RBC Heritage, known for much of its time as the Heritage Classic, is a regular PGA Tour event in South Carolina, first played 54 years ago in 1969. It is currently contested in mid-April, usually the week following The Masters Tournament.
Harbour Town Golf Links, the famous Pete Dye design with help from Jack Nicklaus, has hosted the tournament since its inception in 1969.
The inaugural event, contested on Thanksgiving weekend in 1969, was somewhat overshadowed by the Vietnam War draft lottery, which took place the day after the tournament ended, but it was a thrilling four days, with one of the all-time greats, Arnold Palmer, winning by three strokes.
The win was Palmer’s first victory in more than a year, and the media, who covered the golf icon’s every move, cranked out hundreds of glowing stories and photos about the then 40-year old “breaking his winless streak” on “Pete Dye’s stunning new links course.”
Since that Thanksgiving weekend over 50 years ago – thanks in large part to the good fortune of Palmer claiming its maiden championship, “the Heritage,” Harbour Town Golf Links, and Hilton Head Island have gone on to become iconic as well, and an important part of golf’s history.
Co-course designer, Nicklaus, won the 1975 edition, which took place two weeks prior to his fifth Masters victory.
Hale Irwin, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Payne Stewart, Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, and Jordan Spieth are among other notable winners of the Heritage.
Love III holds the tournament record for most wins with five, while Cink and Irwin own three apiece.
History: Tournament Names
- RBC Heritage (2012-24)
- The Heritage (2011)
- Verizon Heritage (2006-10)
- MCI Heritage (2003-05)
- WorldCom Classic (2001-02)
- MCI Classic (1995-2000)
- MCI Heritage Golf Classic (1987-1994)
- Sea Pines Heritage (1980-86)
- Sea Pines Heritage Classic (1979)
- Heritage Classic (1977-78)
- Sea Pines Heritage Classic (1971-76)
- Heritage Golf Classic (1969-70)
History: Tournament Months
The tournament has been played in the month of:
• November (1969–72)
• September (1973)
• March (1974–82) Two weeks before Masters
• April (1983–2019, 21–) Week after Masters
• June (2020) COVID-19 reschedule
History: Recent Winners
2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17)*
2022: Jordan Spieth (-13)*
2021: Stewart Cink (-19)
2020: Webb Simpson (-22)
2019: C.T. Pan (-12)
2018: Satoshi Kodaira (-12)*
2017: Wesley Bryan (-13)
2016: Branden Grace (-9)
2015: Jim Furyk (-18)*
2014: Matt Kuchar (-11)
2013: Graeme McDowell (-9)*
* Playoff
History: RBC Heritage Records
Low Score: 262 – Webb Simpson (2020)
Low Under-Par: -22 – Webb Simpson (2020)
Largest Winning Margin: 10 Strokes – Brian Gay (2009)
Highest Winning Score: 283 – Arnold Palmer (1969)
Highest Winning To-Par: -1 – Arnold Palmer (1969)
Wins:
5 – Davis Love III (1987, 1991-92, 1998, 2003)
3 – Stewart Cink (2000, 2004, 2021)
3 – Hale Irwin (1971, 1973, 1994)
RBC Heritage Defending Champion
Matt Fitzpatrick shot a final-round 68 at Harbour Town and then defeated Jordan Spieth (66) in a playoff.
The Englishman trailed Spieth by two shots with five to play but made birdies on Nos. 15 and 16s to tie for the lead on 17 under.
In overtime, Spieth, the defending champion, had two prime chances to close it out. First, with a 12-foot birdie putt on 18: as he raised his putter in celebration, the ball caught the right edge and spun out. Then Speith came up short on a 9-foot birdie putt on 17.
Fitzpatrick won it on the next hole – the second time on 18, stuffing his approach to a foot, then tapping in for birdie to secure his second career PGA Tour victory.
Top-5 Finishers
Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
1. Matt Fitzpatrick -17 (-3)*
2. Jordan Spieth -17 (-5)
3. Patrick Cantlay -16 (-3)
4. Xander Schauffele -15 (-5)
5. Sahith Theegala -14 (-6)
5. Hayden Buckley -14 (-4)
The RBC Heritage Field
As an elevated event, the field at Harbour Town Golf Links is stacked, featuring eight of the top-10 ranked players in the Official World Golf Rankings, headlined by world No. 1 and two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler.
Leading the way is world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, fresh off his second major win at the Masters. The 27-year-old Texan finished T11 in his debut at Harbour Town Links last year.
Joining Scheffler will be six more top-ranked players, including Rory McIlroy (2), Xander Schauffele (3), Wyndham Clark (5), Ludvig Aberg (7), Patrick Cantlay (8), Max Homa (9), and Brian Harman (10).
Eight of the players, ranked from eleven (11) through twenty (20) in the OWGR, will also tee it up this week at Harbour Town, including Tommy Fleetwood (11), Matt Fitzpatrick (12), Collin Morikawa (13), Cameron Young (14), Sahith Theegala (17), Russell Henley (18), Keegan Bradley (19), and Jordan Spieth (20).
Jason Day (21), Tom Kim (23), Sam Burns (24), Tony Finau (26), Will Zalatoris (29), and Justin Thomas (30) are some of the other top-ranked marquee players.
RBC Heritage Odds
Players will be tested by one of the tightest designs on the PGA Tour – the Pete Dye-masterpiece of Harbour Town Golf Links.
Bookmakers have made Scottie Scheffler the overwhelming favorite with odds of 4-1. The Texas native enters off three wins (Arnold Palmer, The Players and The Masters) and a runner-up (playoff loss) in his last four starts.
Behind Scheffler, at 12-1, is Xander Schauffele, who enters off three straight top 10 finishes, including a top-10 at The Masters and runner-up at The Players.
Rounding out the top-3 favorites in Hilton Head are Patrick Cantlay and Ludvig Aberg, who are both being offered at 14-1.
Rory McIlroy, fresh off another disappointing finish at the Masters (T22), was listed at 15-1, while Collin Morikawa, who finished T3 at the Masters, was 18-1.
Jordan Spieth, who won here in 2022, enters in poor form and is listed at 30-1.
Finally, a severely slumping Justin Thomas was 40-1.
Top-10 Betting Favorites
Pos-Player(Odds)
1. Scottie Scheffler (4-1)
2. Xander Schauffele (12-1)
3. Ludvig Aberg (14-1)
3. Patrick Cantlay (14-1)
5. Rory McIlroy (15-1)
6. Collin Morikawa (18-1)
7. Tommy Fleetwood (20-1)
8. Cameron Young (25-1)
8. Matt Fitzpatrick (25-1)
10. Max Homa (28-1)
10. Will Zalatoris (28-1)
10. Wyndham Clark (28-1)
Full Field: Rank & Odds
Harbour Town Golf Links . Hilton Head Island, SC . Apr 18-21, 2024
Joel Cook and Carey Hoffman contributed to this preview.
Credits: PGA Tour Media, OWGR, Bovada, Getty Images, Wikipedia
