RBC Heritage in full planning mode for April, still with more questions than answers

The countdown calendar for the RBC Heritage has dropped to under 100 days, the trigger for tournament officials to put the finishing touches on preparations for the PGA Tour’s annual stop in South Carolina in April.

One problem: Those tournament officials have no concrete idea of what the pros and fans — if fans are allowed — will discover at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island in mid-April.

Plans “are evolving each and every day,” long-time tournament director Steve Wilmot said. “We’re working with the Tour and with state officials, and things can change quickly.”

Such is the challenge in almost every endeavor during the coronavirus outbreak. Even though the vaccine offers some optimism, the recent surge in cases clouds the picture.

“Whatever the final plan we can move forward with, it’s a matter of survival to get to ’22,” Wilmot said.

After the PGA Tour stopped play last March, the RBC Heritage became an early cancellation. Then, with a plan in place to stage events with extensive safety protocols and without fans, the tournament received a June date on the new, truncated schedule.

This year’s tournament dates are April 12-18, with play starting Thursday of that week, April 15.

“We’ve got to plan for whatever the situation might be at the time,” Wilmot said. “We learned last year that it’s a lot easier to plan and cancel than to try to put a tournament together at the last minute.

“Right now, we don’t know if we will be able to have 30,000 fans or 10,000 fans or 3,000 fans on Saturday, for example. We are planning to have a pro-am tournament. What about sky boxes? With social distancing, will we have 20% capacity, 30%? Should we build boxes that will hold 100 people if we can seat only 40 due to distancing? We don’t know yet, and construction takes time.”

Sports with stadiums or arenas can devise seating plans to conform to social distancing requirements. Golf fans are more on the move and, Wilmot said, “If the leader is on No. 18 on Sunday afternoon, everybody wants to be crowded around No. 18.”

A year ago, the Heritage had tickets and pro-am spots sold and all the bleachers and hospitality areas in place prior to the cancellation. Losing the April date meant a big financial hit.

The Tour allowed limited fans at the Houston tournament in the fall, and the number of on-site spectators at early 2021 events remains fluid. Ticket information will be forthcoming when available, but Wilmot knows revenue from premium clubhouse badges will be lost due to restrictions on access.

“We have to work things out with security, transportation companies, food and beverage,” Wilmot said. “We have to decide, ‘What’s the best way to operate?’ We’re looking at the possibility of not having any activity on Monday of tournament week for cost-saving reasons.”

So, the countdown calendar clicks relentlessly ... still with more than 90 days to go until show time.

“We have great partners with RBC, Boeing and the Tour, and we’re all working together,” he said. “We do know this: We will do the right thing and we will have a first-class event.”

Chip shots. The South Carolina Golf Association has named Columbia Country Club its club of the year, Trent Bouts the recipient of the Charles Drawdy Distinguished Service Award and John Orr the winner of the Tom Fazio Service to Golf honor. Columbia CC hosted multiple tournaments ranging from junior one-days to the State Amateur. Bouts, a Greenville resident, is the long-time editor of Palmetto Golfer, the SCGA’s top-quality magazine, and also produces publications for golf superintendents’ associations. Orr, who lives in Florence, for years has been instrumental in the development of junior golf programs across the state. ... Anna Morgan (Spartanburg/Furman) won the women’s title and Garrett Cooper (Cowpens/Coastal Carolina) earned the men’s crown in the CGA’s Carolinas Young Amateur at Pinewild CC in Pinehurst, North Carolina ... The USGA is seeking more than 600 volunteers to assist with the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at the CC of North Carolina in Pinehurst, North Carolina in July. For information, go online to the club’s website www.ccofnc.com.

This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 9:09 AM with the headline "RBC Heritage in full planning mode for April, still with more questions than answers."