Chad Strong of Dayton, Ohio, and his friend Tom Roach of Findlay, Ohio, had already purchased tickets for the Saturday of the RBC Heritage PGA Tour event held in Hilton Head on Harbour Town Golf Links April 16-19 when they decided on a whim to try and win last-minute tickets for the final round. They were already planning on going Sunday anyway, so why not give the contests a shot just in case?
While home in Ohio a couple weeks before the event, Strong came across a link to our publication’s RBC Heritage social media promotion and registered online to win two tickets. Much to their excitement, he won.
Strong and Roach have strong ties to Harbour Town and the RBC Heritage. The two friends bought a house in Hilton Head’s Sea Pines Resort in 2009 as an investment property that they rent out on VRBO and Airbnb. Since it’s an investment property, they had never previously attended the tournament in person because the home is just steps away from holes 16, 17 and 18 on the Harbour Town course, so as one might imagine the annual event is a lucrative rental opportunity. But this year they opted to catch the action up close for the first time.
While the PGA Tour aficionados have both played the course several times, Strong noted that “watching the pros play it was significantly different.”
The golf itself was thrilling, with Englishman (and now world No. 3) Matt Fitzpatrick beating American and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a playoff on Sunday, as both players finished the course at 18 under par. Fitzpatrick led after both Friday and Saturday, and retained his lead heading into hole 72 on the final day before bogeying and setting up a playoff with a surging Scheffler. Despite the setback, Fitzpatrick maintained his composure and birdied the first playoff hole on the 18th to emerge victorious over Scheffler, who parred the hole.
“The atmosphere was very, very cool,” said Strong of the tournament. The vibe on Sunday for the final round and playoff was especially electric, with a buzz stirring through the crowd. Strong roots for several players on tour, including Scheffler and Fitzpatrick, so the end result was a win-win for him.
Roach said he would have loved to see Rickie Fowler or Gary Woodland win as they have never won the RBC, but he was happy that both players recorded respectable top 10 finishes.
He saw nothing wrong with Fitzpatrick prevailing though, with his backstory of vacationing in Hilton Head as a child and “putting this place up on a pedestal.” Roach added that having the world No. 1 chasing him provided a fantastic finish to a great tournament.
“Such an exciting tournament and playoff ending at one of my favorite places in the world,” reflected Roach of the experience.
Played in Hilton Head since 1969, the RBC Heritage is South Carolina’s only signature event on the PGA Tour. With a $20 million purse, it invariably draws some of golf’s biggest names. The event attracts more than 100,000 spectators from across the U.S. and around the globe and brings an estimated $134.9 million annually to the state.
By Colin McCandless
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