Another rite of spring: RBC Heritage returns to post-Masters slot
In yet another example of how golf is returning to some semblance of normalcy amid the ongoing pandemic, the PGA Tour left Augusta National for the 2½-hour drive to the Atlantic coast for its next tournament.
The RBC Heritage returns to its traditional post-Masters slot in April after having been shifted to June last year as COVID-19 spread across the world. Play begins Thursday at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, S.C. The winner will earn $1.278 million from the $7.1 million purse.
World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, a Columbia native who played college golf at Coastal Carolina in Conway, is entered and among the favorites after having missed the cut at the Masters. Webb Simpson, who set the tournament scoring record last year at 22-under 262, will return as defending champion. He is ranked No. 9 in the world. No. 6-ranked Bryson DeChambeau withdrew, but No. 4 Collin Morikawa, No. 8 Tyrrell Hatton and No. 10 Patrick Cantlay were entered, giving the tournament five of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. (For the updated field, click here.)
This year’s RBC Heritage will be the first of three PGA Tour events in the Palmetto State in a nine-week span. The PGA Championship will visit Kiawah Golf Resort's Ocean Course on Kiawah Island on May 20-23, and the inaugural Palmetto Championship at Congaree will be held at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland on June 10-13.
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