Why the 2024 RBC Heritage overlaps with another PGA Tour event this week

This week, the PGA Tour is at two different venues. A group of pros will play on Hilton Head Island, while many others will play in the Dominican Republic. The PGA Tour often overlaps with other leagues and arch rival LIV Golf, but having PGA Tour events overlap is something unique.

But this isn’t the first time the PGA Tour has held two events on the same day. Last month, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Puerto Rico Open were held in the same week. The RBC Heritage and Corales Puntacana Championship begin on April 18. And there’s good reason for the PGA Tour to hold both events on the same day.

Why did the PGA Tour announce two events in one week?

Simply put, the PGA Tour is creating a way for lesser known players on the lower ranks of the tour to have a chance to do better without being overshadowed by the current greats in the American League. Events held at the same time as the top events are called alternative events, and they have lower prize money and fewer competitors.

By comparison, the RBC Heritage has a total prize purse of $20 million, with the winner receiving $700 FedExCup points and $3.6 million, while the Corales Puntacana Championship has a total prize purse of $4 million, with the winner receiving $684,000 and 300 FedExCup points. In addition, newcomers to the PGA Tour have the chance to win for the first time, along with many other perks.

Additionally, the winner will receive two years of PGA Tour access and eligibility to play in the next big event on the PGA Tour. Therefore, players who play in these alternate events will be in the spotlight they may have missed if the top players were playing. After the Punta Cana Championship and the RBC Heritage, there are two more overlapping events in the future.

First up is the Myrtle Beach Classic and Wells Fargo Championship in May. Then there’s the Barracuda Championship in Truckee, which is held the same week as The Open in July. There’s an obvious difference in what’s at stake at the Corales Puntacana Championship and the RBC Heritage, but there’s another difference between the two events.

Contrasting field sizes at the RBC Heritage Corales Punta Cana Championship

Unlike regular events on the PGA Tour, Signature Events have limited field numbers, and the RBC Heritage is no different: Only 69 players are allowed onto the Harbour Town Golf Links course. Meanwhile, the Punta Cana Championship sees a whopping 132 players battling it out for the coveted prize money and trophy.

Notably, the Hilton Head Island field features some of the best names in golf, including 2024 Masters winner Scottie Scheffler, world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, 2024 Masters lone runner-up Ludvig Aberg, defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick and all but one of the OWGR’s top 50 players. The one person not in the RBC Heritage field opted to play the event at Dominique instead.

That’s Norwegian phenom Nikolaj Hoygaard, who tied for 16th in the Masters and is the only other player to rank higher (34th) at the Corales Golf Course, but with two winners to be announced by the weekend, both events promise to be action-packed and dramatic.