The 2026 RBC Heritage opens Thursday at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with a $20 million purse on the line. Rickie Fowler tees off at 11:40 a.m. ET alongside Kurt Kitayama, seeking to snap a winless streak dating to 2023. Scottie Scheffler, fresh off a runner-up finish at the Masters, anchors the field in the Signature Event.
Round 1 pairings feature a mix of recent Masters participants and others grinding for form. Harry Hall, who missed the cut at Augusta National, arrived early and hit 266 range balls on Monday, focusing heavily on his driver. J.J. Spaun, Rickie Fowler and Andrew Novak also logged extensive practice sessions after their Augusta disappointments, with Hall telling reporters there, “It’s not over yet,” before failing to make the cut at five over through two rounds. The $20 million purse offers quick relief for those players' Masters hangovers. Scottie Scheffler tees off at 1:50 p.m. ET with Matt Fitzpatrick, entering in strong form as the world No. 1. Fowler, who qualified via his 32nd-place FedEx Cup finish last year, pairs with Kitayama after missing cuts at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and Valero Texas Open while chasing a Masters invite. Other notable groups include Justin Thomas and Ludvig Aberg at 10:05 a.m., Xander Schauffele and Russell Henley at 1:30 p.m., and Collin Morikawa and Shane Lowry at 1:20 p.m. Coverage begins early on PGA Tour Live via ESPN+ from 7 a.m. ET, with Golf Channel airing 2-6 p.m. ET. Brooks Koepka sits as the first alternate, having earned FedEx Cup points through four top-20 finishes in his last five starts.
