RBC Heritage: Stars flock to Harbour Town after the Masters
The RBC Heritage has the distinction of being the “tournament after the Masters”, but that hasn’t stopped the crew at Hilton Head from putting on an event that draws its share of big-name talent.
The cannon fired to open the tournament week for the RBC Heritage, and this year, many big names have joined the party.
“I think this is the best field they’ve ever had,” Dustin Johnson, a South Carolina native, said about the tournament after his pro-am. “It definitely helps the state. It helps the local community here. So I’m definitely proud to support it and help out in any way I can.”
The support of RBC paved the way for a long list of big-name golfers and major champions. This week Johnson, Francesco Moninari, Jordan Speith, Davis Love III, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell, Stewart Cink, Martin Kaymer, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson and others are ready to challenge Harbour Town Golf Links, one of Pete Dye’s early courses.
“For me, it’s the only tournament in my home state,” Dustin Johnson said about his support of the tournament. He’s also an RBC Ambassador and wants to support the tournament for that reason. “I’ve got a lot of family and friends who get to come down and watch me. It’s a really nice week.”
As Johnson noted, Harbour Town is different than Augusta National.
"“The golf course is really good. It’s tight. It’s tree-lined. It’s kind of position golf,” he explained. “This is the kind of golf I grew up playing. It’s something I’m used to. Last year I had some success, and I’m looking to have some more success this year.”More from Pro Golf NowGolf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning dealFantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player SelectionsBrutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at ConcessionFantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament"
Because the course features fairways lined with tall pines, some feel claustrophobic playing it. However, Johnson said it’s more about precision than anything else.
“You’ve got to hit your numbers. These greens are really small,” he said.
In fact, they are the second smallest on the PGA Tour, just behind Pebble Beach, according to the Tour staff.
That means the winner will probably need to have an excellent short game because it’s likely that no one will hit all 18 greens in regulation.
Francesco Molinari agreed that accuracy at Harbour Town is the big challenge, but with his ability to hit fairways and greens, he should not have a problem with Harbour Town. That doesn’t make him invincible, though.
“Small targets all the time, fairways and greens. And the wind is a big factor,” he said after his pro-am round about the golf course. “If it gets windy, I don’t think it matters how well you hit it, you’re not going to make some fairways and greens and then you have to recover well.”
He called the course beautiful but daunting.
“My concern is just having the mental energies to perform this week and to be competitive against a really strong field,” he added. That is because he was in contention on the last day at the Masters last week, up until a few balls in the water opened the door for Tiger Woods to take control.
Johnson compared and contrasted it with Augusta National.
“Last week the greens were big, but very small quadrants,” he said. “There’s a lot of similarities, even though the golf courses may not look anything alike. But the kind of golf you’ve got to play is very similar because you’re trying to place it in certain spots.”
Harbour Town Golf Links, which opened in 1969, was one of Pete Dye’s early courses. When Arnold Palmer won the first Heritage Classic, it put the course and Hilton Head Island on the map.
There are some interesting and unusual holes on the course.
The par-4 13th features a half moat of sand around the front of the green, which is faced with railroad ties. It was designed by the late Alice Dye, then Pete Dye’s wife. There’s room behind the green, but due to the design, the shot to the green looks more intimidating than it really is. The 9th has a heart shaped green that, today, is easily drivable. However, there is a swath of sand in front of the green and there are pot bunkers at the top of the heart.
The part threes are Harbour Town are interesting to look at and devilish to play. The 7th green is surrounded by what looks like a scarf of bunkers. The 14th has water flanking the entire right side of the green, and just for fun, there’s also water back right of it. It’s held up by straight as a string railroad ties so it’s either hit it or take a penalty. The 17th has water and marsh along the left side, a long ribbon of sand, and then a small green. You just have to hit a good shot there.
The 18th at Harbour Town, with it’s signature red and white lighthouse, is the course’s most famous hole. The fairway is extraordinarily wide, but these days, with the length players have off the tee, their biggest problem is hitting through the fairway to the marsh on the other side. Most use a 3-wood or less off the tee.
Since Thursday is promising afternoon thunderstorms, wind will likely be a factor, particularly at the two finishing holes, which are on Calibogue Sound, where the Intracoastal waterway spills out to the Atlantic Ocean. Even on a placid day, there are typically breezes on the 17th and 18th holes at least.
Next. RBC Heritage: Dark horse picks at Harbour Town. dark
Davis Love III is a five time winner, and this year at age 55, he still enjoys playing it. Nobody in the field knows the course better than he does.
“I think you have to do everything well,” he has said in the past. “You have to hit it in the fairway, you have to be in the proper position in the fairway to be able to attack the flag. And you obviously have to putt well. But you look at the players that have won here, it’s not one style of player. It’s guys that have been playing well that year or major champions or veteran players that understand how to play the golf course. It doesn’t suit any one style of game. But you have to have everything clicking really to compete.”