Fans heading to RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing might have recognized a familiar face speaking at the podium as they walked by the Liberty Oak in the Harbour Town Yacht Basin on Sunday morning.
At the sunrise church service put on by the Southern Coastal Fellowship of Christian Athletes, PGA Tour golfer Ben Martin had been invited to speak before heading off to prepare for his 8:30 a.m. tee time. Martin, of Greenville, South Carolina, talked about his early days as a “rookie” in 2011 and his struggles with doubt and loneliness.
“No matter how this tournament shakes out … it’s not really going to change a lot in my life,” Martin said of dealing with the pressures of the sport. “Even in defeat on the golf course, I was able to convey that the things I treasure in life wouldn’t go away.”
Martin was given a thumbs up by a handful of the 150 people who had assembled for the service Sunday as he hopped on a golf cart to head to the course.
The service continued with live music and sermons from the Rev. Greg Konz of St. Luke’s Church, retired, and the Rev. Brett Myers, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hilton Head Island. In their sermons, both men talked about the camaraderie surrounding the sport and the ways in which the tournament emphasizes it each year.
“This place and this wonderful tournament have blessed my life over the years,” Konz said regarding his almost three decades on Hilton Head.
The service often falls on Easter Sunday, drawing about 1,000 people “as far as the eye can see,” according to the organization’s southern coastal area director, Rob Jacobs.
“We’ve been having our service here for about 15 years now,” Jacobs said. “It’s nice, sometimes you even see people on yachts come out in their robes to listen.”
Sunday’s gray sky and forecasted rain are what event organizers like Jacobs and Lisa Richardson said is to blame for the lower turnout this year. Despite their decreased numbers, however, the service was a “blessing,” Richardson said.
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