Georgia’s Spencer Ralston will be competing this week in the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links, marking his first opportunity to play in a PGA Tour event.
“I am really excited for the chance to play in the RBC Heritage,” said Ralston, who recently announced he will return for a fifth season with Georgia. “It’s a dream of mine to play on the PGA Tour, so being able to have that experience as a collegiate golfer is really big. I’ve been waiting for months for this week to arrive.”
Ralston earned a sponsor exemption for the RBC Heritage by winning the Players Amateur last summer. But that synopsis barely scratches the surface of the roller coaster ride on which Ralston has been.
On July 14, Ralston found himself 11 strokes and six groups behind the leaders heading into the final round of the Players Am. He responded with a 9-under 63, posting an eagle and eight birdies, to surge up the leaderboard and claim the title by a stroke.
“It was one of those rare days where everything seems to go your way,” Ralston said. “I got some breaks, I made some putts, and I kind of caught fire. I got fortunate and I took advantage of it.”
Ralston left Bluffton, S.C., with the Players Am title and its traditional exemption into the RBC Heritage, which was scheduled for April 16-19. However, the tournament was canceled on March 17 due to the coronavirus pandemic, along with the championship portion of what was thought to be Ralston’s final collegiate push. Then, on what would have been the date of the RBC Heritage’s first round, the PGA Tour announced it was not canceling the event but rather rescheduling it for June 18-21.
“To say that from March until now was something of a whirlwind for Spencer, in terms of his golf, would be an understatement,” Georgia head coach Chris Haack said.
“This will be a great experience for Spencer,” Haack continued. “He’ll be among his fellow Bulldogs on Tour, and he’ll be able to pick their brains and get a few pointers and tips. This is something that will help him out down the road. Learning about how a few things are done at the next level will be invaluable.”
Other Bulldogs in the RBC Heritage field include Harris English, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Keith Mitchell, Brendon Todd, and Bubba Watson. Pairings and tee times will be announced later this week.