Why Does the RBC Heritage Champion Win a Red Plaid Jacket?

Following the same path as the Masters, this week another jacket will be given to the winner of the RBC Heritage. But instead of the green, the jacket will be the tartan jacket, honoring the Scottish roots of golf. It is the week of Plaid Nation as 69 PGA Tour pros have teed up at the Harbour Town Golf Links for the event’s 55th edition.

The tartan plaid jacket has not always been associated with the RBC Heritage since it started in 1969. It was only after a few years that the then-organizers replaced the former jacket and decided to go with the red and black plaid one.

What’s the plaid jacket made of, and when was it first given? 

It was the early 1970s when the organizer of the RBC Heritage and Sea Pines founder, Charles Fraser, decided to change the yellowish gold jacket with the tartan at the suggestion of his wife, Mary Fraser. According to Fraser, his wife wanted to make a jacket that would be “more festive.” He also found that the jacket wasn’t that attractive, so a request was sent to Kinloch Anderson (a tailoring company in Edinburgh) to make the plaid coats.

The tartan made in Scotland was never sold to the public and was accredited by the Scottish Tartan Society in 1970, making it rare and one of a kind to be given to the winner of the RBC Heritage, worn by the organizers, amateur golfers who pay for the Pro-Am, and some golf-enthusiastic politicians of South Carolina.

However, interestingly, the winner of RBC Heritage does not take the tartan jacket home. Traditionally, the winner only wears the jacket honoring the Scottish legacy at the ceremony momentarily presented by Boeing (the presenting sponsor). After that, his measurements are given to Dennis Jaworski, the owner of Palmettoes, who now makes the jacket. The next year, the winner will then wear the tartan coat handmade just for him, hitting the first tee shot while the cannon shoots in the background, as Matt Fitzpatrick did on Tuesday.

Jackets are rare as fans cannot purchase them. Firstly, they are expensive; one coat costs upwards of $2,800 because the labor cost is only $400. Secondly, to keep it prestigious and only for the RBC Heritage, the organizers don’t allow the sale of the plaid jacket. But wearing your best pattern resembling the tartan at the RBC Heritage may award you with a reward.

What will wearing red on Plaid Nation Day give the fans? 

Every Saturday at the RBC Heritage, the organizers encourage all the fans to wear tartan and participate in the Plaid Nation Games of being the best dressed at the Heritage Lawn from 12-2 p.m. EDT. The panel of judges with the Sir William Innes mascot—the 18th-century historical golf figure—decides who will be the winner.

Eventually, the victor is given the tickets to the next year’s RBC Heritage. In 2024, the mascot will be the third version of Sir Willie at the RBC Heritage to honor his legacy. At one time, even the event logo had Innes’s face. However, their logo replaced Sir Willie when RBC became the sponsor in 2012. The trophy is still the statue of Sir Willie Innes given to the winner.

The Plaid Nation Day tradition at the Harbour Town Golf Links will start in just a few hours. Fans will flock to the course, wearing tartan from head to toe, to witness the second-last day of RBC Heritage.