RBC Heritage
The Heritage: A storied invitational on Hilton Head Island, the week after The Masters.
The RBC Heritage, known for much of its history as the Heritage Classic or simply The Heritage, is a PGA Tour event in South Carolina, first played in 1969. Since 1983 it has taken place in mid-April, the week after The Masters in Augusta, Georgia. The venue for its entire existence has been the Harbour Town Golf Links at the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island. The Harbour Town course, which frequently appears on several "Best Courses" lists, was designed by famed golf course architect Pete Dye, with assistance from Jack Nicklaus. In 1972, the first two rounds were played on both the Harbour Town Golf Links and the Ocean course at Sea Pines, with the final two rounds at Harbour Town. Originally played in late November, it moved to mid-September in 1973, March in 1974, and April in 1983. The inaugural champion in 1969 was forty-year-old Arnold Palmer, his first win in over a year. Course co-designer Nicklaus won in 1975, two weeks before his fifth Masters win. Davis Love III leads with five victories in the event, Hale Irwin and Stewart Cink have three, while seven others have won twice. From 1987 through 2010, it was sponsored either by MCI (under both the "MCI" and "WorldCom" names) or its eventual purchaser, Verizon. The tournament operated without a title sponsor in 2011, and the Royal Bank of Canada has been the title sponsor of The Heritage since 2012. It is currently organized by The Heritage Classic Foundation.
- Venue
- Harbour Town Golf Links
- Location
- Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
- Course Architect
- Pete Dye
- Established
- 1969
- Status
- Active PGA Tour Event
- Typical Month
- April
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The course length at the inaugural event in 1969 was 6,655 yards (6,085 m). The Heritage is one of only five tournaments given "invitational" status by the PGA Tour, and consequently it has a reduced field of only 69 players in 2024 (as opposed to most full-field open tournaments with a field of 156 players). The other four tournaments with invitational status are the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Charles Schwab Challenge, the Memorial Tournament, and the Genesis Invitational. Invitational tournaments have smaller fields, and have more freedom than full-field open tournaments in determining which players are eligible to participate in their event, as invitational tournaments are not required to fill their fields using the PGA Tour Priority Ranking System. Furthermore, unlike full-field open tournaments, invitational tournaments do not offer open qualifying (aka Monday qualifying). For the 2026 tournament, it will serve as the Tournament of Champions featuring all 2025 calendar year PGA Tour winners.
In Their Own Story
The sun dipped low over the Atlantic, casting long shadows across the fairway. A veteran player adjusted his grip on the driver, eyes fixed not just on the target, but on the white lighthouse looming near the green. The crowd hushed, a collective breath held in anticipation of the final shot. In this moment, the noise of the modern game faded, leaving only the rhythm of swing and wind. It was here, amidst the pines and salt air, that another chapter of golf history waited to be written.
Reader's Guide
The field consists of 70 or more invited using the following criteria: Top 50 in the previous year's FedEx Cup Standings. (BMW PGA Championship qualifiers); Top 10 in the current year PGA Tour FedEx Cup standings as of the Masters Tournament that were not in the previous year's Top 50; Aon Swing 5 (Puerto Rico Open, Valspar Championship, Texas Children's Houston Open and Valero Texas Open); Current year PGA Tour full FedEx Cup points tournament winners; Top 30 Official World Golf Rankings; 2026 Only – All 2025 calendar year winners on the PGA Tour (full field and opposite field events) will participate. The tournament has been played in the month of November (1969–72), September (1973), March (1974–82) - usually two weeks before The Masters, April (1983– ) - usually the week after The Masters. Exception: In 2020, it was postponed until June due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Did You Know?
- 1969: Arnold Palmer wins the inaugural edition at 283 (–1), three shots ahead of Richard Crawford and Bert Yancey.
- 1971: Future three-time U.S. Open champion, Hale Irwin, makes Heritage his first PGA Tour victory, one stroke ahead of Bob Lunn.
- 1976: Hubert Green wins by five shots over Jerry McGee for his third consecutive win in as many weeks.
- 1980: George Archer sets a PGA Tour record for fewest putts in a 72-hole tournament with 94. The previous mark was 99 set by Bob Menne. Kenny Knox broke Archer's record at the 1989 MCI Heritage Golf Classic.
- 1984: Nick Faldo wins his first PGA Tour event by one shot over Tom Kite. He is the first Englishman to win on United States soil since Tony Jacklin at the 1972 Greater Jacksonville Open.
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