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 Hilton Head's Heritage has yet to secure a title sponsor for 2011, but it has been guaranteed a spot on the PGA Tour's schedule for the 43rd consecutive year.
PGA Tour officials announced a "one time" change that will temporarily move the Heritage into the slot two weeks after The Masters, a departure from its customary position of a week after which the tournament has occupied since 1983.
The tournament will be played at Harbour Town Golf Links April 18-24, and will share the local spotlight with Savannah's Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, which will be played during the same period at the Golf Club at Savannah Harbor.
This one-time change is due to an anomaly in the 2011 schedule that adds an extra week between the Masters and The Players Championship.
The Valero Texas Open agreed to move from May to April to fill the extra week. However, due to a variety of reasons, the original date proposed by the PGA Tour was not workable for the Valero Texas Open, which made the week following the Masters the most viable option.
“First, in light of recent speculation about The Heritage’s immediate future, we are pleased to confirm that it will return to the PGA Tour schedule in 2011,” said Rick George, PGA Tour chief of operations. “While having two events in the same market during the same week is not an ideal situation, it does provide us the unique opportunity to showcase the best of the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour to that region, and we expect both tournaments to continue to be very successful events.
“This is a one-time change to the PGA Tour schedule, and our hope and intent is for The Heritage to return to its long-standing position the week after the Masters in 2012,” George added. “Our thanks to both tournaments for agreeing to the resolution, and we know they will work together to provide the best experience for area golf fans, while also positively impacting the local economy and many deserving charities.”
“While there will be some adjustments due to the schedule change, we look forward to another highly successful Heritage tournament in 2011,” said Steve Wilmot, tournament director of The Heritage. “Our thanks go out to the many Heritage fans, volunteers and sponsors for their understanding, and we look forward to returning to our traditional post-Masters date in 2012.”
“The Heritage Classic has been a PGA Tour staple for many years and we are happy for their Foundation, Tournament Staff, and the folks in the Hilton Head community that the Heritage Classic is on the 2011 Tour schedule,” said Joe Rotellini, executive director of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. “They have worked hard to get it done. We look forward to working with Steve and his team on possible partnerships for this one-year phenomenon.”
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